The peculiar Galactic center neutron star X-ray binary XMM J174457-2850.3

Abstract

The recent discovery of a milli-second radio pulsar experiencing an accretion outburst similar to those seen in low mass X-ray binaries, has opened up a new opportunity to investigate the evolutionary link between these two different neutron star manifestations. The remarkable X-ray variability and hard X-ray spectrum of this object can potentially serve as a template to search for other X-ray binary/radio pulsar transitional objects. Here we demonstrate that the transient X-ray source XMM J174457-2850.3 near the Galactic center displays similar X-ray properties. We report on the detection of an energetic thermonuclear burst with an estimated duration of ~2 hr and a radiated energy output of ~5E40 erg, which unambiguously demonstrates that the source harbors an accreting neutron star. It has a quiescent X-ray luminosity of Lx~5E32 erg/s and exhibits occasional accretion outbursts during which it brightens to Lx~1E35-1E36 erg/s for a few weeks (2-10 keV). However, the source often lingers in between outburst and quiescence at Lx~1E33-1E34 erg/s. This unusual X-ray flux behavior and its relatively hard X-ray spectrum, a power law with an index of ~1.4, could possibly be explained in terms of the interaction between the accretion flow and the magnetic field of the neutron star.

arXiv comment10 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted to ApJ after minor revision (provided a more detailed description of the long-term X-ray behavior in Section 3.1 and Figure 1)

References in corpus (62)

• On the Absorption of X-rays in the Interstellar Medium
• The European Photon Imaging Camera on XMM-Newton: The MOS Cameras
• Atomic Data for Astrophysics. II. New Analytic Fits for Photoionization Cross Sections of Atoms and Ions
• The disc instability model of dwarf-novae and low-mass X-ray binary transients
• Thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts observed by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• A Radio Pulsar/X-ray Binary Link
• The Properties of X-Ray and Optical Light Curves of X-Ray Novae
• Swings between rotation and accretion power in a millisecond binary pulsar
• Photospheric radius expansion X-ray bursts as standard candles
• A state change in the low-mass X-ray binary XSS J12270-4859
• Measurement of the Radius of Neutron Stars with High S/N Quiescent Low-mass X-ray Binaries in Globular Clusters
• A state change in the missing link binary pulsar system PSR J1023+0038
• Six new candidate ultracompact X-ray binaries
• ASCA X-ray source catalogue in the Galactic Center region
• Revisiting a fundamental test of the disc instability model for X-ray binaries
• Variable Thermal Emission from Aql X-1 in Quiescence
• The X-ray Spectra of Black Hole X-ray Novae in Quiescence as Measured by Chandra
• The XMM-Newton/Chandra monitoring campaign of the Galactic center region: Description of the program and preliminary results
• A Chandra X-ray Observation of the Binary Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1023+0038
• X-ray follow-ups of XSSJ12270-4859: a low-mass X-ray binary with gamma ray FERMI-LAT association
• The neutron star transient and millisecond pulsar in M28: from sub-luminous accretion to rotation-powered quiescence
• IGR J16194-2810: a new symbiotic X-ray binary
• Spin-Down of Radio Millisecond Pulsars at Genesis
• Sedimentation and Type I X-ray Bursts at Low Accretion Rates
• The Optical Counterpart to SAX J1808.4-3658 in Quiescence: Evidence of an Active Radio Pulsar?
• The behavior of subluminous X-ray transients near the Galactic center as observed using the X-ray telescope aboard Swift
• Cooling of the crust in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary MXB 1659-29
• Quiescent X-ray emission from Cen X-4: a variable thermal component
• X-ray Observations of XSS J12270-4859 in a New Low State: A Transformation to a Disk-Free Rotation-Powered Pulsar Binary
• The Variable Quiescent X-ray Emission of the Neutron Star Transient XTE J1701-462
• Detection of Low-Hard State Spectral and Timing Signatures from the Black Hole X-Ray Transient XTE J1650-500 at Low X-Ray Luminosities
• A four-year baseline Swift study of enigmatic X-ray transients located near the Galactic center
• Correlated X-ray and Optical Variability in V404 Cyg in Quiescence
• The variable quiescence of Cen X-4
• Intermediate long X-ray bursts from the ultra-compact binary source SLX 1737-282
• X-ray emission and absorption features during an energetic thermonuclear X-ray burst from IGR J17062-6143
• A propeller scenario for the gamma-ray emission of low-mass X-ray binaries: The case of XSS J12270-4859
• A four-year XMM-Newton/Chandra monitoring campaign of the Galactic Centre: analysing the X-ray transients
• The bright unidentified gamma-ray source 1FGL J1227.9-4852: Can it be associated with an LMXB?
• Strong X-ray variability in the quiescent state of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary EXO 1745-248
• Neutron star atmosphere composition: the quiescent, low-mass X-ray binary in the globular cluster M28
• Continued cooling of the crust in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary KS 1731-260
• Probing the Crust of the Neutron Star in EXO 0748-676
• Swift observations of SAX J1808.4-3658: monitoring the return to quiescence
• Unusual X-ray transients in the Galactic Centre
• On the nature of two low M-dot X-ray bursters: 1RXS J170854.4-321857 and 1RXS J171824.2-402934
• Continued Neutron Star Crust Cooling of the 11 Hz X-Ray Pulsar in Terzan 5: A Challenge to Heating and Cooling Models?
• Disks Surviving the Radiation Pressure of Radio Pulsars
• Quiescent X-ray variability from the neutron star transient Aql X-1
• Spectral and Timing Nature of the Symbiotic X-ray Binary 4U 1954+319: The Slowest Rotating Neutron Star in an X-ray Binary System
• Are the very faint X-ray transients period gap systems?
• Near-Infrared Counterparts to Chandra X-ray Sources toward the Galactic Center. I. Statistics and a Catalog of Candidates
• New insights on accretion in Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients from XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations of IGR J17544$-$2619
• A Study of the Unusual Z Cam Systems IW Andromedae and V513 Cassiopeia
• Multi-wavelength observations of 1RXH J173523.7-354013: revealing an unusual bursting neutron star
• A Chandra observation of GRO J1744-28: the bursting pulsar in quiescence
• A Possible Magnetar Nature for IGR J16358-4726
• Chandra observations of the bursting X-ray transient SAX J1747.0-2853 during low-level accretion activity
• A low-level accretion flare during the quiescent state of the neutron-star X-ray transient SAX J1750.8-2900
• The Swift capture of a long X-ray burst from XTE J1701-407
• Swift detection of an intermediately long X-ray burst from the very faint X-ray binary XMMU J174716.1-281048
• An Argument for Weakly-Magnetized, Slowly-Rotating Progenitors of Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

