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X-ray lines and magnetic field of Her X-1

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Abstract

THE report1 of a possible detection of an X-ray emission line with energy about 53 keV from the binary X-ray source Her X-1 created great excitement. Interpreting the line as arising from non-relativistic electron cyclotron emission at the surface of an accreting neutron star member of the binary star system, Trumper et al.1 deduce a neutron star surface magnetic field of 4.6 × 1012 G. If the line is real (of cosmic origin and not due to background effects), significant (not due to a statistical fluctuation) and correctly interpreted as arising from non-relativistic cyclotron emission) it could provide the first direct and quantitative measure of the magnetic field of a neutron star, and be direct support for our ideas on the formation of neutron stars and the role of magnetic fields in the radiation mechanisms of pulsars and binary X-ray sources. Furthermore, it would conclusively rule out the possibility that Her X-1 contains a rotating or pulsating white dwarf (which, for dynamical stability requires B≪G1/2MR−2≃1012G for M≃M⊙ and R=RWD≃ 109 cm).

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

    K. BRECHER

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60201

    M. P. ULMER

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  1. K. BRECHER
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  2. M. P. ULMER
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BRECHER, K., ULMER, M. X-ray lines and magnetic field of Her X-1. Nature 271, 135–137 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/271135a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/271135a0

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