Peer-Reviewed Journal Details
Mandatory Fields
Krivonos R.;Tsygankov S.;Lutovinov A.;Tomsick J.;Chakrabarty D.;Bachetti M.;Boggs S.;Chernyakova M.;Christensen F.;Craig W.;Fürst F.;Hailey C.;Harrison F.;Lansbury G.;Rahoui F.;Stern D.;Zhang W.
2015
August
Astrophysical Journal
NuSTAR DISCOVERY of AN UNUSUALLY STEADY LONG-TERM SPIN-UP of the Be BINARY 2RXP J130159.6-635806
Published
9 ()
Optional Fields
pulsars: individual (2RXP J130159.6635806) stars: emission-line, Be X-rays: binaries
809
2
© 2015. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.. We present spectral and timing analyses of Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations of the accreting X-ray pulsar 2RXP J130159.6-635806. The source was serendipitously observed during a campaign focused on the gamma-ray binary PSR B1259-63 and was later targeted for a dedicated observation. The spectrum has a typical shape for accreting X-ray pulsars, consisting of a simple power law with an exponential cutoff starting at ∼7 keV with a folding energy of keV. There is also an indication of the presence of a 6.4 keV iron line in the spectrum at the significance level. NuSTAR measurements of the pulsation period reveal that the pulsar has undergone a strong and steady spin-up for the last 20 years. The pulsed fraction is estimated to be , and is constant with energy up to 40 keV. The power density spectrum shows a break toward higher frequencies relative to the current spin period. This, together with steady persistent luminosity, points to a long-term mass accretion rate high enough to bring the pulsar out of spin equilibrium.
0004-637X
10.1088/0004-637X/809/2/140
Grant Details