Bibcode
Wang, L.; Casares, J.; Steeghs, D.; Charles, P. A.; Muñoz-Darias, T.; Marsh, T. R.; Hynes, R. I.; O'Brien, K.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 466, Issue 2, p.2261-2271
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4
2017
Citations
19
Refereed citations
16
Description
We present phase-resolved spectroscopy of the millisecond X-ray pulsar
XTE J1814-338 obtained during its 2003 outburst. The spectra are
dominated by high-excitation emission lines of He II λ4686,
Hβ, and the Bowen blend C III/N III 4630-50 Å. We exploit the
proven Bowen fluorescence technique to establish a complete set of
dynamical system parameter constraints using bootstrap Doppler
tomography, a first for an accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar binary.
The reconstructed Doppler map of the N III λ4640 Bowen transition
exhibits a statistically significant (>4σ) spot feature at the
expected position of the companion star. If this feature is driven by
irradiation of the surface of the Roche lobe filling companion, we
derive a strict lower limit to the true radial velocity semi-amplitude
K2. Combining our donor constraint with the well-constrained
orbit of the neutron star leads to a determination of the binary mass
ratio: q = 0.123^{+0.012}_{-0.010}. The component masses are not tightly
constrained given our lack of knowledge of the binary inclination. We
cannot rule out a canonical neutron star mass of 1.4 M⊙
(1.1 M⊙ < M1 < 3.1 M⊙; 95
per cent). The 68/95 per cent confidence limits of M2 are
consistent with the companion being a significantly bloated, M-type
main-sequence star. Our findings, combined with results from studies of
the quiescent optical counterpart of XTE J1814-338, suggest the presence
of a rotation-powered millisecond pulsar in XTE J1814-338 during an
X-ray quiescent state. The companion mass is typical of the so-called
redback pulsar binary systems (M2 ˜ 0.2
M⊙).
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