Hard X-ray flares in IGR J08408–4503 unveil clumpy stellar winds

Abstract

Context.A 1000-s flare from a new hard X-ray transient, IGR J08408–4503, was observed by INTEGRAL on May 15, 2006 during the real-time routine monitoring of IBIS/ISGRI images performed at the INTEGRAL Science Data Centre. The flare, detected during a single one-hour long pointing, peaked at 250 mCrab in the 20–40 keV energy range.