X-ray pulsar XTE J1858+034: discovery of the cyclotron line and the revised optical identification

Abstract

We present results of a detailed investigation of the poorly studied X-ray pulsar XTE J1858+034 based on the data obtained with the NuSTAR observatory during the outburst of the source in 2019. The spectral analysis resulted in the discovery of a cyclotron absorption feature in the source spectrum at ~48 keV both in the pulse phase averaged and resolved spectra. Accurate X-ray localization of the source using the NuSTAR and Chandra observatories allowed us to accurately determine the position of the X-ray source and identify the optical companion of the pulsar. The analysis of the counterpart properties suggested that the system is likely a symbiotic binary hosting an X-ray pulsar and a late type companion star of K-M classes rather than Be X-ray binary as previously suggested.

12 pages, 12 figures, accepted by ApJ

References in corpus (5)

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• The Ups & Downs of Accreting X-Ray Pulsars: Decade-long observations with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor
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Cited by in corpus (8)

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• Energy-resolved pulse profiles of accreting pulsars: Diagnostic tools for spectral features
• Catalog of the Galactic population of X-ray pulsars in High-mass X-ray binary systems
• The X-ray pulsar XTE J1858+034 observed with NuSTAR and Fermi/GBM: spectral and timing characterization plus a cyclotron line
• Discovery of a pulse-phase-transient cyclotron line in the X-ray pulsar Swift J1808.4-1754 and identification of an optical companion
• The ongoing spin-down episode of 4U 1626-67
• Monte-Carlo simulations on possible collimation effects of outflows to fan-beamed emission of ultraluminous accreting X-ray pulsars
• On the nature of the X-ray pulsar XTE J1859+083 and its broadband properties