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Aquila X-1: A Low-Inclination Soft X-Ray Transient, T. Shahbaz, J. R. Thorstensen, P. A. Charles, N. D. Sherman
Aquila X-1: A Low-Inclination Soft X-Ray Transient, T. Shahbaz, J. R. Thorstensen, P. A. Charles, N. D. Sherman
Dartmouth Scholarship
We have obtained I-band photometry of the neutron star X-ray transient Aql X-1 during quiescence. We find a periodicity at 2.487 cycles d−1, which we interpret as twice the orbital frequency (19.30±0.05 h). Folding the data on the orbital period, we model the light-curve variations as the ellipsoidal modulation of the secondary star. We determine the binary inclination to be 20°–30° (90 per cent confidence) and also determine the 95 per cent upper limits to the radial velocity semi-amplitude and rotational broadening of the secondary star to be 117 and 50 km s−1, respectively.