text:
# A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies

## 1 Introduction

Central to a complete picture of galaxy evolution is understanding star formation over large scales. Given that stars form in molecular gas, the evolution of a galaxy depends on its gas distribution. The main constituent of this gas is molecular hydrogen, which, due to its symmetry, has no dipole transitions between low-lying levels (i.e., no permitted rotational transitions). Consequently, the rotational lines of carbon monoxide and its isotopic variants (e.g., 13CO and C18O) have been used to study molecular gas in galaxies. The millimeter-wave lines of CO are the brightest among non-masing molecular transitions. In particular, the $`J=10`$ line of 12CO (hereafter written simply as CO) has been invaluable for determining the distribution of molecular gas column densities within the Milky Way and other galaxies (Dame, Hartmann & Thaddeus, 2001; Young et al., 1995).

These distributions are inferred assuming that the molecular gas column density, $`N_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$, is traced by the velocity-integrated radiation temperature (Rayleigh-Jeans brightness temperature), $`I(\mathrm{CO}J=10)T_R𝑑v`$. Though the CO emission is usually optically thick and consequently may not reliably trace column densities, the ratio $`N_{\mathrm{H}_2}/I_{CO}`$, or “X-factor,” is found to be roughly constant on the size scales of many parsecs, with a value of $`X=1.6`$$`\times 10^{20}`$ cm-2 (K km s-1)-1 in the Galactic disk (Dame, Hartmann & Thaddeus, 2001; Hunter et al., 1997). The conventional explanation of how the optically thick CO line consistently measures column density requires that giant molecular clouds are in self-gravitational equilibrium and that the mean density and temperature do not significantly vary from cloud to cloud (Dickman, Snell & Schloerb, 1986; Sakamoto, 1996). Despite these results, there is evidence that $`X`$ is 2–10 times lower than the standard value in the central few hundred parsecs of the Galaxy (Sodroski et al., 1995; Dahmen et al., 1998). It may also increase by 2–4 times the standard value in the outer Galaxy (Digel et al., 1990; Sodroski, 1991; cf., Carpenter et al., 1990). Nonetheless, a secondary measure of gas column density is required to gauge any variation of $`X`$ with galactocentric radius.

There are suggestions in the literature both for and against the X-factor varying with position in external galaxies, often from observations of the rotational lines of 13CO, a rarer isotopic variant of the more commonly observed CO. Since 13CO is 30–70 times less abundant than CO (e.g., Langer & Penzias, 1990), its rotational lines are usually optically thin on parsec scales. Therefore, assuming similar molecular gas physical conditions, observations of 13CO can give reliable molecular gas column densities, and any variation in the ratio of CO and 13CO $`J=10`$ integrated intensities, $``$, can then test whether $`X`$ varies systematically within galaxies. Rickard & Blitz (1985) claim that this ratio is up to a factor of 5 higher in the central 1 than in the disks of six galaxies, implying that $`X`$ is up to 5 times smaller in galaxy centers. In contrast, the CO/13CO intensity ratios observed by Young & Sanders (1986) and Sage & Isbell (1991) show no significant differences between the centers of spiral galaxies and their disks. However, any study of molecular gas column densities that uses 13CO lines must address the uncertainty in assumptions such as the 13CO abundance, the gas kinetic temperature, and whether local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) applies. Also, $``$ is a sensitive function of optical depth. Hence, any observed variation, such as found by Rickard & Blitz (1985), could be attributed to variations in the 13CO abundance or excitation, rather than a spatial variation in $`X`$. Though separating these variations from other effects requires observations of other lines (e.g., 13CO $`J=32`$) and isotopic variants (e.g., C18O), a gradient in $``$ would indicate an important variation in the physical or chemical properties of the molecular medium of a galaxy.

In this paper, we present the results of a survey of the $`J=10`$ lines of 13CO and CO along the major axes of 17 galaxies (see Table 1). Unlike previous surveys, systematic uncertainties between intensities at different positions are reduced by using a receiver array. The array also permits efficient fully-sampled mapping of many positions in a galaxy.

## 2 Observations and Data Reduction

The data were obtained between 1998 December and 2000 May at the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory (FCRAO) 14 m telescope. We observed the CO and 13CO $`J=10`$ lines (115.27 and 110.20 GHz) with the MMIC-based, $`4\times 4`$-element array, SEQUOIA (Erickson et al., 1999). The beam FWHM at 115 GHz was 45′′, and the main beam efficiency was $`0.5`$. The pixel spacing on the sky was 1$`\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}`$476, or roughly two full beam widths. System temperatures were 130–400 K at 110 GHz, and 200–1200 K at 115 GHz. We used the facility broad-band filterbank, comprised of 64 channels of 5 MHz width, which yielded a velocity resolution of 13 km s-1 at 115 GHz.

The observed galaxies are the brightest and most extended from the FCRAO Extragalactic CO Survey of Young et al. (1995) that are primarily within the R.A. range of 9–16 hours (Table 1). The array was aligned with the major axis of each galaxy, and moved from the edge of the CO disk across its full extent, with measurements taken at half-pixel (roughly half-beam) spacing. Thus each map position was observed with all four receivers of a row. Fully sampled maps were not made along the minor axes. Rather, off-axis data were obtained from the rows of the array parallel to the major axis, offset by $`\pm 1\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}476`$ and $`\pm 2\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}952`$.

