On the spin-up events and spin direction of the X-ray pulsar GX 301-2

TL;DR

This study analyzes spin-up events of the X-ray pulsar GX 301-2, finding correlations with flux, suggesting prograde accretion, and proposing Compton reflection as a cause for orbital spin reversal, challenging previous stream model explanations.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of spin-up events, correlates them with flux, and proposes a new explanation involving Compton reflection for the spin reversal.

Findings

Spin-up events correlate with flux following a specific relation.

Spin-up events occur about 10 days after periastron, indicating accretion timing.

Orbital spin reversal may be caused by Compton reflection, not stream model.

Abstract

Recently a retrograde neutron star is proposed for the classical wind-fed X-ray pulsar, GX 301-2, to explain the orbital spin-up to spin-down reversal near periastron, based on the stream model invoked to explain the pre-periastron flare of GX 301-2 previously. We study in detail three rare spin-up events detected by Fermi/GBM and find that the spin derivatives are correlated with the Swift/BAT fluxes, following a relation of $\dot{\nu}\propto F^{0.75\pm0.05}$. All the spin-up events of GX 301-2 started about 10 days after the periastron, which is the time needed for tidally stripped gas to reach the neutron star. The slow rotation of the optical companion implies that the accreted matter is likely to have angular momentum in the direction of the orbital motion, as in a Roche-Lobe-like overflow. As a result, the spin-up events of GX 301-2 would favor accretion of a prograde disk to a prograde neutron star. We also find that the flare of intrinsic X-ray emission of GX 301-2 happened 0.4 days before periastron, while the flare of low energy emission (2-10 keV) happened about 1.4 days before periastron. The preceding low energy flare can be explained by stronger absorption of the intrinsic X-ray emission closer to the periastron. This finding weakened the need of the stream model. The pulse fraction of GX 301-2 near periastron is reduced heavily, which is likely caused by Compton scattering process. Compton reflection from the optical companion might be responsible for the observed orbital spin reversal of GX 301-2.