New X-ray observations of the hot subdwarf binary HD 49798/RX J0648.0-4418
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
•
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Rauch, T.
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Esposito, P.
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Geier, S.
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Pelisoli, I.
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Schaffenroth, V.
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Abstract
HD 49798/RX J0648.0-4418 is the only confirmed X-ray binary in which the mass donor is a hot subdwarf star of O spectral type and, most likely, it contains a massive white dwarf (1.28 ± 0.05 M⊙) with a very fast spin period of 13.2 s. Here, we report the results of new XMM-Newton pointings of this peculiar binary, carried out in 2018 and in 2020, together with a reanalysis of all the previous observations. The new data indicate that the compact object is still spinning-up at a steady rate of (-2.17 ± 0.01) × 10-15 s s-1, consistent with its interpretation in terms of a young contracting white dwarf. Comparison of observations obtained at similar orbital phases, far from the ecplise, shows evidence for long-term variability of the hard (>0.5 keV) spectral component at a level of ~(70 ± 20) per cent, suggesting the presence of time-dependent inhomogeneities in the weak stellar wind of the HD 49798 subdwarf. To investigate better the soft spectral component that dominates the X-ray flux from this system, we computed a theoretical model for the thermal emission expected from an atmosphere with element abundances and surface gravity appropriate for this massive white dwarf. This model gives a best fit with effective temperature of Teff = 2.25 × 105 K and an emitting area with a radius of ~1600 km, larger than that found with blackbody fits. This model also predicts a contribution of the pulsed emission from the white dwarf in the optical band significantly larger than previously thought and possibly relevant for optical variability studies of this system.
Volume
504
Issue
1
Start page
920
Issn Identifier
0035-8711
Ads BibCode
2021MNRAS.504..920M
Rights
open.access
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