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NuSTAR Detection Of A Cyclotron Line In The Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient IGR J17544-2619

Authors :
Bhalerao, Varun
Romano, Patrizia
Tomsick, John
Natalucci, Lorenzo
Smith, David M.
Bellm, Eric
Boggs, Steven E.
Chakrabarty, Deepto
Christensen, Finn E.
Craig, William W.
Fuerst, Felix
Hailey, Charles J.
Harrison, Fiona A.
Krivonos, Roman A.
Lu, Ting-Ni
Madsen, Kristin
Stern, Daniel
Younes, George
Zhang, William
Publication Year :
2014

Abstract

We present NuSTAR spectral and timing studies of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) IGR J17544-2619. The spectrum is well-described by a ~1 keV blackbody and a hard continuum component, as expected from an accreting X-ray pulsar. We detect a cyclotron line at 17 keV, confirming that the compact object in IGR J17544-2619 is indeed a neutron star. This is the first measurement of the magnetic field in a SFXT. The inferred magnetic field strength, B = (1.45 +/- 0.03) * 10^12 G * (1+z) is typical of neutron stars in X-ray binaries, and rules out a magnetar nature for the compact object. We do not find any significant pulsations in the source on time scales of 1-2000 s.<br />Comment: MNRAS Accepted. 8 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables

Details

Database :
arXiv
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
edsarx.1407.0112
Document Type :
Working Paper
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stu2495