Dips and eclipses in the X-ray binary Swift J1858.6-0814 observed with NICER

Buisson, D. J. K.; Altamirano, D.; Armas Padilla, M.; Arzoumanian, Z.; Bult, P.; Castro Segura, N.; Charles, P. A.; Degenaar, N.; Díaz Trigo, M.; van den Eijnden, J.; Fogantini, F.; Gandhi, P.; Gendreau, K.; Hare, J.; Homan, J.; Knigge, C.; Malacaria, C.; Mendez, M.; Muñoz Darias, T.; Ng, M.; Özbey Arabacı, M.; Remillard, R.; Strohmayer, T. E.; Tombesi, F.; Tomsick, J. A.; Vincentelli, F.; Walton, D. J.
Bibliographical reference

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Advertised on:
6
2021
Number of authors
27
IAC number of authors
2
Citations
16
Refereed citations
13
Description
We present the discovery of eclipses in the X-ray light curves of the X-ray binary Swift J1858.6-0814. From these, we find an orbital period of $P=76841.3_{-1.4}^{+1.3}$ s (≍21.3 h) and an eclipse duration of $t_{\rm ec}=4098_{-18}^{+17}$ s (≍1.14 h). We also find several absorption dips during the pre-eclipse phase. From the eclipse duration to orbital period ratio, the inclination of the binary orbit is constrained to i > 70°. The most likely range for the companion mass suggests that the inclination is likely to be closer to this value than 90. The eclipses are also consistent with earlier data, in which strong variability ('flares') and the long orbital period prevent clear detection of the period or eclipses. We also find that the bright flares occurred preferentially in the post-eclipse phase of the orbit, likely due to increased thickness at the disc-accretion stream interface preventing flares being visible during the pre-eclipse phase. This supports the notion that variable obscuration is responsible for the unusually strong variability in Swift J1858.6-0814.
Related projects
Black hole in outburst
Black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs and their local environment

Accreting black-holes and neutron stars in X-ray binaries provide an ideal laboratory for exploring the physics of compact objects, yielding not only confirmation of the existence of stellar mass black holes via dynamical mass measurements, but also the best opportunity for probing high-gravity environments and the physics of accretion; the most

Montserrat
Armas Padilla