Abstract:

We report the results of AstroSat and NuSTAR observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar SXP 15.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud during its outburst in late 2017, when the source reached a luminosity level of ∼10³⁸ erg s^-1, close to the Eddington limit. The unprecedented broad-band coverage of the source allowed us to perform timing and spectral analysis between 3 and 80 keV. The pulse profile exhibits a significant energy dependence, and morphs from a double-peaked profile to a single broad pulse at energies >15 keV. This can be explained by a spectral hardening during an intensity dip seen between the two peaks of the pulse profile. We detect a Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature at ∼5 keV in the X-ray spectrum, independent of the choice of the continuum model. This indicates a magnetic field strength of 6 × 10¹¹ G for the neutron star.

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