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Title: LINKING BURST-ONLY X-RAY BINARY SOURCES TO FAINT X-RAY TRANSIENTS

Abstract

Burst-only sources are X-ray sources discovered thanks to their bursting activity with no associated emission (at least with the monitoring instrument that led to their discovery). This bursting activity consists in one single short (tens of seconds to minutes) burst of X-ray emission, with spectral and timing properties consistent with thermonuclear (type I) bursts usually occurring on the surface of a neutron star. This likely provides a tight link between burst-only sources and neutron star X-ray binary transients. We carried out a series of snapshot observations of the entire sample of burst-only sources with the Swift satellite. We found a few sources in outburst and detected faint candidates, likely representing their quiescent counterparts. To provide a more comprehensive view, we analyzed data for three quasi-persistent faint X-ray binary transients, another sub-class closely related to burst-only sources. We discuss burst-only sources and quasi-persistent sources in the framework of neutron star transients, providing clues on their nature.

Authors:
 [1]
  1. INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy), E-mail: sergio.campana@brera.inaf.it
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21333768
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 699; Journal Issue: 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/699/2/1144; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; EMISSION; MONITORING; NEUTRON STARS; NEUTRONS; SATELLITES; TIMING PROPERTIES; X RADIATION; X-RAY SOURCES

Citation Formats

Campana, S. LINKING BURST-ONLY X-RAY BINARY SOURCES TO FAINT X-RAY TRANSIENTS. United States: N. p., 2009. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/699/2/1144; COUNTRY OF INPUT: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA).
Campana, S. LINKING BURST-ONLY X-RAY BINARY SOURCES TO FAINT X-RAY TRANSIENTS. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/699/2/1144; COUNTRY OF INPUT: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)
Campana, S. 2009. "LINKING BURST-ONLY X-RAY BINARY SOURCES TO FAINT X-RAY TRANSIENTS". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/699/2/1144; COUNTRY OF INPUT: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA).
@article{osti_21333768,
title = {LINKING BURST-ONLY X-RAY BINARY SOURCES TO FAINT X-RAY TRANSIENTS},
author = {Campana, S.},
abstractNote = {Burst-only sources are X-ray sources discovered thanks to their bursting activity with no associated emission (at least with the monitoring instrument that led to their discovery). This bursting activity consists in one single short (tens of seconds to minutes) burst of X-ray emission, with spectral and timing properties consistent with thermonuclear (type I) bursts usually occurring on the surface of a neutron star. This likely provides a tight link between burst-only sources and neutron star X-ray binary transients. We carried out a series of snapshot observations of the entire sample of burst-only sources with the Swift satellite. We found a few sources in outburst and detected faint candidates, likely representing their quiescent counterparts. To provide a more comprehensive view, we analyzed data for three quasi-persistent faint X-ray binary transients, another sub-class closely related to burst-only sources. We discuss burst-only sources and quasi-persistent sources in the framework of neutron star transients, providing clues on their nature.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/699/2/1144; COUNTRY OF INPUT: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21333768}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 2,
volume = 699,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 EDT 2009},
month = {Fri Jul 10 00:00:00 EDT 2009}
}