A comparative study of SG-HMXBS and SFXTS using iron K-alpha line as a tracer

We present a comparative study of classical supergiant HMXB and SFXT systems by making a detailed study of the variation of the equivalent width of iron k-alpha line with the absorption column density using out-of-eclipse observations from Suzaku, XMM, and Chandra (and taking care not to mix observations in different spectral states). Analysis of the entire archival Suzaku observations of these systems show that the equivalent width of SFXTs is significantly smaller compared to those of classical supergiant HMXBs even when the hydrogen column density of both are comparable. We discuss the results of the analysis in the light of two theories on SFXTS: the clumpy wind and the magnetic gating model. The findings are also used to make a comparison between these two systems as a class.