Except for NGC 253, which has a low declination, we observed above an elevation of 30° to avoid large gain variations. We also observed below an elevation of 75° to avoid any possible tracking errors. The pointing and focus were checked regularly on SiO maser sources and Jupiter, and calibration was done every several minutes using the chopper wheel method. A linear baseline was removed from all spectra. Those requiring higher order fits were discarded. Spectra with r.m.s. noise levels significantly different from those expected given the system temperature were also discarded. These data typically resulted from poor calibrations or non-linear baselines caused by quickly varying conditions. The filtered data were then coadded, weighted by the noise ($`1/\sigma ^2`$). Therefore the largest calibration offsets, caused by low elevation and poor weather, contributed less to the overall results. Relative gain variations between pixels were well below 10%, and since each map position was observed by all four pixels in a row, this uncertainty was further reduced.

To assess systematic uncertainties, the line integrated intensities were monitored for day-to-day variations (mostly at the central position). The weighted average CO and 13CO intensities on any given day varied from the total season’s weighted average by 5–25% and 15–50%, respectively. Any data with obvious offsets in pointing (evident as markedly different spectral line shapes), or calibration (anomalous line and noise temperatures) were discarded. In sum, the relative spatial variations in the CO and 13CO intensities, and their ratio, are very well determined for each galaxy. However, the systematic uncertainties in $``$, which are important for comparing the intensity ratios between galaxies, are roughly 15–60% (Table 2). Most of these systematic variations are likely due to slight pointing offsets along the minor axis, which are difficult to detect in low signal-to-noise spectra, and do not strongly affect the line shapes. Periodic observations of Jupiter indicate that the uncertainties due to variations in calibration contribute no more than 15–20% to the systematic uncertainty in line intensity.

## 3 Results

Emission from both CO and 13CO is detected at nearly every mapped position along the major axes of these galaxies. Off-axis emission $`>1\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}5`$ away from the major axis, is detected only in the less inclined galaxies IC 342, M51 and NGC 6946. Due to the low signal-to-noise ratio of the 13CO spectra off-axis, we do not include those data in the analysis. Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies shows the spectra along the major axes of the survey galaxies. The similarity of the CO and 13CO line shapes with position demonstrates the good relative pointing (better than 5′′) between the observations. The line integrated intensities ($`T_A^{}𝑑v`$) and CO/13CO intensity ratios ($``$) as functions of position along the major axis are shown in Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies.

The unweighted average of the CO/13CO intensity ratio in the beam centered on the nucleus is $`11.5\pm 0.3\pm 1.4`$, given the statistical and systematic uncertainties, respectively (Table 2). Statistical uncertainties are based on the r.m.s. noise, line width and channel width, and systematic uncertainties are estimated as described at the end of § 2. The standard deviation in $``$ from one galaxy center to another is 5.4. The weighted average central ratios are $`9.0\pm 0.2`$ and $`7.7\pm 0.6`$ based on the statistical and systematic uncertainties, respectively. The central ratios for M51 and M82 deviate significantly from these values. The high ratio of $`27\pm 8`$ for M82 is consistent with previous studies (e.g., Stark & Carlson, 1982; Young & Scoville, 1982; Loiseau et al., 1988; Kikumoto et al., 1998). However, the low ratio of $`5.4\pm 1.0`$ for M51 is nearly a factor of 2 below some previous observations (Young & Sanders, 1986; Garcia-Burillo et al., 1993). The individual CO and 13CO data for M51 were taken over several widely separated days, and cover a large range in elevation, weather conditions, and times of day. Despite the varied conditions, the data sets agree well with one another (the estimated systematic uncertainties are 13 and 14% for CO and 13CO, respectively, yielding a 19% uncertainty in $``$). The relative pointing was consistent, judging by the line shapes and radial intensity profiles. Therefore, we do not correct our values for M51 for any possible calibration offset, though we will draw no strong conclusions from the low ratio. We point out that our observing technique still results in a very low relative uncertainty in the spatial variation in $``$ within the disk of M51.

Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies indicates that nearly all the galaxies show some significant variation in $``$ with position. The most prevalent trend is for $``$ to drop with galactocentric distance. The gradient in $``$ is more apparent and significant after the line intensities are binned to make the uncertainty in $``$ more uniform (Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies). Here non-detections have been excluded. The calculated uncertainties in these average ratios are multiplied by $`\sqrt{2}`$ to account for the interdependence of the Nyquist sampled data. This correction is conservative and may overestimate the error by about 20% for small bin sizes. Table 2 and Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies compare the weighted average values of $``$ inside and outside of various radii. Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies shows that for many galaxies, $``$ drops by as much as a factor of 2 between the central and outer disk. On average, $``$ within a radius of 2 kpc is 40% higher than the disk value. No correlations are found between distance and $``$ nor its gradient (Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies).

Several galaxies show a significant change in the gradient in $``$ with the size of the central bin (Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies). Note that typically the change in $``$ does not depend strongly on the central bin size, so the adopted distance to a galaxy is not very important. For those with significant changes, the bin size simply scales with distance, and intermediate values of $``$ still lie on the trends shown. For NGC 253 and NGC 2146, the disk ratio decreases with the size of the central bin. The CO intensity distribution in NGC 253 is strongly centrally peaked inside 2 kpc. For NGC 2146, several outer points are not detected in 13CO, so its distribution in the disk appears flatter than it may be (Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies), and the change in $``$ is somewhat biased by this sensitivity limit. For NGC 3556, NGC 4631 and NGC 6946, the central ratio decreases with the size of the central bin, and the gradient in $``$ also decreases. NGC 3556 and NGC 4631 have flatter CO and 13CO distributions with peaks offset from the center by 1.5–2 kpc that are more pronounced in 13CO emission. The CO distribution for NGC 6946 peaks more sharply than the 13CO at the nucleus. The central ratio increases with bin size for IC 342, NGC 3593 and NGC 3627. Their 13CO distributions are more strongly centrally peaked within 1 kpc than the CO. M82 is unusual in that $``$ in the disk increases as the central bin increases from 0.7 to 1.5 kpc radius, but then decreases for a central bin of 2 kpc radius.

