Bibcode
DOI
Zurita, C.; Durant, M.; Torres, M. A. P.; Shahbaz, T.; Casares, J.; Steeghs, D.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 681, Issue 2, pp. 1458-1463.
Advertised on:
7
2008
Journal
Citations
82
Refereed citations
78
Description
We present time-resolved photometry of the optical counterpart to the
black hole candidate Swift J1753.5-0127 which has remained in the
low/hard X-ray state and bright at optical/IR wavelengths since its
discovery in 2005. At the time of our observations Swift J1753.5-0127
does not show a decay trend but remains stable at R=16.45 with a
night-to-night variability of ~0.05 mag. The R-band light curves, taken
from 2007 June 3 to August 31, are not sinusoidal, but exhibit a complex
morphology with remarkable changes in shape and amplitude. The best
period determination is 3.2443+/-0.0010 hr. This photometric period is
likely a superhump period, slightly larger than the orbital period.
Therefore, Swift J1753.5-0127 is the black hole candidate with the
shortest orbital period observed to date. Our estimation of the distance
is comparable to values previously published and likely places Swift
J1753.5-0127 in the Galactic halo.
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