Broad-band observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar RX J0440.9+4431: discovery of a cyclotron absorption line

Abstract

We report the results of an analysis of data obtained with the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), Swift and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observatories during the 2010 April and September outbursts of the X-ray pulsar RX J0440.9+4431. The temporal and spectral properties of the pulsar in a wide energy band (0.6-120 keV) were studied for the first time. We discovered a ∼32-keV cyclotron resonant scattering feature in the source spectrum that allowed us to estimate the magnetic field strength of the neutron star as B≃ 3.2 × 10¹² G. The estimate of the magnetic field strength was confirmed by a comprehensive analysis of the noise power spectrum of the source. Based on the recurrence time between Type I outbursts, the orbital period of the binary system can be estimated as ∼155 d. We have shown that the pulse profile has a sinusoidal-like single-peaked shape and has practically no dependence on the source luminosity or energy band.