## 4 Discussion

### 4.1 Possible Causes of Variations in the CO/13CO Intensity Ratio

Various physical mechanisms could cause a gradient in the observed CO/13CO intensity ratio. The most obvious are changes in the relative CO and 13CO abundances, and beam-averaged optical depths. A gradient in the X-factor, which may depend on the gas density and/or temperature, could also be responsible. For the following discussion, we assume, based on the centrally peaked profiles of integrated intensity (Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies), that the total beam-averaged H2 column density increases towards the nucleus of each survey galaxy. Also, we assume that $``$ generally decreases with galactocentric distance. (It increases with radius only for NGC 3628, NGC 5055 and M51, and their individual ratios at large radii are still low.)

#### 4.1.1 Abundances

There is a clear positive gradient in the 12C/13C abundance ratio in the Milky Way (e.g., Langer & Penzias 1990, and references therein). It rises linearly from a value near 30 within 4 kpc of the Galactic center, to $`70`$ at 10 kpc, and is most likely due to stellar processing of matter during the lifetime of the Galaxy; older populations have enhanced the 13C in the bulge. However, this gradient is in the opposite sense of the gradient in $``$ seen here and in the Milky Way. For example, large-scale maps of the Milky Way suggest that $``$ varies from $`10\pm 3`$ in the central 2 kpc to $`6\pm 1`$ from 2 to 8.5 kpc (A. Luna, private communication), which is very similar to the results of this survey. Though $``$ appears to be roughly constant at $`5`$ throughout most of the Galaxy (e.g., Solomon, Sanders & Scoville 1979; Polk et al. 1988; Oka et al. 1998), large-scale observations may yield higher values of $``$ due to the inclusion of CO emission from very diffuse gas not detectable in 13CO emission (Polk et al., 1988; Lee, Snell & Dickman, 1990). Also, the generally low CO/13CO intensity ratios seen in galaxies indicate that at least the CO emission is optically thick, and therefore $``$ is a poor tracer of the 12C/13C abundance ratio.

Another argument against stellar processing affecting $``$ is that a correlation should exist between $``$ and the C18O/C17O intensity ratio assuming that the stellar populations in the starburst nuclei of these galaxies contain relatively few low to intermediate mass stars (those responsible for much of the 13CO generation) (Sage, Henkel & Mauersberger 1991). However, such a correlation is not observed. In particular, the C18O/C17O intensity ratio for M82 of $`8`$ is similar to that of NGC 253 and IC 342, whereas the central CO/13CO intensity ratio of M82 is twice those of the other galaxies. Casoli, Dupraz, & Combes (1992) also suggest that the CO abundance could increase by a factor of two due to an enhanced production of CO by massive stars. However, given the high optical depth of CO, this change will not alter $``$. Further, Taniguchi et al. (1999) attribute the high ratios seen in some galactic nuclei to a deficit of 13CO, not an enhancement of CO.

It has been suggested that the CO isotopic abundances may be altered by mechanical means as well. The high central CO/13CO intensity ratios ($`>20`$) seen in the nuclei of some mergers and ultraluminous starburst galaxies (Casoli et al., 1992a; Aalto et al., 1991; Henkel & Mauersberger, 1993; Taniguchi et al., 1999), are thought to be due to either transport of less-processed (13CO-poor) disk gas to the nucleus via an interaction, or destruction of dense (13CO-rich) clouds by nuclear superwinds. If gas transport occurs faster than 13CO production in the nucleus, any gradient should be erased. Models of galactic bars show that abundance gradients are indeed flattened after roughly $`10^9`$ yr (Friedli, Benz & Kennicutt, 1994), and that mass inflow time scales for slightly perturbed spirals are $`10^9`$ yr, and shorter for stronger interactions (Jog & Das 1992, and references therein). That the gradient in $``$ for the Milky Way opposes the 12C/13C abundance gradient also implies that altering abundances seems to have little effect on the CO and 13CO emission. Further, NGC 3628 and M51 are two of the few galaxies in this survey with positive gradients in $``$, yet they are clearly in interactions. Therefore, unless a merger injects 13CO-poor gas directly into a nucleus, transport due to bars or interactions seems unlikely to produce this gradient. The observed gradient in $``$ instead favors the superwind argument since $``$ and the star formation rate in these galaxies are generally higher in the nucleus than in the disk. However, the volume and column densities of the gas toward these galactic nuclei are typically inferred to be large (e.g., Paglione, Jackson, & Ishizuki 1997). Therefore, if a superwind causes the higher CO/13CO intensity ratio in the nucleus, it must force the clouds into many very small, dense clumps. This possibility is explored in the following section.

Two chemical processes could be responsible for the gradient in $``$: isotope-selective photodissociation (ISPD) and chemical fractionation. ISPD can lower the 13CO abundance relative to CO in the nucleus since the rarer isotope is less shielded from destructive radiation. ISPD requires a strong, localized source of ultraviolet radiation, and clumpiness to maximize the surface area of the clouds while maintaining the high observed column densities. The nuclei of nearly all the survey galaxies exhibit high far-infrared (FIR) luminosities indicative of massive star formation, so sources of dissociating photons exist. ISPD would produce CO/C18O intensity ratios even higher than $``$ since the C18O optical depth is lower than that of 13CO. Nine galaxies have CO, 13CO and C18O emission observed at roughly the same resolution as this work (Casoli et al., 1992b; Aalto et al., 1991; Sage et al., 1991), and there is a strong correlation between $``$ and the CO/C18O intensity ratio (Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies). However, there is no corresponding positive correlation between $``$ and 13CO/C18O. In addition, 13CO/C18O stays the same or even decreases when viewed with higher resolution in NGC 253 and M82 (Harrison et al., 1999; Wild et al., 1992) while it should presumably be highest near the central ionizing sources. In fact in M82 at $`13^{\prime \prime }`$ resolution, the highest 13CO/C18O ratio is found toward the weaker, eastern millimeter continuum source (Wild et al., 1992; Carlstrom & Kronberg, 1991).

