paper

An alternative hypothesis for the outburst mechanism in Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients: the case of IGR J11215-5952

arXiv:0710.1175 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20078137

Abstract

(ABRIDGED)- The physical mechanism responsible for the short outbursts in a recently recognized class of High Mass X-ray Binaries, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), is still unknown. Two main hypotheses have been proposed to date: the sudden accretion by the compact object of small ejections originating in a clumpy wind from the supergiant donor, or outbursts produced at (or near) the periastron passage in wide and eccentric orbits, in order to explain the low (1E32 erg/s) quiescent emission.Neither proposed mechanisms seem to explain the whole phenomenology of these sources. Here we propose a new explanation for the outburst mechanism, based on new X-ray observations of the unique SFXT known to display periodic outbursts, IGRJ11215-5952. We performed three Target of Opportunity observations with Swift, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL at the time of the fifth outburst, expected on 2007 February 9. Swift observations of the February 2007 outburst have been reported elsewhere. Another ToO with Swift was performed in July 2007, in order to monitor the supposed ``apastron'' passage. A second unexpected outburst was discovered on 2007 July 24, after about 165 days from the February 2007 outburst. The new X-ray observations allow us to propose an alternative hypothesis for the outburst mechanism in SFXTs, linked to the possible presence of a second wind component,in the form of an equatorial disk from the supergiant donor. We discuss the applicability of the model to the short outburst durations of all other SFXTs, where a clear periodicity in the outbursts has not been found yet. The new outburst from IGRJ11215-5952 observed in July suggests that the true orbital period is ~165days, instead of 329days, as previously thought.

Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Abstract abridged with respect to the original accepted version. 11 pages, 10 figures

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