The 2007 outburst of the X-ray binary XTE J1856+053

Abstract

Aims: On 28 February 2007 a new outburst of the previously known transient source XTE J1856+053 was detected with RXTE/ASM. We present here the results of an XMM-Newton (0.5-10.0 keV) Target of Opportunity observation performed on 14 March 2007, aimed at constraining the mass of the compact object in this X-ray binary and determining its main properties.
Methods: The EPIC-pn camera was used in Timing mode and its spectrum fit together with the RGS data. IR observations with GROND at the 2.2 m telescope in La Silla provide further information on the system.
Results: The X-ray light curve shows that both the 1996 and the 2007 outbursts had two peaks. The X-ray spectrum is well fit with a thermal accretion disk model, with kT_in = 0.75(±0.01) keV and foreground absorption N_{H} = 4.5(±0.1)×10²² cm^-2. The low disk temperature favours a black-hole as accreting object, with an estimated mass in the range 1.3-4.2 M_⊙. From the IR upper limits we argue that XTE J1856+053 is a low mass X-ray binary. We estimate the orbital period of the system to be between 3 and 12 h.

Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.