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[24.14] Simultaneous BeppoSAX and RXTE observations of the X-ray burst sources GX 3+1 and Ser X-1

T. Oosterbroek (SSD ESA/ESTEC), D. Barret (CESR), M. Guainazzi (XMM SOC ESA), E.C. Ford (University of Amsterdam)

We have obtained spectral and timing data on GX 3+1 and Ser X-1. Both sources were observed simultaneously with BeppoSAX and RXTE. The RXTE data is used to provide power spectra and colour-colour diagrams in order to constrain the state (and thus estimate \dot M) the sources are in. The BeppoSAX data provide the broad-band spectra. The spectra of both sources are reasonably well-fit using a model consisting of a disk-blackbody, a comptonized component and a Fe line, absorbed by interstellar absorption. The electron temperature (kT_{\rm e}) of the Comptonizing plasma is in both cases ~2.5 keV. This implies that there is no strong high-energy tail present in either of the sources. We discuss the similarities between these burst sources and the luminous X-ray sources located in globular clusters. We find that the spectral parameters of the comptonized component provide information about the mass-accretion rate, which agrees well with estimates from the timing and spectral variations.