The C II/CO intensity ratio should be sensitive to the ultraviolet field strength and clumpiness of the gas (Stacey et al., 1991), and thus may also indicate the importance of ISPD. Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies shows the central value of $``$ for the survey galaxies plotted against this ratio. The linear correlation coefficient is less than 0.2, indicating a very low probability of correlation.

Fractionation in the disk could lower the CO column density relative to that of 13CO by factors of a few, but would have little effect on $``$ because of the high optical depth of the CO line. Also, this mechanism requires lower temperatures ($`<30`$ K), and CO optical depths $`<10`$ (e.g., Keene et al., 1998). The CO line strengths indicate substantial disk column densities ($`>10^{20}\mathrm{cm}^2`$), but if the gas is sufficiently clumpy, fractionation on individual clump surfaces may be possible. Whether the cloud temperatures in the disk are low enough to support large-scale fractionation is more difficult to determine. The temperatures of the central regions of all the survey galaxies are inferred to be high from multi-line observations of CO (Wall et al., 1993; Wild et al., 1992), C II spectra (Stacey et al., 1991), and IRAS colors (e.g., Young et al., 1989), but little data for galactic disks exist. Studies of NGC 6946 and M51 indicate that higher gas temperatures in the disk are limited to the spiral arms and various hot spots (Engargiola, 1991; Fitt et al., 1992; Madden et al., 1993; Tuffs et al., 1996). Little CO emission is seen outside of these warmer regions, where the gas might be cool enough to support fractionation.

To summarize, we eliminate nearly all arguments in favor of abundance variations as the cause of a gradient in $``$. ISPD and CO enhancements due to gas transport or stellar nucleosynthesis are unlikely to be responsible for the observed gradients in $``$ due to the high optical depth of CO, and the lack of expected gradients or correlations with other line ratios. Also the gradient in $``$ in the Milky Way is in the opposite sense of the 12C/13C abundance gradient. It is difficult to test whether fractionation in the disk is important, though most of the CO emission in galactic disks is limited to relatively warm regions where it would not occur. Nuclear superwinds could effectively lower the beam-averaged 13CO column density by creating very small clouds, which would result in higher values of $``$ in starburst nuclei. This prediction is tested in the following section.

#### 4.1.2 Cloud Properties

The CO/13CO intensity ratio should be a straightforward measure of the 13CO optical depth. For example in LTE, given optically thick CO emission and optically thin 13CO emission, and that their emission comes from the same volume of gas,

$$I(\mathrm{CO})/I({}_{}{}^{13}\mathrm{CO})1/\tau ({}_{}{}^{13}\mathrm{CO}).$$
(1)
In this case, the mean optical depth of the gas in these galaxies generally decreases toward the nucleus. In LTE, $`\tau (N/\mathrm{\Delta }v)/T_k^2`$, for high $`T_k`$. Therefore, to produce the observed gradient in $``$, the clouds in galactic nuclei are probably warmer, have lower column densities, and/or higher internal velocity dispersions.

To determine which cloud parameters dominate the variation in $``$, and to include volume density as another important cloud parameter, we perform single-component model calculations of non-LTE CO excitation. We assume that the emission originates in unresolved, homogeneous, spherical clouds, and include a photon escape probability function to account for the radiative excitation of optically thick lines (Stutzki & Winnewisser, 1985). The emission from the first 11 levels of CO is modeled. We use the collision rates of Flower & Launay (1985). The excitation of 13CO is assumed to be identical to that of CO (cf., Wilson, Langer, & Goldsmith, 1981), and the 13CO line temperature is estimated by decreasing the column density of CO by the \[CO\]/\[13CO\] abundance ratio. Values of \[CO\]/\[13CO\]=30–80 are considered.

Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies shows the expected CO/13CO intensity ratio from a cloud as a function of H2 volume density ($`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$), CO column density per velocity interval ($`N/\mathrm{\Delta }v`$), and kinetic temperature ($`T_k`$), given \[CO\]/\[13CO\]=60. As expected, the ratio is a strong function of cloud column density and temperature, especially if the CO emission is thermalized. For example, a change in $`T_k`$ from 10 to 30 K results in roughly a factor 3 variation in $``$. For low densities, the optical depth of 13CO is non-neglible, and the dependence on temperature diminishes (though a higher optical depth of the 13CO line does not necessarily imply $``$ $`1`$ when LTE does not apply). Its dependence on density is weaker, especially for $`T_k<50`$ K, and reflects the difference between subthermally excited and thermalized (near LTE) CO emission. Below $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$$`10^5`$ cm-3, $``$ may vary by factors of a few with density, depending on $`T_k`$ and $`N/\mathrm{\Delta }v`$.

