The Library

The isolated neutron star X-ray pulsars RX J0420.0–5022 and RX J0806.4–4123 : new X-ray and optical observations

Tools

Haberl, F., Motch, C., Zavlin, V. E., Reinsch, K. (Klaus), Gaensicke, B. T. (Boris T.), Cropper, Mark, Schwope, A. D. (Axel D.), Turolla, R. and Zane, S.. (2004) The isolated neutron star X-ray pulsars RX J0420.0–5022 and RX J0806.4–4123 : new X-ray and optical observations. Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol.424 (No.2). pp. 635-645. ISSN 0004-6361

PDF
WRAP_Gansicke_111_Isolated_neutron.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (486Kb)

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20040440

Abstract

We report on the analysis of new X-ray data obtained with XMM-Newton and Chandra from two ROSAT-discovered X-ray dim isolated neutron stars (XDINs). RX J0806.4−4123 was observed with XMM-Newton in April 2003, 2.5 years after
the first observation. The EPIC-pn data confirm that this object is an X-ray pulsar with 11.371 s neutron star spin period. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with absorbed black-body emission with a temperature kT = 96 eV and N H = 4 × 10 19 cm −2 without significant changes between the two observations. Four XMM-Newton observations of RX
J0420.0−5022 between December 2002 and July 2003 did not confirm the 22.7 s pulsations originally indicated in ROSAT data, but clearly reveal a 3.453 s period. A fit to the X-ray spectrum using an absorbed black-body model yields kT = 45 eV, the lowest value found from the small group of XDINs and N H = 1.0 × 10 20 cm −2. Including a broad absorption line improves the quality of the spectral fits considerably for both objects and may indicate the presence of absorption features similar to those reported from RBS1223, RX J1605.3+3249 and RX J0720.4−3125. For both targets we derive accurate X-ray positions from the Chandra data and present an optical counterpart candidate for RX J0420.0−5022 with B = 26.6 ± 0.3 mag from VLT imaging.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

Q Science > QB Astronomy

Divisions:

Faculty of Science > Physics

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Neutron stars, X-ray sources, Galactic, Stars -- Magnetic fields, Pulsars

Journal or Publication Title:

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Publisher:

EDP Sciences

ISSN:

0004-6361

Official Date:

September 2004

Dates:

Date	Event
September 2004	Published

Volume:

Vol.424

Number:

No.2

Page Range:

pp. 635-645

Identification Number:

10.1051/0004-6361:20040440

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

Funder:

Germany. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften [Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science], Heidenhain-Stiftung

References:

Aldcroft, T. L., Karovska, M., Cresitello-Dittmar, M. L., Cameron,
R. A., & Markevitch, M. L. 2000, in Proc. SPIE, X-ray Optics,
Instruments, and Missions III, ed. J. E. Trümper, & B. Aschenbach,
4012, 650
Aschenbach, B., Briel, U. G., Haberl, F., et al. 2000, in Proc. SPIE,
X-ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions III, ed. J. E. Trümper, &
B. Aschenbach, 4012, 731
Biggs, J. D. 1990, MNRAS, 245, 514
Bignami, G. F., Caraveo, P. A., Luca, A. D., & Mereghetti, S. 2003,
Nature, 423, 725
Buccheri, R., Bennett, K., Bignami, G. F., et al. 1983, A&A, 128, 245
Burwitz, V., Haberl, F., Neuhäuser, R., et al. 2003, A&A, 399, 1109
Cropper, M., Zane, S., Ramsay, G., Haberl, F., & Motch, C. 2001,
A&A, 365, L302
Cropper, M., Haberl, F., Zane, S.,& Zavlin, V. E. 2004, MNRAS, 351,
1099
De Luca, A., Mereghetti, S., Caraveo, P. A., et al. 2004, A&A, 418,
625
de Vries, C. P., Vink, J., Méndez, M., & Verbunt, F. 2004, A&A, 415,
L31
den Herder, J. W., Brinkman, A. C., Kahn, S. M., et al. 2001, A&A,
365, L7
Gänsicke, B. T., Braje, T. M., & Romani, R.W. 2002, A&A, 386, 1001
Gregory, P. C., & Loredo, T. J. 1996, ApJ, 473, 1059
Haberl, F. 2004, Adv. Space Res., 33, 638
Haberl, F., & Zavlin, V. E. 2002, A&A, 391, 571
Haberl, F., Motch, C., Buckley, D. A. H., Zickgraf, F. J., & Pietsch,
W. 1997, A&A, 326, 662
Haberl, F., Motch, C., & Pietsch, W. 1998, Astron. Nachr., 319, 97
Haberl, F., Pietsch, W., & Motch, C. 1999, A&A, 351, L53
Haberl, F., Schwope, A. D., Hambaryan, V., Hasinger, G., & Motch,
C. 2003, A&A, 403, L19
Haberl, F., Zavlin, V. E., Trümper, J., & Burwitz, V. 2004, A&A, 419,
1077
Hailey, C. J., & Mori, K. 2002, ApJ, 578, L133
Ho,W. C. G., Lai, D., Potekhin, A. Y., & Chabrier, G. 2003, ApJ, 599,
1293
Jansen, F., Lumb, D., Altieri, B., et al. 2001, A&A, 365, L1
Kaplan, D. L., Kulkarni, S. R.,& van Kerkwijk,M. H. 2002, ApJ, 579,
L29
Kaplan, D. L., Kulkarni, S. R., & van Kerkwijk, M. H. 2003a, ApJ,
588, L33
Kaplan, D. L., van Kerkwijk,M. H., Marshall, H. L., et al. 2003b, ApJ,
590, 1008
Motch, C. 2001, in X-ray Astronomy, Stellar Endpoints, AGN, and
the Diffuse X-ray Background, AIP Conf. Proc., 244
Paerels, F., Mori, K., Motch, C., et al. 2001, A&A, 365, L298
Page, D. 1995, ApJ, 442, 273
Page, D., & Sarmiento, A. 1996, ApJ, 473, 1067
Pavlov, G. G., Zavlin, V. E., Trümper, J., & Neuhäuser, R. 1996, ApJ,
472, L33
Strüder, L., Briel, U., Dennerl, K., et al. 2001, A&A, 365, L18
Treves, A., Turolla, R., Zane, S., & Colpi, M. 2000, PASP, 112, 297
Turner, M. J. L., Abbey, A., Arnaud, M., et al. 2001, A&A, 365, L27
Turolla, R., Zane, S., & Drake, J. J. 2004, ApJ, 603, 265
van Kerkwijk, M. H., Kaplan, D. L., Durant, M., Kulkarni, S., &
Paerels, F. 2004, ApJ, 608, 432
Walter, F. M., & Matthews, L. D. 1997, Nature, 389, 358
Zane, S., Turolla, R., & Drake, J. J. 2004, Adv. Space Res., 33, 531
Zavlin, V. E., & Pavlov, G. G. 1998, A&A, 329, 583
Zavlin, V. E., & Pavlov, G. G. 2002, in Neutron Stars, Pulsars, and
Supernova Remnants, ed. W. Becker, H. Lesch, & J. Trümper,
MPE-Report, 278, 263
Zavlin, V. E., Pavlov, G. G., & Sanwal, D. 2004, ApJ, 606, 444