Optical spectroscopy of X-ray source IGR J22534+6243
ATel #4248; N. Masetti (INAF/IASF Bologna), E. Jimenez-Bailon (UNAM, Mexico City), V. Chavushyan (INAOE, Puebla), P. Parisi, A. Bazzano (INAF/IAPS, Rome), R. Landi (INAF/IASF, Bologna), and A. J. Bird (Univ. Southampton)
on 10 Jul 2012; 15:18 UT
Credential Certification: Nicola Masetti (masetti@iasfbo.inaf.it)
Subjects: Optical, X-ray, Binary, Neutron Star, Star, Pulsar
Following the discovery of a 46.6 X-ray periodicity
(ATel #4240, #4241) from the X-ray source IGR J22534+6243
(Krivonos et al. 2012, arXiv:1205.3941; ATel #4166),
we analyzed spectroscopic data of its putative optical
counterpart (ATel #4166) which were obtained using the 2.1m
telescope of the Observatorio Astronomico Nacional (San Pedro
Martir, Baja California, Mexico) equipped with a Boller & Chivens
spectrograph.
Observations were acquired starting at 10:52 UT of 22 June
2012, for a total exposure time of 1800 s.
The 4000-8000 Angstroms optical spectrum shows a highly reddened
(but otherwise intrinsically blue) continuum with superimposed
Halpha, Hbeta and He I emissions at redshift zero, together
with several absorption lines of Galactic interstellar origin.
We measure the equivalent widths of Halpha and Hbeta as
31.8 +- 1.6 and 3.4 +- 0.5 Angstroms, respectively.
The optical spectral appearance of the counterpart is thus
typical of an absorbed Galactic high mass X-ray binary (HMXB),
which confirms the HMXB nature for IGR J22534+6243 as suggested
in ATel #4240.
