Swift/BAT detects a new outburst from the HXMB/BHC XTE J1908+094

ATel #5523; H. A. Krimm (CRESST/GSFC/USRA), S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), W. Baumgartner (CRESST/GSFC/UMBC), J. Cummings (CRESST/GSFC/UMBC), N. Gehrels (GSFC), A. Y. Lien (NASA/GSFC/ORAU), C. B. Markwardt (GSFC), D. Palmer (LANL), T. Sakamoto (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.), M. Stamatikos (OSU/GSFC), T. Ukwatta (MSU)
on 28 Oct 2013; 22:58 UT
Distributed as an Instant Email Notice Transients
Credential Certification: Hans A. Krimm (Hans.Krimm@nasa.gov)

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The Swift/BAT hard X-ray transient monitor has recorded a recent flux increase from the HMXB/black hole transient XTE J1908+094. In the 15-50 keV band, the source first rose above the 3-sigma detection level on 2013 October 26 (MJD 56591) and is continuing to brighten, reaching 0.014 +/- 0.0014 ct/s/cm^2 (~60 mCrab) on October 28. The peak count rate is the highest rate seen in the BAT monitor, which has operated since February 2005.

This source was discovered when it went into outburst in February 2002 (e.g. In't Zand, et. al, 2002, A&A 394, 553; Jonker et al., 2004, MNRAS 351, 1359). The source flux (in 2-10 keV) reached ~100 mcrab on 2002 April 6 (Gogus et al., 2004, ApJ 609, 977) and then had a second outburst in early 2003. Each of the two earlier outbursts lasted ~100 days.

Swift Target of Opportunity observations have been requested.

BAT hard X-ray transient monitor light curve for XTE J1908+094