Swift Follow-up Observations of INTEGRAL Sources of Unknown Nature

TL;DR

This study used Swift X-ray observations to refine positions and identify counterparts of 12 INTEGRAL sources, revealing their likely nature as AGN or Galactic X-ray binaries, and discovering six new sources of unknown type.

Contribution

First comprehensive multi-wavelength follow-up of INTEGRAL sources using Swift, refining positions and identifying their nature as AGN or Galactic X-ray binaries.

Findings

Confirmed six sources as AGN.

Suggested two sources are Seyfert galaxies.

Identified six new serendipitous sources.

Abstract

(Abridged) We made use of X-ray observations with the X-ray telescope on-board the \swift observatory to refine the X-ray position to 3-5" accuracy of 12 INTEGRAL sources, so as to further identify their counterpart at optical, infrared, and radio wavelengths, to try to unveil their true nature. We then searched the online catalogues (e.g. NED, SIMBAD, 2MASS, 2MASX, and NVSS) to search for counterparts at other wavelengths. For all sources, we give a refined X-ray position, provide X-ray spectral parameters, identify infrared counterparts, and give magnitudes at optical and ultra violet wavelengths seen with UVOT when observations are available. We confirm the nature of six sources formerly suspected to be AGN (IGR J02343+3229, J13149+4422, J14579-4308, J16385-2057, J18559+1535, J19378-0617). Our analysis first leads us to suggest that IGR J09523-6231 and IGR J10147-6354 are AGN. While the former has recently been confirmed as a Seyfert 1.5 AGN, we suggest the latter is a Seyfert 2. All other sources may be Galactic sources, in which case their spectral shape may suggest that they are X-ray binaries. In one case (IGR J19308+0530), the Galactic nature is confirmed through the identification of an F8 star as the counterpart. We favour a distance to the source not greater than 1 kpc. The source is likely to be a neutron star XRB or a CV. We also report the discovery of six serendipitous sources of unknown nature.