Astron. Astrophys. 360, 520-528 (2000)

BeppoSAX spectroscopy of the NGC 7078 (M 15) globular cluster X-ray source X 2127+119

L. Sidoli, A.N. Parmar and T. Oosterbroek

Astrophysics Division, Space Science Department of ESA, ESTEC, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands

Received 22 March 2000 / Accepted 20 June 2000

Abstract

Results of a 1999 November 16-17 BeppoSAX observation of the low-mass X-ray binary X 2127+119 located in the globular cluster M15 are presented. The system is believed to be one where the central neutron star is normally obscured by the accretion disk, and only X-rays scattered into our line of sight by an extended accretion disk corona (ADC) are observed. The 0.1-10 keV lightcurve is energy dependent and shows two partial eclipses separated by the 17.1 hr orbital period. The 0.1-100 keV spectrum is unusually complex, but can be successfully modeled using a partially covered power-law and disk-blackbody model. Together with a column consistent with the interstellar value to M15, 60% of the source is covered by an additional column of  atom cm^-2. The absorbed component may be X-rays that pass through the outer layers of the accretion disk. The energy dependent intensity variations by a factor of 2 may be modeled as due to a changing normalization of the disk-blackbody. None of the other spectral parameters appear to clearly depend on luminosity. The same spectral model is also able to fit an archival ASCA spectrum. We demonstrate that during the luminous ( Eddington) X-ray burst observed from X 2127+119 by Ginga , material located in the outer regions of the accretion disk could have been temporarily ionized, so allowing the central neutron star to be viewed directly.

Key words: accretion, accretion disks stars: individual: X2127+119 stars: neutron Galaxy: globular clusters: individual: M15 (NGC 7078) X-rays: general

Send offprint requests to: L. Sidoli (lsidoli@astro.estec.esa.nl)

SIMBAD Objects

Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Observations
• 3. Analysis and results
  • 3.1. BeppoSAX lightcurve
  • 3.2. Eclipse timing
  • 3.3. BeppoSAX spectrum
    • 3.3.1. Overall spectrum
    • 3.3.2. Intensity selected spectra
    • 3.3.3. Phase selected spectra
  • 3.4. ASCA spectrum
• 4. Discussion
• Acknowledgements
• References

© European Southern Observatory (ESO) 2000

Online publication: August 17, 2000
helpdesk.link@springer.de