Superburst in 4U1608-52
ATel #482; R. Remillard and E. Morgan (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research) for the ASM team at MIT and NASA/GSFC
on 5 May 2005; 17:42 UT
Credential Certification: Ron Remillard (rr@space.mit.edu)
Subjects: X-ray, Neutron Star
The light curve of "x1608-522" from the RXTE All-Sky Monitor on 2005
May 5 reveals a likely superburst lasting many hours. The ASM flux
(2-12 keV) had been roughly steady during the last few days, ending
with the measurement of 0.34 (03) Crab on MJD 53495.03995. The next
measurement shows an abrupt increase to 1.25 (0.03) Crab on MJD
53495.10365, increasing to 1.50 (04) Crab on 53495.10476. Thereafter,
the flux decays on a slower timescale, reaching 0.60 Crab at MJD
53495.62. The temporal profile and timescales of this event are
strikingly similar to superbursts seen in other sources (see Kuulkers
et al. 2002, A&A, 382, 503, and Strohmayer & Bildsten
astro-ph/0301544).