Swift/XRT observations of superorbital modulations in wind-fed supergiant X-ray binaries

Abstract

We present the first Swift/XRT long-term monitoring of 2S 0114+650, a wind-fed supergiant X-ray binary for which both orbital and superorbital periods are known (Pₒᵣb ∼ 11.6 d and Pₛᵤₚ ∼ 30.8 d). Our campaign, summing up to ∼79 ks, is the most intense and complete sampling of the X-ray light curve of this source with a sensitive pointed X-ray instrument, and covers 17 orbital, and 6 superorbital cycles. The combination of flexibility, sensitivity, and soft X-ray coverage of the X-ray telescope (XRT) allowed us to confirm previously reported spectral changes along the orbital cycle of the source and unveil the variability in its spectral parameters as a function of the superorbital phase. For completeness, we also report on a similar analysis carried out by exploiting XRT archival data on three additional wind-fed supergiant X-ray binaries IGR J16418−4532, IGR J16479−4514, and IGR J16493−4348. For these sources, the archival data provided coverage along several superorbital cycles but our analysis could not reveal any significant spectral variability.