XMM-Newton observations of the symbiotic recurrent nova T CrB: evolution of X-ray emission during the active phase

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of the XMM-Newton observations of the symbiotic recurrent nova T CrB, obtained during its active phase which started in 2014–2015. The XMM-Newton spectra of T CrB have two prominent components: a soft one (0.2–0.6 keV), well represented by blackbody emission, and a heavily absorbed hard component (2–10 keV), well matched by optically-thin plasma emission with high temperature (kT ≈ 8 keV). The XMM-Newton observations reveal evolution of the X-ray emission from T CrB in its active phase. Namely, the soft component in its spectrum is decreasing with time, while the opposite is true for the hard component. Comparison with data obtained in the quiescent phase shows that the soft component is typical only for the active phase, while the hard component is present in both phases but it is considerably stronger in the quiescent phase. Presence of stochastic variability (flickering) on time-scales of minutes and hours is confirmed both in X-rays and UV (UVM2 filter of the XMM-Newton optical monitor). On the other hand, periodic variability of 6000–6500 s is found for the first time in the soft X-ray emission (0.2–0.6 keV) from T CrB. We associate this periodic variability with the rotational period of the white dwarf in this symbiotic binary.