12042223
THE COMPLEX X-RAY SPECTRUM OF THE LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARY 4U 1626-67
We report on observations of the X-ray pulsar 4U 1626-67 by the LECS instrument on-board Bepposax. We confirm the recent ASCA discovery of excess emission near 1 keV (Angelini et al. 1995). The pulse period of 7.66794 +/- 0.00004 s indicates that the source continues to spin-down. The phase averaged spectrum is well fit by an absorbed power-law of photon index 0.61 +/- 0.02 and a blackbody of temperature 0.33 +/- 0.02 keV, together with an emission feature at 1.05 +/- 0.02 keV. This spectral shape is similar to that observed by ASCA during the spin-down phase, but significantly different from measurements during spin-up. This suggests that the change in spectrum observed by ASCA may be a stable feature during spin-down intervals. The source intensity is a factor ~2 lower than observed by ASCA three years earlier, confirming that 4U 1626-67 continues to become fainter with time.
17855312
BeppoSAX follow-up search for the X-ray afterglow of GRB970111
The BeppoSAX satellite has recently opened a new way towards the solution of the long standing gamma-ray bursts' (GRBs) enigma, providing accurate coordinates few hours after the event thus allowing for multiwavelength follow-up observational campaigns. The BeppoSAX Narrow Field Instruments observed the region of sky containing GRB970111 16 hours after the burst. In contrast to other GRBs observed by BeppoSAX no bright afterglow was unambiguously observed. A faint source (1SAXJ1528.1+1937) is detected in a position consistent with the BeppoSAX Wide Field Camera position, but unconsistent with the IPN annulus. Whether 1SAXJ1528.1+1937 is associated with GRB970111 or not, the X-ray intensity of the afterglow is significantly lower than expected, based on the properties of the other BeppoSAX GRB afterglows. Given that GRB970111 is one of the brightest GRBs observed, this implies that there is no obvious relation between the GRB gamma-ray peak flux and the intensity of the X-ray afterglow.
13928123
Soft X-ray observations of the complex warm absorber in MCG-6-30-15 with BeppoSAX
We report on soft X-ray observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy MCG-6-30-15 with the Low and Medium Energy Concentrator Spectrometers on board BeppoSAX. The time averaged 0.1-4 keV spectrum shows evidence for a complex warm absorber. K-edges of highly ionized oxygen (O vii and O viii) can only partly describe the soft X-ray spectrum below 2 keV. A spectral variability study reveales large and rapid changes in absorption at the energy of the O viii K-edge and in the continuum shape and count rate. These fluctuations are not simply correlated.
118987428
Camtrac - A high energy gamma-ray telescope utilizing a coded aperture mask and drift chambers