Spectral characteristics of 3U 1915-05, a burst source candidate

Abstract

An X-ray burst source has been discovered near the X-ray source 3U 1915-05. The continuum spectra of both the burst source and the quiescent source 3U 1915-05 are hard, with kT for thermal bremsstrahlung models above 20 keV. The spectrum of 3U 1915-05 has a feature at 9.1 keV, which, if attributed to absorption by hydrogen and heliumlike iron, suggests the presence of a highly ionized cloud surrounding a central X-ray source.