Discovery of a new Transient X-ray Pulsar in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud have revealed a previously unknown transient X-ray pulsar with a pulse period of 95s. Provisionally designated XTE SMC95, the pulsar was detected in three Proportional Counter Array observations during an outburst spanning 4 weeks in March/April 1999. The pulse profile is double peaked reaching a pulse fraction \~0.8. The source is proposed as a Be/neutron star system on the basis of its pulsations, transient nature and characteristically hard X-ray spectrum. The 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity implied by our observations is > 2x10^37 erg/s which is consistent with that of normal outbursts seen in Galactic systems. This discovery adds to the emerging picture of the SMC as containing an extremely dense population of transient high mass X-ray binaries.

Accepted by A&A. 7 pages, 6 figures

References in corpus (3)

• A Study of the Populations of X-ray Sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud with ASCA
• The Discovery of an Outburst and Pulsed X-ray Flux from SMC X-2 from RXTE Observations
• Multiwaveband studies of the hard ROSAT SMC transient 1WGA J0053.8-7226: a new X-ray pulsar

Cited by in corpus (13)

• High-Mass X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• X-ray observations of Be/X-ray binaries in the SMC
• A Long Look at the Be/X-Ray Binaries of the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Properties of discrete X-ray sources in the starburst spiral galaxy M83
• Review of Discrete X-Ray Sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud: Summary of the ASCA Results and Implication on the Recent Star Forming Activity
• Long Term Behavior of X-ray Pulsars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• X-ray Pulsars in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Three New Long Period X-ray Pulsars Discovered in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Optical counterparts to four X-ray sources in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• X-Ray and Optical Observations of XTE J0052-723 a Transient Be/X-Ray Pulsar in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Constraining compactness and magnetic field geometry of X-ray pulsars from the statistics of their pulse profiles
• Radiative Column and Light Curve of X-Ray Binary Pulsars
• Discovery of a magnetar candidate X-ray pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud