Type I X-ray Bursts from the Neutron-star Transient XTE J1701-462

Abstract

The neutron-star X-ray transient XTE J1701-462 was observed for $\sim$3 Ms with \xte during its 2006-2007 outburst. Here we report on the discovery of three type-I X-ray bursts from XTE J1701-462. They occurred as the source was in transition from the typical Z-source behavior to the typical atoll-source behavior, at $\sim 10$ of the Eddington luminosity. The first burst was detected in the Z-source flaring branch; the second in the vertex between the flaring and normal branches; and the third in the atoll-source soft state. The detection of the burst in the flaring branch cast doubts on earlier speculations that the flaring branch is due to unstable nuclear burning of accreted matter. The last two of the three bursts show photospheric radius expansion, from which we estimate the distance to the source to be 8.8 kpc with a 15% uncertainty. No significant burst oscillations in the range 30 to 4000 Hz were found during these three bursts.

7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJ

References in corpus (3)

• Thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts observed by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• RXTE observations of the first transient Z source XTE J1701-462: shedding new light on mass accretion in luminous neutron star LMXBs
• An explanation of the Z-track sources

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• Rapid Cooling of the Neutron Star in the Quiescent Super-Eddington Transient XTE J1701-462
• A strongly heated neutron star in the transient Z source MAXI J0556-332
• Relativistic X-Ray Reflection and Photoionised Absorption in the Neutron-Star Low-Mass X-ray Binary GX 13+1
• The Galactic LMXB Population and the Galactic Centre Region
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• Cross-correlations between soft and hard light curves depending on luminosity in the transient neutron star XTE J1701-462
• X-ray polarization of Z-type neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries -- I. Model-independent, time-resolved X-ray polarimetry
• Anti-Correlated lags in a Neutron star Z source GX 5-1: AstroSat's View
• A new correlation with lower kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillation frequency in the ensemble of low-mass X-ray binaries
• On the origin of the near-infrared emission from the neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary GX 9+1
• The accretion rate independence of horizontal branch oscillation in XTE J1701-462
• Return of 4U~1730--22 after 49 years silence: the peculiar burst properties of the 2021/2022 outbursts observed by Insight-HXMT
• AstroSat View of Transient Low-mass X-ray Binary XTE J1701-462: Spectral and Temporal Evolution along the Z-track
• A "Hyperburst" in the MAXI J0556-332 Neutron Star: Evidence for a New Type of Thermonuclear Explosion
• Lags of the KiloHertz Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the transient source XTE J1701$-$462