Submitting Campus
Prescott
Department
Physics and Astronomy
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
5-10-2024
Abstract/Description
High-resolution X-ray spectra of π Aqr, a γ Cas-type star, obtained with the Chandra/HETG spectrometer, revealed emission lines of H-like ions of Mg, Si, S, and Fe; a strong, hard continuum; and a lack of He-like ions, indicating the presence of very hot thermal plasma. The X-ray light curve showed significant fluctuations, with coherent variability at a period of about 3400 s in one observation. The hardness ratio was relatively constant except for one observation in which the spectrum was much harder and more absorbed. We interpret the X-ray emission as arising from accretion onto the secondary, which is likely a magnetic white dwarf, an intermediate polar system.
Publication Title
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DOI
10.3847/2041-8213/ad4095
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Scholarly Commons Citation
Huenemoerder, D. P., Pradhan, P., Canizares, C. R., Gunderson, S., Ignace, R., Nichols, J. S., Pollock, A., Schulz, N. S., Swarm, D. K., & Torrejón, J. M. (2024). Chandra HETG X-Ray Spectra and Variability of π Aqr, a γ Cas-type Be Star. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 966(2). 10.3847/2041-8213/ad4095
Additional Information
Please access the version-of-record published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters here.