To test how variations in $`N/\mathrm{\Delta }v`$ may affect the gradient in $``$, we estimate the ratio of the column density within and outside of a 2 kpc radius in each galaxy. The column density per velocity interval for individual clouds, $`N_c/\mathrm{\Delta }v_c`$ would have to decrease toward the nucleus to cause an increase in $``$. We also assume a proportionality between the CO and 13CO intensities and the beam-averaged column density, $`N`$, such that

$$\frac{(N_c/\mathrm{\Delta }v_c)_{R<2\mathrm{k}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}}}{(N_c/\mathrm{\Delta }v_c)_{R>2\mathrm{k}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}}}=\frac{(XI/\mathrm{\Delta }v)_{R<2\mathrm{k}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}}}{(XI/\mathrm{\Delta }v)_{R>2\mathrm{k}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}}}\left(\frac{\varphi _{R>2\mathrm{k}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}}}{\varphi _{R<2\mathrm{k}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{c}}}\right),$$
(2)
where $`\varphi `$ is the beam filling factor, and we assume constant CO and 13CO abundances. The velocity width is estimated from the full line width. $`I/\mathrm{\Delta }v`$ rises toward the nuclei of each survey galaxy by factors of 2–30 using CO, and 1.3–7 using 13CO. For individual clouds, $`N_c/\mathrm{\Delta }v_c`$ could still decrease towards the nucleus if the beam filling factor rises faster than $`XI/\mathrm{\Delta }v`$. In other words, if crowding in the nucleus is significant, then a higher value of $``$ is still possible if $`N_c/\mathrm{\Delta }v_c`$ of individual clouds there is lower than in the disk. Such increases in $`\varphi `$ appear reasonable given the increase in line intensities and their likely dependence on varying excitation conditions from disk to nucleus. Therefore, we cannot eliminate the possibility of small nuclear clouds, such as would be produced by starburst winds, though the amount of variation in $`N_c/\mathrm{\Delta }v_c`$ depends mostly on the internal turbulence of the clouds and the change in excitation conditions, that is, the variation in volume and column density and kinetic temperature.

An increase in the gas volume density toward the nucleus can contribute to the gradient in $``$. For certain conditions ($`T_k>`$ 10 K, $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$$`10^3`$$`10^5`$ cm-3), an increase in density of an order of magnitude can double $``$. The centers of galaxies are known to have enhanced gas densities (Wall et al., 1993; Helfer & Blitz, 1993; Paglione et al., 1997). Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies shows the central value of $``$ for the survey galaxies plotted against the (HCN $`J=32`$)/(HCN $`J=10`$) intensity ratio, which is sensitive to the gas density (Paglione et al., 1997). A positive trend is apparent, though there is no significant correlation (the linear correlation coefficient is 0.2).

The correlation between $``$ and IRAS color temperature (the ratio of global fluxes at 60 and 100$`\mu `$m) is well established (Young & Sanders, 1986; Aalto et al., 1991; Sage & Isbell, 1991; Taniguchi et al., 1999). There is a good correlation between $``$ and color temperature for the galaxies presented here as well. According to the homogeneous cloud model, $``$ varies with the gas kinetic temperature also, especially for $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$ $`>10^3`$ cm-3. Generally $``$ $`T_k^{1.4}`$ for high densities, and $``$ $`T_k^{0.3}`$ for $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$ $`<10^3`$ cm-3. Such a strong dependence on temperature, especially in combination with the expected increase in density towards the nucleus, suggests that most if not all of the variation seen in $``$ is due to the high gas temperatures in these (mostly starburst) galactic nuclei. Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies shows the central value of $``$ for the survey galaxies plotted against the (CO $`J=32`$)/(CO $`J=10`$) intensity ratio, which is generally sensitive to $`T_k`$. A linear correlation coefficient of 0.5 indicates a significant correlation between these ratios.

A two-component model can also explain a rise in $``$ at the nucleus without gradients in the bulk physical conditions of the clouds. We test a model where the cloud properties do not change, but warm and diffuse gas ($`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}=100`$ cm-3, $`T_k=30`$ K) is added to the nucleus. Given the observed CO/13CO ratios in galactic disks, a diffuse component with twice the beam filling factor of the dense component provides enhancements in $``$ as high as 90% for very low temperatures ($`T_k<20`$ K). Enhancements of 10–50%, for $`T_k=20`$–75 K and $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}10^2`$$`10^4`$cm-3, are more likely and still match the observed gradients in $``$. Decrements in $``$ of up to 20–40% can also be produced by including the diffuse component, but require that the dense component be very dense and warm ($`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}>10^4`$ cm-3, $`T_k>50`$ K), which are unlikely conditions in galactic disks.

To summarize, the observed gradient in $``$ can be successfully explained by a gradient in the gas kinetic temperature. Increased volume densities in the nucleus may also contribute to raising $``$ there. The column densities of individual clouds may decrease enough to cause the observed gradient in $``$, though this variation may be secondary to changes in temperature. This result is expected since in the LTE limit, the optical depth of 13CO, which is inversely proportional to $``$, depends more strongly on $`T_k`$. Therefore a modest rise in $`T_k`$ towards the nucleus (e.g., from 10 K to 30 K, see Figure A Mapping Survey of the 13CO and 12CO Emission in Galaxies) can easily account for the gradient in $``$. Finally, a two-component model with warm and diffuse gas in the nucleus can reproduce the observed enhancements in $``$ for a reasonable range of temperatures and densities. However, the observed decrements in $``$ are more difficult to explain with this model.

