Pulse period evolution of GX 1+4

Abstract

We report on the long-term evolution of the spin period of the symbiotic X-ray pulsar GX 1+4 and a possible interpretation within a model of quasi-spherical accretion. New period measurements from BeppoSAX/WFC, INTEGRAL/ISGRI and Fermi/GBM observations have been combined with previously published data from four decades of observations. During the 1970's GX 1+4 was spinning up with the fastest rate among the known X-ray pulsars at the time. In the mid 1980's it underwent a change during a period of low X-ray flux and started to spin down with a rate similar in magnitude to the previous spin up rate. The spin period has changed from ~110 s to ~160 s within the last three decades. Our results demonstrate that the overall spin down trend continues and is stronger than ever. We compare the observations with predictions from a model assuming quasi-spherical accretion from the slow wind of the M giant companion.

7 pages, 3 figures; Proceedings of the 8th INTEGRAL Workshop "The Restless Gamma-ray Universe" (INTEGRAL 2010). September 27-30 2010. Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland. Published online at http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=115., id.16