PROBING THE MSP PRENATAL STAGE: THE OPTICAL IDENTIFICATION OF THE X-RAY BURSTER EXO 1745-248 IN TERZAN 5

Abstract

We report on the optical identification of the neutron star burster EXO 1745-248 in Terzan 5. The identification was performed by exploiting Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys images acquired in Director's Discretionary Time shortly after (approximately one month) the Swift detection of the X-ray burst. The comparison between these images and previous archival data revealed the presence of a star that is currently brightened by ∼3 mag, consistent with expectations during an X-ray outburst. The centroid of this object well agrees with the position, in the archival images, of a star located in the turn-off/sub-giant-branch region of Terzan 5. This supports the scenario that the companion should have recently filled its Roche Lobe. Such a system represents the prenatal stage of a millisecond pulsar, an evolutionary phase during which heavy mass accretion on the compact object occurs, thus producing X-ray outbursts and re-accelerating the neutron star. Based on observations (GO 14061, GO 12933, GO 9799) with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by AURA, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.