Discovery of periodic dips in the light curve of GX 13+1: the X-ray orbital ephemeris of the source
arXiv:1310.6628 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322328
Abstract
The bright low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) GX 13+1 is one of the most peculiar Galactic binary systems. A periodicity of 24.27 d with a formal statistical error of 0.03 d was observed in its power spectrum density obtained with RXTE All Sky Monitor (ASM) data spanning 14 years. Starting from a recent study, indicating GX 13+1 as a possible dipping source candidate, we systematically searched for periodic dips in the X-ray light curves of GX 13+1 from 1996 up to 2013 using RXTE/ASM, and MAXI data to determine for the first time the X-ray orbital ephemeris of GX 13+1. We searched for a periodic signal in the ASM and MAXI light curves, finding a common periodicity of 24.53 d. We folded the 1.3-5 keV and 5-12.1 keV ASM light curves and the 2-4 and 4-10 keV MAXI light curves at the period of 24.53 d finding a periodic dip. To refine the value of the period we used the timing technique dividing the ASM light curve in eight intervals and the MAXI light curve in two intervals, obtaining four and two dip arrival times from the ASM and MAXI light curves, respectively. We improved the X-ray position of GX 13+1 using a recent Chandra observation. The new X-ray position is discrepant by $\sim 7\arcsec$ from the previous one, while it is compatible with the infrared and radio counterpart positions. We detected an X-ray dip, that is totally covered by the Chandra observation, in the light curve of GX 13+1 and showed, a-posteriori, that it is a periodic dip. We obtained seven dip arrival times from ASM, MAXI, and Chandra light curves. We calculated the delays of the detected dip arrival times with respect to the expected times for a 24.52 d periodicity. Fitting the delays with a linear function we find that the orbital period and the epoch of reference of GX 13+1 are 24.5274(2) days and 50,086.79(3) MJD, respectively.(Abridged)
12 pages, including 16 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A
References in corpus (3)
Cited by in corpus (19)
- Evidence for simultaneous jets and disk winds in luminous low-mass X-ray binaries
- NuSTAR Observations of the Accreting Atolls GX 3+1, 4U 1702-429, 4U 0614+091, and 4U 1746-371
- Common Patterns in the Evolution between the Luminous Neutron Star Low-Mass X-ray Binary Subclasses
- Chandra X-ray spectroscopy of a clear dip in GX 13+1
- The Disk Wind in the Neutron Star Low-mass X-Ray Binary GX 13+1
- Testing Rate Dependent corrections on timing mode EPIC-pn spectra of the accreting Neutron Star GX 13+1
- Relativistic X-Ray Reflection and Photoionised Absorption in the Neutron-Star Low-Mass X-ray Binary GX 13+1
- Intermittent dipping in a low-mass X-ray Binary
- Discovery of optical and infrared accretion disc wind signatures in the black hole candidate MAXI J1348-630
- SWIFT J1756.9-2508: spectral and timing properties of its 2018 outburst
- Discovery of a strong rotation of the X-ray polarization angle in the galactic burster GX 13+1
- Variable Doppler shifts of the thermal wind absorption lines in low-mass X-ray binaries
- New orbital ephemerides for the dipping source 4U 1323-619: constraining the distance to the source
- Stratified wind from a super-Eddington X-ray binary is slower than expected
- X-ray Dips and Polarization Angle Swings in GX 13+1
- A search for signatures of interactions of X-ray binary outflows with their environments with ALMA
- Spectroscopic modelling of four neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries using CLOUDY
- On the origin of the near-infrared emission from the neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary GX 9+1
- High count rate effects in event processing for XRISM/Resolve x-ray microcalorimeter