Observations of the Highly Variable X-Ray Source GX 339-4

Abstract

Observations with the MIT experiment on the 050-7 have led to the discovery of an X-ray source, GX 339-4, which varies in intensity by at least a factor of 60 over hundreds of days but shows no evidence of periodic behavior or abrupt intensity changes on time scales from 3 minutes to 13 days. The observations show intense HIGH states, Low states with spectra consistent with increased absorption, and OFF states, when no statistically significant signal is observed. The behavior is unlike that of any previously reported X-ray source. Subject headings: variable stars - X-ray sources