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arXiv · 2211.06698

eRASSt J040515.6-745202, an X-ray burster in the Magellanic Bridge

F. Haberl·G. Vasilopoulos·C. Maitra·F. Valdes·D. Lang·V. Doroshenko·L. Ducci·I. Kreykenbohm·A. Rau·P. Weber·J. Wilms·P. Maggi·C. D. Bailyn·G. K. Jaisawal·P. S. Ray·H. Treiber
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Abstract

During the third all-sky survey (eRASS3), eROSITA, the soft X-ray instrument aboard Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma, detected a new hard X-ray transient, eRASSt J040515.6-745202, in the direction of the Magellanic Bridge. We arranged follow-up observations and searched for archival data to reveal the nature of the transient. Using X-ray observations with XMM-Newton, NICER, and Swift, we investigated the temporal and spectral behaviour of the source for over about 10 days. The X-ray light curve obtained from the XMM-Newton observation with an 28 ks exposure revealed a type-I X-ray burst with a peak bolometric luminosity of at least 1.4e37 erg/s. The burst energetics are consistent with a location of the burster at the distance of the Magellanic Bridge. The relatively long exponential decay time of the burst of 70 s indicates that it ignited in a H-rich environment. The non-detection of the source during the other eROSITA surveys, twelve and six months before and six months after eRASS3, suggests that the burst was discovered during a moderate outburst which reached 2.6e36 erg/s in persistent emission. During the NICER observations, the source showed alternating flux states with the high level at a similar brightness as during the XMM-Newton observation. This behaviour is likely caused by dips as also seen during the last hour of the XMM-Newton observation. Evidence for a recurrence of the dips with a period of 21.8 hr suggests eRASSt J040515.6-745202 is a low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) system with an accretion disk seen nearly edge on. We identify a multi-wavelength counterpart to the X-ray source in UVW1 and g, r, i, and z images obtained by the optical/UV monitor on XMM-Newton and the Dark Energy Camera at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. (abbreviated)

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F. Haberl, G. Vasilopoulos, C. Maitra, F. Valdes, D. Lang, V. Doroshenko, L. Ducci, I. Kreykenbohm, A. Rau, P. Weber, J. Wilms, P. Maggi, C. D. Bailyn, G. K. Jaisawal, P. S. Ray, H. Treiber. 2022-11-12. eRASSt J040515.6-745202, an X-ray burster in the Magellanic Bridge. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%2F202245015

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