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A line feature at 64 keV in the X-ray spectrum of Her X-1

Abstract

TRUMPER and his colleagues1 have reported observations which give evidence of a hard X-ray line feature in the spectrum of the pulsed flux of Her X-1. They suggest that this is cyclotron radiation from the poles of a neutron star. We discuss here some similar measurements made by the Imperial College Scintillation Telescope (ST) on Ariel 5 during a visit to the Hercules region, scheduled many months in advance of the observation. The binary system Her X-1 is known to emit X rays for at least 10 d in its 35–d cycle and our measurements were made during the ON period 3–13 February 1977.

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References

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COE, M., ENGEL, A., QUENBY, J. et al. A line feature at 64 keV in the X-ray spectrum of Her X-1. Nature 268, 508–509 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/268508a0

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