Discovery of the neutron star nature of SLX 1737-282
/ Authors
J. Zand, J. Zand, F. Verbunt, E. Kuulkers, E. Kuulkers, C. Markwardt, C. Markwardt, A. Bazzano, M. Cocchi, R. Cornelisse
and 4 more authors
/ Abstract
SLX 1737-282 is a persistent moderately bright X-ray source 1$\fdg$2 from the Galactic center. X-ray observations with the Wide Field Cameras on BeppoSAX have for the first time revealed the true nature of SLX 1737-282: a 15 min long thermonuclear flash was detected exposing the source as a neutron star in a binary system. The flash was Eddington-limited constraining the distance to between 5 and 8 kpc. We analyze BeppoSAX, ROSAT, and RXTE data on SLX 1737-282. The persistent 0.5–200 keV luminosity is close to or less than 1% of the Eddington limit which implies a rarely-seen circumstance for thermonuclear flash activity.
Journal: Astronomy and Astrophysics