Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik

Abteilung Astronomie

Preprint 06/97

Phase resolved X-ray spectra of Vela X-1

P. Kretschmar(1,5), H. C. Pan(2), E. Kendziorra(1), M. Maisack(1), R. Staubert(1), G.K. Skinner(2), W. Pietsch(3), J. Trümper(3), V. Efremov(4), and R. Sunyaev(4)

(1)Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Astronomie, Universität Tübingen, Waldhäuser Str. 64, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
(2)School of Physics and Space Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
(3)Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, D-85470 Garching, Germany
(4)Space Research Institute, Moscow 117296, Russia
(5)Integral Science Data Center, CH-1290 Versoix, Switzerland

accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics

Abstract. Combining simultaneous observations of Vela X-1 by the instruments HEXE and TTM on Mir-Kvant, we have analyzed pulse profiles and pulse phase resolved spectra over a broad energy band (2-120 keV). The pulse profiles show the well known transition from a complex shape at low energies to a double peak structure at energies > 20 keV. The high-energy lightcurves exhibit strong pulse-to-pulse variations. We find indications for spectral features at ~23 and ~45 keV in the phase averaged spectra, which can be interpreted as the fundamental and first harmonic cyclotron resonances, but we caution that the first feature coincides with the spectral cutoff of the continuum spectra used. Pulse phase resolved spectroscopy shows that the shape of the continuum spectrum varies significantly with pulse phase and that the cyclotron features are mainly visible in one of the two pulses seen at high energies.

Key words: pulsars: individual: Vela X-1 - Stars: magnetic fields - X-rays: stars

Paper (130k gzip'ed Postscript including figures)

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Jürgen Barnstedt (barnstedt AT astro.uni-tuebingen.de) Last updated 04-Aug-1997