X-ray reflection in oxygen-rich accretion discs of ultracompact X-ray binaries

Abstract

We present spectroscopic X-ray data of two candidate ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs): 4U 0614+091 and 4U 1543-624. We confirm the presence of a broad O VIII Lyα reflection line (at ≈18 Å) using XMM-Newton and Chandra observations obtained in 2012 and 2013. The donor star in these sources is a carbon-oxygen or oxygen-neon-magnesium white dwarf. Hence, the accretion disc is enriched with oxygen which makes the O VIII Lyα line particularly strong. Modelling the X-ray reflection off a carbon- and oxygen-enriched, hydrogen- and helium-poor disc with models assuming solar composition likely biases several of the best-fitting parameters. In order to describe the X-ray reflection spectra self-consistently, we modify the currently available XILLVER reflection model. We present initial grids that can be used to model X-ray reflection spectra in UCXBs with carbon-oxygen-rich (and hydrogen- and helium-poor) accretion disc. We find that the new reflection model provides a better overall description of the reflection spectra of 4U 0614+091 and 4U 1543-624 than the reflection models that assume solar abundances.