Astron. Astrophys. 354, L29-L32 (2000)

Letter to the Editor

The nature of 1WGA J1958.2+3232: A new intermediate polar

I. Negueruela ¹, P. Reig ^2,3 and J. S. Clark <sup>4

1</sup> SAX SDC, ASI, c/o Nuova Telespazio, via Corcolle 19, 00131 Rome, Italy
² Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 711 10, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
³ University of Crete, Physics Department, 710 03, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
⁴ University of Sussex, Astronomy Centre, CPES, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, U.K.

Received 10 November 1999 / Accepted 20 December 1999

Abstract

We present low and intermediate resolution spectroscopy of the optical counterpart to the recently discovered pulsating X-ray source 1WGA J1958.2+3232. The presence of strong HI , HeI and HeII emission lines together with the absence of absorption features rules out the possibility that the object is a massive star, as had recently been suggested. The observed X-ray and optical characteristics are consistent with the object being an intermediate polar. The double-peaked structure of the emission lines indicates that an accretion disc is present.

Key words: stars: individual: 1WGA J1958.2+3232 stars: binaries: close stars: novae, cataclysmic variables book reviews X-rays: stars

Correspondence to: ignacio@tocai.sdc.asi.it

© European Southern Observatory (ESO) 2000

Online publication:

helpdesk.link@springer.de