System mass constraints for the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1814-338 using Bowen fluorescence

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 Heii ...4686, H beta , and the Bowen blend Ciii/Niii 4630-50 A. We exploit the proven Bowen fluorescence technique to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2017-04, Vol.466 (2), p.2261-2261
Main Authors: Wang, L, Steeghs, D, Casares, J, Charles, P A, Munoz-Darias, T, Marsh, T R, Hynes, R I, O'Brien, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Companion stars
Doppler
Doppler effect
Fluorescence
Millisecond pulsars
Neutron stars
Pulsars
Star & galaxy formation
Tomography
X rays
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Summary: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 Heii ...4686, H beta , and the Bowen blend Ciii/Niii 4630-50 A. 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 Niii ...4640 Bowen transition exhibits a statistically significant (>4s) 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... 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...). (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/stw3312