PROBING THE MSP PRENATAL STAGE: THE OPTICAL IDENTIFICATION OF THE X-RAY BURSTER EXO 1745-248 IN TERZAN 5
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Bologna, v.le Berti Pichat 6/2, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)
- INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, via Ranzani 1, I-40127 Bologna (Italy)
We report on the optical identification of the neutron star burster EXO 1745-248 in Terzan 5. The identification was performed by exploiting Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys images acquired in Director's Discretionary Time shortly after (approximately one month) the Swift detection of the X-ray burst. The comparison between these images and previous archival data revealed the presence of a star that is currently brightened by ∼3 mag, consistent with expectations during an X-ray outburst. The centroid of this object well agrees with the position, in the archival images, of a star located in the turn-off/sub-giant-branch region of Terzan 5. This supports the scenario that the companion should have recently filled its Roche Lobe. Such a system represents the prenatal stage of a millisecond pulsar, an evolutionary phase during which heavy mass accretion on the compact object occurs, thus producing X-ray outbursts and re-accelerating the neutron star.
- OSTI ID:
- 22518948
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 807, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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