1. Discovery of two transient X-ray pulsars in the small magellanic cloud
- Author
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M. J. Coe, Silas Laycock, C. B. Markwardt, Delphine Perrodin, Robin H. D. Corbet, and F. E. Marshall
- Subjects
Physics ,education.field_of_study ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Population ,X-ray binary ,Astronomy ,White dwarf ,Astrophysics ,Astronomical spectroscopy ,Neutron star ,Pulsar ,Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics ,Transient (oscillation) ,Small Magellanic Cloud ,education ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics - Abstract
Recent RXTE observations of the SMC have revealed two previously unknown transient X-ray pulsars with pulse periods of 95s and 4.78s. The sources are proposed as Be/neutron star systems on the basis of their pulsations, transient nature and characteristically hard spectra. Optical observations indicate an Hα emission-line star as a candidate optical counterpart. These results add to the emerging picture of the SMC as containing an extremely dense population of transient HMXBs, only a fraction of which are active at any one time.
- Published
- 2001
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