Monitoring campaign of 1RXS J171824.2-402934, the low-mass X-ray binary with the lowest mass accretion rate

TL;DR

This study confirms that 1RXS J171824.2-402934 is the low-mass X-ray binary with the lowest known accretion rate, exhibiting rare thermonuclear bursts, possibly due to an ultracompact orbit and helium-rich accretion.

Contribution

First detailed monitoring confirming extremely low accretion rate and ultracompact nature of this persistent low-mass X-ray binary.

Findings

Detected only two thermonuclear bursts over 20 years.

Implied orbital period less than 7 minutes.

Suggests accretion of helium-rich material.

Abstract

An X-ray monitoring campaign with Chandra and Swift confirms that 1RXS J171824.2-402934 is accreting at the lowest rate among the known persistently accreting low-mass X-ray binaries. A thermonuclear X-ray burst was detected with the all-sky monitor on RXTE. This is only the second such burst seen in 1RXS J171824.2-402934 in more than 20 Ms of observations done over 19 years. The low burst recurrence rate is in line with the low accretion rate. The persistent nature and low accretion rate can be reconciled within accretion disk theory if the binary system is ultracompact. An unprecedentedly short orbital period of less than approximately 7 minutes would be implied. An ultracompact nature, together with the properties of the type I X-ray burst, suggests, in turn, that helium-rich material is accreted. Optical follow-up of the Chandra error region does not reveal an unambiguous counterpart.