#### 4.1.3 X-Factor

A positive gradient in the X-factor has been suggested for the Galaxy (Digel et al., 1990; Sodroski et al., 1995; Dahmen et al., 1998). This result would follow naturally from the gradient in $``$ found in this survey and the Milky Way. That is, the H2 mass estimated from a direct proportionality with CO intensity would overestimate the true mass in galactic centers, which is presumably traced less ambiguously by the more optically thin 13CO emission. Despite the probable Galactic gradient in the X-factor, the apparently strong dependence of $``$ on cloud properties (and possibly chemical abundances) indicates that many things can contribute to varying the proportionality between $`I_{CO}`$ and H2 column density. Using the homogeneous cloud model from the previous section, as expected, $``$ increases as $`X`$ decreases given a constant CO abundance. Therefore, we suggest that a variable X-factor results from the same processes that affect $``$. Determining unambiguous variations in $`X`$ requires a better understanding of the many physical processes that can affect $``$.

We estimate the H2 column densities inside and outside a 2 kpc radius in the survey galaxies using various means: from the CO intensity and the standard, constant X-factor of 1.6$`\times 10^{20}`$ cm-2 (K km s-1)-1; from the 13CO intensity, assuming optically thin emission and LTE; and from the homogeneous cloud model, which includes non-LTE excitation and radiative trapping.

The molecular masses inside a 2 kpc radius, derived from the standard X-factor, are listed in Table 3. For most of the galaxies, the mass derived from CO is less than the dynamical mass inside 2 kpc. However for IC 342, M82 and NGC 6946, it is comparable to the dynamical mass. Unlike M82, IC 342 and NGC 6946 have typical CO/13CO intensity ratios.

The H2 column density can be estimated from the 13CO intensity assuming optically thin emission and LTE using

$$N_{\mathrm{H}_2}=4.2\times 10^{19}T_ke^{2.645/T_k}I({}_{}{}^{13}\mathrm{CO}),$$
(3)
where the 13CO abundance is 8$`\times 10^5`$/60 (Frerking, Langer, & Wilson, 1982). Masses derived from equation 3 are listed in Table 3 for $`T_k=10`$ K and 50 K. For most of the survey galaxies, these masses are similar to those derived from the standard X-factor and CO, which implies that the kinetic temperature is between 10 and 50 K. In fact, the gas kinetic temperature can be estimated by setting the column densities derived from both CO and 13CO. The temperatures inside 2 kpc (Table 3) are 20–60 K, and only somewhat lower in the disk. The higher temperatures are quite high compared to those derived from radiative transfer analyses (Wall et al., 1993), and seem unlikely over such large areas, especially in galactic disks. That this temperature seems high indicates that the masses derived from 13CO are generally lower than those derived from CO.

We estimate column densities with the homogeneous cloud model assuming $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$ = 300 cm-3 and $`T_k=10`$ K in the disk, and $`n_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$ = $`10^4`$ cm-3 and $`T_k=30`$–50 K within a 2 kpc radius. We use the CO/13CO intensity ratios given in Table 2. Assuming LTE and optically thin 13CO emission, the kinetic temperature is overestimated on average by a factor of 3–4 in the disk, and underestimated by 2.3–3 times in the nucleus. The average conversion factor in the disk is (1–3)$`\times 10^{20}`$ cm-2 (K km s-1)-1, which is consistent with the value in the disk of the Milky Way. For the nuclei we find $`X`$ = (0.4–1.4)$`\times 10^{20}`$ cm-2 (K km s-1)-1, which is factors of 2–5 times lower than in the disk, and 1.2–3.3 times lower than the standard Galactic value. Using the standard Galactic X-factor in galactic nuclei could therefore overestimate the true mass by factors of a few. Note that the model indicates that the X-factor is always smaller in galactic nuclei, regardless of the gradient in $``$.

## 5 Conclusions

We observed the CO and 13CO $`J=10`$ emission along the major axes of 17 nearby galaxies. On average, the CO/13CO intensity ratio, $``$, inside a 2 kpc radius is roughly 30% higher than in the disk. This ratio is sensitive to variations in temperature and column density, as well as fractionation and isotope-selective photodissociation. Winds and gas inflow caused by mergers have also been suggested to vary $``$, along with abundance variations due to stellar processing. We eliminate most mechanisms except for fractionation and variations in kinetic temperature, cloud column density and H2 volume density. The gradient is most likely caused by the higher temperatures (and perhaps densities) typical of the central regions of starburst galaxies. Small nuclear clouds, perhaps caused by starburst superwinds, may also contribute to the variation in $``$. We estimate that the X-factor ($`X=N_{\mathrm{H}_2}/I_{CO}`$) decreases toward galactic nuclei, as seen in the Milky Way, and its variation results from the same physical processes that affect $``$. A modest increase in global gas temperatures easily accounts for the observed variation in $``$, as well as a decrease in $`X`$ of factors of 2–5, from disk to nucleus.

