SMSS J130522.47-293113.0: a high-latitude stellar X-ray source with pc-scale outflow relics?
Abstract
We report the discovery of an unusual stellar system, SMSS J130522.47-293113.0. The optical spectrum is dominated by a blue continuum together with emission lines of hydrogen, neutral and ionized helium, and the N III, C III blend at around 4640-4650 Angstrom. The emission line profiles vary in strength and position on timescales as short as 1 day, while optical photometry reveals fluctuations of as much as ~0.2 mag in g on timescales as short as 10-15 min. The system is a weak X-ray source (f_{0.3-10} = (1.2 +/- 0.1) x 10^{-13} ergs cm^{-2} s^{-1} in the 0.3-10 keV band) but is not detected at radio wavelengths (3-sigma upper limit of 50 microJy at 5.5 GHz). The most intriguing property of the system, however, is the existence of two "blobs", a few arcsec in size, that are symmetrically located 3.8 arcmin (2.2 pc for our preferred system distance of ~2 kpc) each side of the central object. The blobs are detected in optical and near-IR broadband images but do not show any excess emission in Halpha images. We discuss the interpretation of the system, suggesting that the central object is most likely a nova-like CV, and that the blobs are relics of a pc-scale accretion-powered collimated outflow.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1803.06359,
title = {SMSS J130522.47-293113.0: a high-latitude stellar X-ray source with pc-scale outflow relics?},
author = {G. S. Da Costa and R. Soria and S. A. Farrell and D. Bayliss and M. S. Bessell and F. P. A. Vogt and G. Zhou and S. D. Points and T. C. Beers and Á. R. López-Sánchez and K. W. Bannister and M. Bell and P. J. Hancock and D. Burlon and B. M. Gaensler and E. M. Sadler and S. Tingay and S. C. Keller and B. P. Schmidt and P. Tisserand},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1803.06359},
year = {2018}
}
Comments
15 pages, 8 figures. Accepted by MNRAS on 2018 March 13