Journal article · Preprint article
NuSTAR detection of a cyclotron line in the supergiant fast X-ray transient IGR J17544-2619
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics India1
National Institute for Astrophysics2
University of California at Berkeley3
University of California at Santa Cruz4
California Institute of Technology5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology6
National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark7
Astrophysics, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark8
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory9
We present NuSTAR spectral and timing studies of the supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) IGR J17544-2619. The spectrum is well described by an ∼ 1 keV blackbody and a hard continuum component, as expected from an accreting X-ray pulsar. We detect a cyclotron line at 17 keV, confirming that the compact object in IGR J17544-2619 is indeed a neutron star.
This is the first measurement of the magnetic field in an SFXT. The inferred magnetic field strength, B = (1.45 +/- 0.03) x 1012 G (1 + z) is typical of neutron stars in X-ray binaries, and rules out a magnetar nature for the compact object. We do not find any significant pulsations in the source on time-scales of 1-2000 s.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Royal Astronomical Society |
| Year: | 2015 |
| Pages: | 2274-2281 |
| ISSN: | 13652966 and 00358711 |
| Types: | Journal article and Preprint article |
| DOI: | 10.1093/mnras/stu2495 |
| ORCIDs: | Christensen, Finn Erland |
