6533b7d0fe1ef96bd125b613

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Temporal Analysis of EXO 0531−66 in Outburst

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We report a timing analysis of the Be transient X-ray binary EXO 053109-6609.2 in outburst observed with BeppoSAX. The luminosity of the source is ~1.1 × 1037 ergs s-1, similar to that observed in the previous three outbursts. The source shows pulsations from 0.1 up to 60 keV. The pulsed fraction does not seem to decrease with the energy. The pulse profile is double peaked in the whole energy band. The barycentric pulse period is 13.67590 ± 0.00008 s at MJD 50,520.0. The average rate of period change during the ~2 days of BeppoSAX observation is (3.7 ± 0.5) × 10-9 s s-1. Comparison with ROSAT data allowed the determination of a secular spin-down sec ~(3.67 ± 0.05) × 10−11 s s-1, computed over an interval of 1960 days.