Cited by in corpus (20)

• Radio imaging observations of PSR J1023+0038 in an LMXB state
• Accretion disks and coronae in the X-ray flashlight
• Cooling of Accretion-Heated Neutron Stars
• Transitional millisecond pulsars
• An in-depth study of a neutron star accreting at low Eddington rate: On the possibility of a truncated disk and an outflow
• The nature of very faint X-ray binaries; hints from light curves
• On the Fe K absorption - accretion state connection in the Galactic center neutron star X-ray binary AX J1745.6-2901
• Jet quenching in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9$-$342058
• The Galactic LMXB Population and the Galactic Centre Region
• A New Candidate Transitional Millisecond Pulsar in the Sub-luminous Disk State: 4FGL J0407.7--5702
• A catalogue of unusually long thermonuclear bursts on neutron stars
• Searching for the most powerful thermonuclear X-ray bursts with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
• Optical, X-ray, and $\gamma$-ray observations of the candidate transitional millisecond pulsar 4FGL J0427.8-6704
• Investigating Variability of Quiescent Neutron Stars in the Globular Clusters NGC 6440 and Terzan 5
• Outbursts in ultracompact X-ray binaries
• Catalog of outbursts of neutron star LMXBs
• Quasi-Simultaneous Radio/X-ray Observations of the Candidate Transitional Millisecond Pulsar 3FGL J1544.6-1125 During its Low-Luminosity Accretion-Disc State
• Multi-band observations of Swift J0840.7-3516: a new transient ultra-compact X-ray binary candidate
• The Bursting Pulsar GRO J1744-28: the Slowest Transitional Pulsar?
• The very faint X-ray transient Swift J174610-290018 at the Galactic center