ePrints

The First X-Ray Polarimetry of an Eclipsing Low-mass X-Ray Binary: Serendipitous IXPE Observation of AX J1745.6–2901

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Vladislav LoktevORCiD

Downloads

• Published version [.pdf]

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.We present the first X-ray polarimetric measurement of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary system AX J1745.6−2901 conducted by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) satellite. This transient source, located within ∼1 (Formula presented) .′ 5 of the Galactic center, was observed serendipitously during a MAXI J1744−294 observation with a duration of 150 ks. The complex nature of the region in which AX J1745.6−2901 is located poses a challenge for studying its polarization. By performing a detailed analysis of the contamination from MAXI J1744−294 and the Galactic center diffuse emission, we find the source polarization degree PD = 14.7% ± 4.0% and polarization angle PA = 122° ± 8°. The phase-resolved analysis shows increase in polarization during the eclipse phase, with PD = 34.2% ± 8.7%, suggesting that the polarization-inducing mechanisms are of scattering nature, probably originating from disk winds.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Mikusincova R, Marra L, Manikantan H, Bianchi S, Capitanio F, Chakraborty S, Ciancarella R, Costa E, De Angelis N, Del Santo M, Fabiani S, Ferrazzoli R, Gianolli VE, Gnarini A, Ingram A, Mandel S, Mastroserio G, Matt G, Mori K, Muleri F, Pagliarella S, Parra M, Petrucci PO, Podgorny J, Poutanen J, Ravi S, Soffitta P, Steiner JF, Tarana A, Taverna R, Ursini F, Veledina A, Vincentelli FM, Yilmaz A, De Marco B, Gupta M, Loktev V, Russell TD, Svoboda J, Tombesi F, Zhang S

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Astrophysical Journal

Year: 2026

Volume: 1005

Issue: 1

Print publication date: 01/07/2026

Online publication date: 30/06/2026

Acceptance date: 21/05/2026

Date deposited: 15/07/2026

ISSN (print): 0004-637X

ISSN (electronic): 1538-4357

Publisher: American Astronomical Society

URL: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae7341

DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae7341

Altmetrics

Funding

Share