Tsygankov, S. S. and Doroshenko, V. and Lutovinov, A. A. and Mushtukov, A. A. and Poutanen, J. (2017) SMC X-3: the closest ultraluminous X-ray source powered by a neutron star with non-dipole magnetic field. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 605 . Art. No. A39. ISSN 0004-6361. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201730553. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170206-090626010
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Abstract
Aims. The magnetic field of accreting neutron stars determines their overall behavior including the maximum possible luminosity. Some models require an above-average magnetic field strength (≳10^(13) G) in order to explain super-Eddington mass accretion rate in the recently discovered class of pulsating ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULX). The peak luminosity of SMC X-3 during its major outburst in 2016–2017 reached ~2.5 × 10^(39) erg s^(-1) comparable to that in ULXs thus making this source the nearest ULX-pulsar. Determination of the magnetic field of SMC X-3 is the main goal of this paper. Methods. SMC X-3 belongs to the class of transient X-ray pulsars with Be optical companions, and exhibited a giant outburst in July 2016–March 2017. The source has been observed over the entire outburst with the Swift/XRT and Fermi/GBM telescopes, as well as the NuSTAR observatory. Collected data allowed us to estimate the magnetic field strength of the neutron star in SMC X-3 using several independent methods. Results. Spin evolution of the source during and between the outbursts, and the luminosity of the transition to the so-called propeller regime in the range of (0.3–7) × 10^(35) erg s^(-1) imply a relatively weak dipole field of (1–5) × 10^(12) G. On the other hand, there is also evidence for a much stronger field in the immediate vicinity of the neutron star surface. In particular, transition from super- to sub-critical accretion regime associated with the cease of the accretion column and very high peak luminosity favor a field that is an order of magnitude stronger. This discrepancy makes SMC X-3 a good candidate for possessing significant non-dipolar components of the field, and an intermediate source between classical X-ray pulsars and accreting magnetars which may constitute an appreciable fraction of ULX population.
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Additional Information: | © 2017 ESO. Article published by EDP Sciences. Received 3 February 2017; Accepted 16 May 2017; Published online 05 September 2017. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant 14-12-01287 (S.S.T., A.A.L., A.A.M.), the Foundations’ Professor Pool, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Academy of Finland grant 268740 (J.P.). We also acknowledge the support from the COST Action MP1304. | ||||||||||||
Group: | NuSTAR | ||||||||||||
Subject Keywords: | accretion, accretion disks – magnetic fields – X-rays: binaries – X-rays: individuals: SMC X-3 | ||||||||||||
DOI: | 10.1051/0004-6361/201730553 | ||||||||||||
Record Number: | CaltechAUTHORS:20170206-090626010 | ||||||||||||
Persistent URL: | https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20170206-090626010 | ||||||||||||
Official Citation: | SMC X-3: the closest ultraluminous X-ray source powered by a neutron star with non-dipole magnetic field. S. S. Tsygankov, V. Doroshenko, A. A. Lutovinov, A. A. Mushtukov and J. Poutanen. A&A, 605 (2017) A39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201730553 | ||||||||||||
Usage Policy: | No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided. | ||||||||||||
ID Code: | 74067 | ||||||||||||
Collection: | CaltechAUTHORS | ||||||||||||
Deposited By: | Joy Painter | ||||||||||||
Deposited On: | 06 Feb 2017 17:32 | ||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 11 Nov 2021 05:24 |
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