2024A&A...690A...9P -
Astronomy and Astrophysics, volume 690A9 (2024/10-1)
High-resolution X-ray spectra of the compact binary supersoft X-ray source CAL 87.
PEI S., ZHANG X., LI Q. and OU Z.
Abstract (from CDS):
In this study we present an analysis of the archival X-ray data of the eclipsing supersoft X-ray binary CAL 87 observed with the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) camera and Low Energy Transmission Grating (LETG) in 2001 August and with XMM-Newton in 2003 April. The high-resolution X-ray spectra are almost unchanged on the two different dates. The average unabsorbed X-ray luminosity during the exposure was 4.64 - 5.46 × 1036 ergs s–1 in 2001 and 4.54 - 4.82 × 1036 ergs s–1 in 2003, with prominent and redshifted emission lines, mostly of nitrogen, oxygen, iron, and argon, contributing to at least 30% of the X-ray flux. The continuum X-ray flux is at least an order of magnitude too low for a hot hydrogen-burning white dwarf (WD). However, the continuum flux is consistent with Thomson-scattering reflecting about 5% of the light of a hydrogen-burning WD with effective temperature of 800 000 K and a mass of ∼1.2 M⊙. It has been noted that a large Thomson-scattering corona explains the X-ray eclipse of CAL 87, in which the size of the eclipsed region is found to be on the order of a solar radius. The emission lines originate in an even more extended region beyond the eclipsed central X-ray source; the emission spectrum is very complex, with unusual line ratios.
Abstract Copyright:
© The Authors 2024
Journal keyword(s):
binaries: eclipsing - white dwarfs
Simbad objects:
10
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