Long-term optical and X-ray variability of the Be/X-ray binary H 1145-619: Discovery of an ongoing retrograde density wave
Multiwavelength monitoring of Be/X-ray binaries is crucial to understand the mechanisms producing their outbursts. H 1145-619 is one of these systems, which has recently displayed X-ray activity. We investigate the correlation between the optical emission and the X-ray activity to predict the occurrence of new X-ray outbursts from the inferred state of the circumstellar disc. We have performed a multiwavelength study of H 1145-619 from 1973 to 2017 and present here a global analysis of its variability over the last 40 years. We have used optical spectra from the SAAO, SMARTS and SALT telescopes and optical photometry from INTEGRAL/OMC and ASAS. We also used X-ray observations from INTEGRAL/…
A 0535+26 in the August/September 2005 outburst observed by RXTE and INTEGRAL
In this Letter we present results from INTEGRAL and RXTE observations of the spectral and timing behavior of the High Mass X-ray Binary A 0535+26 during its August/September 2005 normal (type I) outburst with an average flux F(5-100keV)~400mCrab. The search for cyclotron resonance scattering features (fundamental and harmonic) is one major focus of the paper. Our analysis is based on data from INTEGRAL and RXTE Target of Opportunity Observations performed during the outburst. The pulse period is determined. X-ray pulse profiles in different energy ranges are analyzed. The broad band INTEGRAL and RXTE pulse phase averaged X-ray spectra are studied. The evolution of the fundamental cyclotron …
INTEGRAL long-term monitoring of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient XTE J1739-302
In the past few years, a new class of High Mass X-Ray Binaries (HMXRB) has been claimed to exist, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT). These are X-ray binary systems with a compact companion orbiting a supergiant star which show very short and bright outbursts in a series of activity periods overimposed on longer quiescent periods. Only very recently the first attempts to model the behaviour of these sources have been published, some of them within the framework of accretion from clumpy stellar winds.Our goal is to analyze the properties of XTE J1739-302/IGR J17391-3021 within the context of the clumpy structure of the supergiant wind. We have used INTEGRAL and RXTE/PCA observations…
JEM-X observations of the Be/X-ray binary EXO 2030+375
We have used data from the Joint European Monitor (JEM-X) to perform an X-ray spectral and timing analysis of the 42-s transient pulsar EXO 2030+375 during an X-ray outburst. X-ray pulsations are clearly detected with an average pulse period of 41:66 +- 0:05 s and an average pulse fraction of 60%. The profile of the energy spectrum did not change appreciably throughout the X-ray outburst, although the source shows a slightly softer spectrum during periastron passage in the energy range 9–25 keV. The 5–25 keV X-ray luminosity changed by a factor of 2 throughout the observations, reaching a maximum value of 3x10^36 erg s^−1. These observations allowed us to verify the in-flight instrumental p…
X-RAY AND OPTICAL OBSERVATIONS OF A 0535+26
We present recent contemporaneous X-ray and optical observations of the Be/X-ray binary system A\,0535+26 with the \textit{Fermi}/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and several ground-based observatories. These new observations are put into the context of the rich historical data (since $\sim$1978) and discussed in terms of the neutron star Be-disk interaction. The Be circumstellar disk was exceptionally large just before the 2009 December giant outburst, which may explain the origin of the unusual recent X-ray activity of this source. We found a peculiar evolution of the pulse profile during this giant outburst, with the two main components evolving in opposite ways with energy. A hard 30-70 mH…
JEM–X inflight performance
We summarize the inflight performance of JEM-X, the X-ray monitor on the INTEGRAL mission during the initial ten months of operations. The JEM-X instruments have now been tuned to stable operational conditions. The performance is found to be close to the pre-launch expectations. The ground calibrations and the inflight calibration data permit to determine the instruments characteristics to fully support the scientific data analysis. Reglero Velasco, Victor, Victor.Reglero@uv.es ; Martinez Nuñez, Silvia, Silvia.Martinez@uv.es
OMC: An Optical Monitoring Camera for INTEGRAL
The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) will observe the optical emission from the prime targets of the gamma- ray instruments onboard the ESA mission INTEGRAL, with the support of the JEM-X monitor in the X-ray domain. This capability will provide invaluable diagnostic information on the nature and the physics of the sources over a broad wavelength range. Its main scientific objectives are: (1) to monitor the optical emission from the sources observed by the gamma- and X-ray instruments, measuring the time and intensity structure of the optical emission for comparison with variability at high energies, and (2) to provide the brightness and position of the optical counterpart of any gamma- or X…
JEM-X: three years in space
We report on the technical and scientific performance of JEM-X, the X-ray monitor on ESA's INTEGRAL mission. INTEGRAL has now been in orbit for more than three years, and the mission is foreseen to be extended until the end of 2010. Overall, JEM-X performs very well, and can be expected to continue to do so for the duration of the mission. We discuss in some detail the operational experiences and the problems encountered with the microstrip detectors caused by the space environment and give one example of the interesting scientific results obtained. The analysis software is still being improved on, and we discuss briefly the significance of these improvements.
JEM–X science analysis software
The science analysis of the data from JEM-X on INTEGRAL is performed through a number of levels including corrections, good time selection, imaging and source finding, spectrum and light-curve extraction. These levels consist of individual executables and the running of the complete analysis is controlled by a script where parameters for detailed settings are introduced. The end products are FITS files with a format compatible with standard analysis packages such as XSPEC. Martinez Nuñez, Silvia, Silvia.Martinez@uv.es
INTEGRAL/RXTE Observations of Cygnus X-1
We present first results from contemporaneous observations of Cygnus X-1 with INTEGRAL and RXTE, made during INTEGRAL's performance verification phase in 2002 November and December. Consistent with earlier results, the 3-250 keV data are well described by Comptonization spectra from a Compton corona with a temperature of kT~50-90 keV and an optical depth of tau~1.0-1.3 plus reflection from a cold or mildly ionized slab with a covering factor of Omega/2pi~0.2-0.3. A soft excess below 10 keV, interpreted as emission from the accretion disk, is seen to decrease during the 1.5 months spanned by our observations. Our results indicate a remarkable consistency among the independently calibrated de…
The pre-outburst flare of the A 0535+26 August/September 2005 outburst
We study the spectral and temporal behavior of the High Mass X-ray Binary A 0535+26 during a `pre-outburst flare' which took place ~5 d before the peak of a normal (type I) outburst in August/September 2005. We compare the studied behavior with that observed during the outburst. We analyse RXTE observations that monitored A 0535+26 during the outburst. We complete spectral and timing analyses of the data. We study the evolution of the pulse period, present energy-dependent pulse profiles both at the initial pre-outburst flare and close to outburst maximum, and measure how the cyclotron resonance-scattering feature (hereafter CRSF) evolves. We present three main results: a constant period P=…