GRO J1008-57: an (almost) predictable transient X-ray binary

Kühnel M, Müller S, Kreykenbohm I, Fuerst F, Pottschmidt K, Rothschild RE, Caballero I, Grinberg V, Schoenherr G, Shrader C, Klochkov D, Staubert R, Ferrigno C, Torrejon JM, Martinez-Nunez S, Wilms J (2013)


Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2013

Journal

Publisher: EDP SCIENCES S A

Book Volume: 555

Article Number: ARTN A95

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201321203

Abstract

A study of archival RXTE, Swift, and Suzaku pointed observations of the transient high-mass X-ray binary GRO J1008-57 is presented. A new orbital ephemeris based on pulse arrival-timing shows the times of maximum luminosities during outbursts of GRO J1008-57 to be close to periastron at orbital phase -0.03. This makes the source one of a few for which outburst dates can be predicted with very high precision. Spectra of the source in 2005, 2007, and 2011 can be well described by a simple power law with high-energy cutoff and an additional black body at lower energies. The photon index of the power law and the black-body flux only depend on the 15-50 keV source flux. No apparent hysteresis effects are seen. These correlations allow us to predict the evolution of the pulsar's X-ray spectral shape over all outbursts as a function of just one parameter, the source's flux. If modified by an additional soft component, this prediction even holds during GRO J1008-57's 2012 type II outburst.

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APA:

Kühnel, M., Müller, S., Kreykenbohm, I., Fuerst, F., Pottschmidt, K., Rothschild, R.E.,... Wilms, J. (2013). GRO J1008-57: an (almost) predictable transient X-ray binary. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 555. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201321203

MLA:

Kühnel, Matthias, et al. "GRO J1008-57: an (almost) predictable transient X-ray binary." Astronomy & Astrophysics 555 (2013).

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