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# Tracing a Z-track in the M 31 X-ray binary RX J0042.6+4115

journal contribution
posted on 24.10.2012, 09:21 by R. Barnard, U. Kolb, J. P. Osborne
Four XMM-Newton observations of the core of M 31, spaced at 6 month intervals, show that the brightest point X-ray source, RX J0042.6+4115, has a 0.4-10 keV luminosity of ~ $5\times$ 10 38 erg s -1, and exhibits significant variability in intensity and X-ray spectrum over a time scale of ~100 s including hard flares; such behaviour is only observed in Z-sources and transient black hole binaries in our Galaxy. The lightcurves, X-ray spectra and hardness-intensity data from the four XMM-Newton observations all strongly suggest that it is a Z-source, bringing the total number of known Z-sources to nine.

## Citation

Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2003, 411 (3), pp. 553-557

## Version

VoR (Version of Record)

## Published in

Astronomy & Astrophysics

## Publisher

EDP Sciences for European Southern Observatory (ESO)

0004-6361

2003

24/10/2012

## Publisher version

http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2003/46/aah4557/aah4557.html

en