Symbiotic stars in which the symbiotic phenomenon is powered solely by accretion, often at an average rate that is higher than in cataclysmic variable stars, provide an important opportunity to diagnose boundary layers around disk-Accreting white dwarfs. Here, we investigate SU Lyncis (SU Lyn), a recently discovered example of a purely accretion-powered symbiotic star, using the first reliable X-ray spectroscopy, obtained with NuSTAR, and ultraviolet (UV) photometry obtained with Swift. SU Lyn has hard, thermal, X-ray emission that is strongly affected by a variable local absorber that has little impact on the UV emission. Its X-ray spectrum is described well using a plasma cooling from kT ≈ 21 keV, with a 3-30 keV luminosity of approximately 4.9 × 1032 erg s-1. The spectrum is also consistent with the presence of reflection with an amplitude of 1.0, although in that case, the best-fit plasma temperature is 20%-25% lower. The UV to X-ray luminosity ratio of SU Lyn changed significantly between 2015 and 2016. We interpret this as a consequence of a drop by almost 90% in the accretion rate. Whereas the UV luminosity of the disk responded linearly, the luminosity of the optically thin (hard X-ray) emission from the boundary layer remained roughly constant because the boundary layer changed from partially optically thick to almost completely optically thin. Under this interpretation, we place a lower limit on the white dwarf mass of 0.7 M o (0.8 M o if we neglect reflection). © 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Documento: | Artículo |
Título: | SU Lyn: Diagnosing the Boundary Layer with UV and Hard X-Ray Data |
Autor: | Lopes De Oliveira, R.; Sokoloski, J.L.; Luna, G.J.M.; Mukai, K.; Nelson, T. |
Filiación: | X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Av. Marechal Rondon, S/N, 49000-000, São Cristóvão, SE, Brazil Department of Physics, University of Maryland, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States Columbia Astrophysics Lab 550 W120th St., 1027 Pupin Hall MC 5247, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Astronomía y Física Del Espacio, Av. Inte. Güiraldes 2620, Buenos Aires, C1428ZAA, Argentina Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Buenos Aires, Argentina Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche, Av. Calchaquí 6200 F. Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina CRESST and X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, United States Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States |
Palabras clave: | binaries: symbiotic; stars: individual (SU Lyncis); ultraviolet: stars; X-rays: binaries |
Año: | 2018 |
Volumen: | 864 |
Número: | 1 |
DOI: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aad2d5 |
Título revista: | Astrophysical Journal |
Título revista abreviado: | Astrophys. J. |
ISSN: | 0004637X |
Registro: | https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_0004637X_v864_n1_p_LopesDeOliveira |