Front-row Seat of the Recent R Aqr Periastron Passage: X-Ray Multiepoch Spectral and Spatial Analysis

Abstract

We report on the X-ray spectral and spatial evolution of the symbiotic star R Aqr. Through a multiepoch observational campaign performed with Chandra between 2017 and 2022, we study the X-ray emission of this binary system, composed of an evolved red giant star and a white dwarf (WD). This analysis is particularly timely as the WD approached the periastron in late 2018/early 2019; thus, mass transfer, jet emission, and outburst phenomena are to be expected. Through detailed spectral analysis, we detect a significant rise in the soft X-ray (0.5–2 keV) emission of R Aqr, likely linked to jet emission, followed by a decay toward the previous quiescent state. The hard X-ray emission (5–8 keV) is not immediately affected by the periastron passage; the hard component, after maintaining the same flux level between 2017 and 2021, rapidly decays after 2022. Possible explanations for this are a change in the reflection properties of the medium surrounding the binary, obscuration of the central region by material ejected during the periastron passage, or even the partial/complete destruction of the inner regions of the accretion disk surrounding the WD. In addition to this activity in the central region, extended emission is also detected, likely linked to a hot spot in a pre-outburst-emitted jet, which can be observed moving away from the system’s central region.