A 0535+26: Back in business
arXiv:astro-ph/0602115 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10127.x
Abstract
In May/June 2005, after 10 years of inactivity, the Be/X-ray binary system A 0535+26 underwent a major X-ray outburst. In this paper data are presented from 10 years of optical, IR and X-ray monitoring showing the behaviour of the system during the quiescent epoch and the lead up to the new outburst. The results show the system going through a period when the Be star in the system had a minimal circumstellar disk and then a dramatic disk recovery leading, presumably, to the latest flare up of X-ray emission. The data are interpreted in terms of the state of the disk and its interaction with the neutron star companion.
Accepted for publication in MNRAS