RXTE observations of the 1A 1118-61 in an outburst, and the discovery of a cyclotron line

TL;DR

This paper reports RXTE observations of the 2009 outburst of 1A 1118-61, revealing a cyclotron line at 55 keV indicating a strong magnetic field, and providing the first broadband spectrum analysis of this transient.

Contribution

First broadband spectrum measurement of 1A 1118-61 during outburst, discovering a cyclotron line at 55 keV and analyzing its timing and spectral properties.

Findings

Detection of a cyclotron resonance scattering feature at ~55 keV

Estimated magnetic field strength of ~4.8 x 10^12 G

Identification of a previously unreported iron emission line

Abstract

We present the analysis of RXTE monitoring data obtained during the January 2009 outburst of the hard X-ray transient 1A 1118-61. Using these observations the broadband (3.5-120 keV) spectrum of the source was measured for the first time ever. We have found that the broadband continuum spectrum of the source is similar to other accreting pulsars and is well described by several conventionally used phenomenological models. We have discovered that regardless of the applied continuum model, a prominent broad absorption feature at ~55 keV is observed. We interpret this feature as a cyclotron resonance scattering feature (CRSF). The observed CRSF energy is one of the highest known and corresponds to a magnetic field of B~4.8 x 10^12 G in the scattering region. Our data also indicate the presence of an iron emission line presence that has not been previously reported for 1A 1118-61. Timing properties of the source, including a strong spin-up, were found to be similar to those observed by CGRO/BATSE during the previous outburst, but the broadband capabilities of RXTE reveal a more complicated energy dependency of the pulse-profile.