1999/03/18 by R. I. Hynes, P. Roche, P. A. Charles +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02653.x
published as Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 305 (1999) L49 · 5 pages, 7 postscript figures included, uses mn.sty. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
arxiv created 1999/03/18 · openalex publication_date 1999/05/21 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present optical and infrared observations of the soft X-ray transient (SXT) XTE J2012+381 and identify the optical counterpart with a faint red star heavily blended with a brighter foreground star. The fainter star is coincident with the radio counterpart and appears to show weak H α emission and to have faded between observations. The RXTE All Sky Monitor light curve of XTE J2012+381 is unusual for an SXT in that after an extended linear decay, it settled into a plateau state for about 40 days before undergoing a weak mini-outburst. We discuss the nature of the object and suggest similarities to long orbital period SXTs.