XMM-Newton detects a relativistically broadened iron line in the spectrum of the ms X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658

Abstract

We report on a 63-ks long XMM-Newton observation of the accreting millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 during the latest X-ray outburst which started on September 21st 2008. The pn spectrum shows a highly significant emission line in the energy band where the iron K-alpha line is expected, and which we identify as emission from neutral (or mildly ionized) iron. The line profile appears to be quite broad (more than 1 keV FWHM) and asymmetric; the most probable explanation for this profile is Doppler and relativistic broadening from the inner accretion disc. From a fit with a diskline profile we find an inner radius of the disc of 8.7^(+3.7)_(-2.7) R_g, corresponding to 18.0^(+7.6)_(-5.6) km for a 1.4 Msun neutron star. The disc therefore appears truncated inside the corotation radius (31 km for SAX J1808.4-3658) in agreement with the fact that the source was still showing pulsations during the XMM-Newton observation.

5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letters, typos corrected, references added

References in corpus (4)

• Relativistic iron emission lines in neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries as probes of neutron star radii
• Orbital Evolution of an Accreting Millisecond Pulsar: Witnessing the Banquet of a Hidden Black Widow?
• Evidence of a Broad Relativistic Iron Line from the Neutron Star Low-Mass X-ray Binary Serpens X-1
• Order in the Chaos: Spin-up and Spin-down during the 2002 Outburst of SAX J1808.4-3658

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