Long-Term Behavior of Centaurus X-3 Observed with the All Sky Monitor on Board GINGA
Abstract
The long-term X-ray light curve of Centaurus X-3 and its pulse-period history, which were obtained by the All Sky Monitor on board the Ginga satellite from 1987 February to 1991 October, are presented. The pulse-period history shows a monotonic spin-up overlapping a roughly sinusoidal wave structure with a period of 9.23±0.14 yr. The observed light curve shows no correlation with the spin-up history. Since Cen X-3 is considered to be a disk-fed X-ray pulsar, the mass accretion affects the pulse period by means of angular momentum transfer onto the neutron star. In the absence of a correlation between the light curve and pulse period, we conclude that the observed intensity does not represent the mass accretion rate.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- January 1996
- DOI:
- 10.1086/176652
- Bibcode:
- 1996ApJ...456..316T
- Keywords:
-
- STARS: INDIVIDUAL CONSTELLATION NAME: CENTAURUS X-3;
- X-RAYS: STARS;
- STARS: PULSARS: INDIVIDUAL NAME: CENTAURUS X-3;
- ACCRETION;
- ACCRETION DISKS