2S1553-542: a Be/X-ray binary pulsar on the far side of the Galaxy

Abstract

We report the results of a comprehensive analysis of X-ray (Chandra and Swift observatories), optical (Southern African Large Telescope, SALT) and near-infrared (the VVV survey) observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar 2S1553-542. Accurate coordinates for the X-ray source are determined and are used to identify the faint optical/infrared counterpart for the first time. Using VVV and SALTICAM photometry, we have constructed the spectral energy distribution (SED) for this star and found a moderate NIR excess that is typical for Be stars and arises due to the presence of circumstellar material (disk). A comparison of the SED with those of known Be/X-ray binaries has allowed us to estimate the spectral type of the companion star as B1-2V and the distance to the system as $>15$ kpc. This distance estimation is supported by the X-ray data and makes 2S1553-542 one of the most distant X-ray binaries within the Milky Way, residing on the far side in the Scutum-Centaurus arm or even further.

arXiv comment8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (20)

• The Leiden/Argentine/Bonn (LAB) Survey of Galactic HI: Final data release of the combined LDS and IAR surveys with improved stray-radiation corrections
• Intrinsic Colors, Temperatures, and Bolometric Corrections of Pre-Main Sequence Stars
• Methods and results of an automatic analysis of a complete sample of Swift-XRT observations of GRBs
• The SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey. Paper I: Introduction and Description
• Catalogue of high-mass X-ray binaries in the Galaxy ($4^{th}$ edition)
• A catalogue of low-mass X-ray binaries in the Galaxy, LMC, and SMC (Fourth edition)
• A natural explanation for periodic X-ray outbursts in Be/X-ray binaries
• First science with SALT: peering at the accreting polar caps of the eclipsing polar SDSS J015543.40+002807.2
• The RMS Survey: Galactic distribution of massive star formation
• Cooling sequences and color-magnitude diagrams for cool white dwarfs with hydrogen-atmospheres
• Accurate early positions for Swift GRBS: enhancing X-ray positions with UVOT astrometry
• Population of persistent high mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way
• Testing the deep-crustal heating model using quiescent neutron-star very-faint X-ray transients and the possibility of partially accreted crusts in accreting neutron stars
• The population of massive X-ray binaries I. The Large Magellanic Cloud
• Observations of the Transient X-ray Pulsar KS 1947+300 by the INTEGRAL and RXTE Observatories
• NuSTAR discovery of a cyclotron absorption line in the transient X-ray pulsar 2S 1553-542
• The accretion powered spin-up of GRO J1750-27
• AX J1749.1-2733 and AX J1749.2-2725 - the close pair of X-ray pulsars behind the Galactic Center: an optical identification
• The high optical polarization in the Be/X-ray binary EXO 2030+375
• Unveiling the nature of IGR J16283-4838

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Cyclotron lines in highly magnetized neutron stars
• The Ups & Downs of Accreting X-Ray Pulsars: Decade-long observations with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor
• A catalogue of high-mass X-ray binaries in the Galaxy: from the INTEGRAL to the Gaia era
• The X-ray properties of Be/X-ray pulsars in quiescence
• New hard X-ray sources discovered in the ongoing INTEGRAL Galactic Plane survey after 14 years of observations
• Correlation between the luminosity and spin-period changes during outbursts of 12 Be binary pulsars observed by the MAXI/GSC and the Fermi/GBM
• A polarimetrically oriented X-ray stare at the accreting pulsar EXO 2030+375
• Radius of the neutron star magnetosphere during disk accretion
• GROJ1750-27: a neutron star far behind the Galactic Center switching into the propeller regime
• Catalog of the Galactic population of X-ray pulsars in High-mass X-ray binary systems
• Accreting on the edge: a luminosity-dependent cyclotron line in the Be/X-ray Binary 2S 1553-542 accompanied by accretion regimes transition
• Identification of an X-ray Pulsar in the BeXRB system IGR J18219$-$1347
• Spectral properties of the Be/X-ray pulsar 2S 1553-542 during Type II outbursts
• Temporal and spectral study of the X-ray pulsar 2S 1553-542 during the 2021 outburst
• Monte-Carlo simulations on possible collimation effects of outflows to fan-beamed emission of ultraluminous accreting X-ray pulsars