The FCRAO is operated through National Science Foundation grant AST 88-15406 and with the permission of the Metropolitan District Commission. This work was also supported in part by grant 211290-5-25875E from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología. The authors are grateful to M. Skrutski and the UMass Society of Physics Students for their support and help with recruiting interested young scientists. We also thank M. Belniak, N. Bouch, H. Cameron, N. Cartel, N. Durham, M. Gruol, S. Litchfield, J. Perry, S. Stephan, M. Thorn and R. White for their assistance with the observations. M. Richard and M. Goldstein thank the Five College Astronomy Department and the FCRAO for summer internships. T. Paglione gratefully acknowledges the generous hospitality of A. Lovell and D. Smith.   Table 1: Properties of Survey Galaxies and Maps.      Galaxy R.A. (2000) Decl. (2000) $`V_{LSR}`$a $`D`$ Map P.A. $`d^b`$ Map Sizec   h m s $`\mathrm{°}`$  ′′ (km s-1) (Mpc) (degrees) (kpc) (kpc)    NGC 253 00 47 35.1 $``$25 17 20string 230 03 54 0.7 09.3  NGC 1068 02 42 40.7 $``$00 00 48string 11500 0.14.4 90 3.2 20.1  IC 342 03 46 49.7 68 05 45 030 04 00 0.9 15.9  UGC 2855 03 48 22.6 70 07 57 12000 20 92 4.5 30.1  NGC 2146 06 18 37.6 78 21 19 920 14 1280 3.1 13.5  M82 09 55 54.0 69 40 57 250 000.3.25 65 00.72 08.4  NGC 3079 10 01 58.2 55 40 42 11500 20 1640 4.5 27.9  NGC 3184 10 18 17.2 41 25 26 590 13 1350 2.9 23.7  NGC 3556 11 11 31.8 55 40 14 700 10 80 2.2 15.0  NGC 3593 11 14 36.0 12 49 06 600 09 90 2.0 12.6  NGC 3627 11 20 14.4 12 59 42 740 .006.7 00 1.5 12.2  NGC 3628 11 20 16.2 13 35 22 850 .006.7 1030 1.5 15.1  NGC 4527 12 34 08.8 02 39 13 17700 15 67 3.3 20.9  NGC 4631 12 42 07.6 32 32 28 630 09 88 2.0 13.5  NGC 5055 13 15 49.2 42 02 06 500 07 1050 1.6 15.8  M51 13 29 53.2 47 11 48 450 .009.6 00 2.1 21.6  NGC 6946 20 34 51.8 60 09 15 050 10 45 2.2 22.5     aafootnotetext: Central position bbfootnotetext: Linear extent of 46′′ at distance $`D`$  ccfootnotetext: Full extent of map along major axis, sampled every $`22\stackrel{}{\mathrm{.}}14`$ with a 46′′ beam (FWHM).     Table 2: Variation of CO/13CO Intensity Ratio.      Galaxy $`I`$(CO)/$`I`$(13CO)a Ratiob   $`R<23^{\prime \prime }`$ $`R>23^{\prime \prime }`$ $`R<2`$ kpc $`R>2`$ kpc     NGC 253 11.9 $`\pm `$ 0.5 $`\pm `$ 3.4 8.8 $`\pm `$ 0.5 12.4 $`\pm `$ 0.5 6.9 $`\pm `$ 0.8 1.8 $`\pm `$ 0.2  NGC 1068 10.7 $`\pm `$ 0.6 $`\pm `$ 1.9 11.7 $`\pm `$ 1.2 10.4 $`\pm `$ 0.4 11.6 $`\pm `$ 1.1 0.9 $`\pm `$ 0.1  IC 342 8.4 $`\pm `$ 0.5 $`\pm `$ 1.6 7.1 $`\pm `$ 0.6 10.8 $`\pm `$ 0.8 6.4 $`\pm `$ 0.6 1.7 $`\pm `$ 0.2  UGC 2855 11.7 $`\pm `$ 1.7 $`\pm `$ 2.3 9.4 $`\pm `$ 1.7 11.7 $`\pm `$ 1.7 9.4 $`\pm `$ 1.7 1.2 $`\pm `$ 0.3  NGC 2146 14.9 $`\pm `$ 1.3 $`\pm `$ 8.6 28.1 $`\pm `$ 6.9 15.5 $`\pm `$ 1.1 22.8 $`\pm `$ 4.5 0.7 $`\pm `$ 0.1  M82 27.3 $`\pm `$ 1.0 $`\pm `$ 7.8 12.9 $`\pm `$ 0.5 20.9 $`\pm `$ 0.7 12.1 $`\pm `$ 6.9 1.7 $`\pm `$ 1.0  NGC 3079 15.3 $`\pm `$ 1.8 $`\pm `$ 5.1 10.1 $`\pm `$ 2.1 15.3 $`\pm `$ 1.8 10.1 $`\pm `$ 2.1 1.5 $`\pm `$ 0.4  NGC 3184 4.9 $`\pm `$ 1.2 $`\pm `$ 2.3 4.4 $`\pm `$ 0.8 5.6 $`\pm `$ 1.1 4.0 $`\pm `$ 0.6 1.4 $`\pm `$ 0.3  NGC 3556 8.7 $`\pm `$ 1.4 $`\pm `$ 5.6 6.8 $`\pm `$ 0.6 7.0 $`\pm `$ 0.8 6.9 $`\pm `$ 0.7 1.0 $`\pm `$ 0.2  NGC 3593 10.6 $`\pm `$ 2.2 $`\pm `$ 10 11.4 $`\pm `$ 3.2 16.8 $`\pm `$ 4.6 5.7 $`\pm `$ 2.3 2.9 $`\pm `$ 1.4  NGC 3627 11.2 $`\pm `$ 1.2 $`\pm `$ 5.7 17.4 $`\pm `$ 2.1 15.5 $`\pm `$ 1.6 17.8 $`\pm `$ 4.1 0.9 $`\pm `$ 0.2  NGC 3628 9.2 $`\pm `$ 0.4 $`\pm `$ 2.3 10.3 $`\pm `$ 0.6 9.7 $`\pm `$ 0.4 11.2 $`\pm `$ 1.1 0.9 $`\pm `$ 0.1  NGC 4527 6.1 $`\pm `$ 0.5 $`\pm `$ 1.4 6.9 $`\pm `$ 0.8 6.7 $`\pm `$ 0.9 6.7 $`\pm `$ 0.6 1.0 $`\pm `$ 0.2  NGC 4631 16.3 $`\pm `$ 2.4 $`\pm `$ 9.9 9.1 $`\pm `$ 0.7 13.1 $`\pm `$ 1.3 8.4 $`\pm `$ 0.9 1.6 $`\pm `$ 0.2  NGC 5055 5.7 $`\pm `$ 0.6 $`\pm `$ 3.1 8.2 $`\pm `$ 0.7 7.1 $`\pm `$ 0.6 9.2 $`\pm `$ 1.1 0.8 $`\pm `$ 0.1  M51 5.4 $`\pm `$ 0.4 $`\pm `$ 1.0 7.5 $`\pm `$ 0.6 6.4 $`\pm `$ 0.4 8.2 $`\pm `$ 0.9 0.8 $`\pm `$ 0.1  NGC 6946 17.0 $`\pm `$ 1.4 $`\pm `$ 6.6 10.4 $`\pm `$ 1.1 12.7 $`\pm `$ 1.0 9.8 $`\pm `$ 1.4 1.3 $`\pm `$ 0.2  Average 11.5 $`\pm `$ 0.3 $`\pm `$ 1.4 10.6 $`\pm `$ 0.5 11.6 $`\pm `$ 0.4 9.8 $`\pm `$ 0.6 1.3 $`\pm `$ 0.1     aafootnotetext: From weighted averages of data within or beyond noted radii. For the central position, the estimated systematic uncertainty is listed after the statistical uncertainty.  bbfootnotetext: Intensity ratio inside 2 kpc divided by that outside of 2 kpc. Uncertainty is based on the statistical uncertainty.     Table 3: Modeling Resultsa.      Galaxy $`M_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$(CO) $`M_{\mathrm{H}_2}`$(13CO) $`T_k`$ (K) $`X`$    $`T_k=10`$ K $`T_k=50`$ K $`R<2`$ kpc $`R>2`$ kpc $`R<2`$ kpc $`R>2`$ kpc    NGC 253 2.40 (0.04) 0.66 (0.03) 2.7 (0.1) 45 (2) 23 (3) 0.5$`{}_{}{}^{+0.4}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$ 2.5$`{}_{}{}^{+1.5}{}_{0.7}{}^{}`$  NGC 1068 2.16 (0.32) 0.75 (0.10) 3.0 (0.4) 37 (2) 42 (4) 0.7$`{}_{}{}^{+0.2}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$ 1.1$`{}_{}{}^{+0.4}{}_{0.3}{}^{}`$  IC 342 0.99 (0.16) 0.32 (0.03) 1.3 (0.1) 39 (3) 22 (2) 0.6$`{}_{}{}^{+0.3}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$ 2.8$`{}_{}{}^{+0.9}{}_{0.7}{}^{}`$  UGC 2855 0.87 (0.03) 0.25 (0.04) 1.0 (0.1) 42 (7) 33 (6) 0.6$`{}_{}{}^{+0.3}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$ 1.6$`{}_{}{}^{+0.5}{}_{0.4}{}^{}`$  NGC 2146 1.47 (0.29) 0.34 (0.09) 1.4 (0.4) 56 (4) 84 (17) 0.4$`{}_{}{}^{+1.0}{}_{0.3}{}^{}`$ 0.4$`{}_{}{}^{+1.1}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$  M82 2.83 (0.01) 0.46 (0.01) 1.9 (0.1) 77 (3) 44 (26) 0.3$`{}_{}{}^{+0.2}{}_{0.1}{}^{}`$ 1.1$`{}_{}{}^{+0.7}{}_{0.4}{}^{}`$  NGC 3079 1.87 (0.02) 0.42 (0.05) 1.7 (0.2) 56 (7) 36 (8) 0.4$`{}_{}{}^{+0.4}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$ 1.4$`{}_{}{}^{+1.1}{}_{0.5}{}^{}`$  NGC 3184 0.16 (0.01) 0.09 (0.02) 0.4 (0.1) 19 (4) 13 (2) 1.5$`{}_{}{}^{+2.9}{}_{0.7}{}^{}`$ 4.9$`{}_{}{}^{+8.5}{}_{1.8}{}^{}`$  NGC 3556 0.34 (0.01) 0.17 (0.02) 0.7 (0.1) 24 (3) 23 (3) 1.1$`{}_{}{}^{+5.0}{}_{0.6}{}^{}`$ 2.5$`{}_{}{}^{+8.7}{}_{1.3}{}^{}`$  NGC 3593 0.50 (0.04) 0.10 (0.03) 0.4 (0.1) 61 (17) 19 (9) $`>0.1`$ $`>1.2`$  NGC 3627 0.81 (0.01) 0.18 (0.02) 0.7 (0.1) 57 (6) 65 (15) 0.4$`{}_{}{}^{+0.7}{}_{0.3}{}^{}`$ 0.5$`{}_{}{}^{+1.2}{}_{0.2}{}^{}`$  NGC 3628 1.47 (0.02) 0.52 (0.02) 2.1 (0.1) 34 (2) 40 (4) 0.7$`{}_{}{}^{+0.5}{}_{0.3}{}^{}`$ 1.2$`{}_{}{}^{+0.6}{}_{0.4}{}^{}`$  NGC 4527 1.03 (0.10) 0.49 (0.12) 2.0 (0.5) 23 (3) 23 (2) 1.2$`{}_{}{}^{+0.8}{}_{0.4}{}^{}`$ 2.6$`{}_{}{}^{+1.2}{}_{0.7}{}^{}`$  NGC 4631 0.83 (0.02) 0.22 (0.02) 0.9 (0.1) 47 (5) 29 (3) 0.5$`{}_{}{}^{+2.0}{}_{0.3}{}^{}`$ 1.8$`{}_{}{}^{+7.1}{}_{1.0}{}^{}`$  NGC 5055 0.57 (0.02) 0.27 (0.02) 1.1 (0.1) 25 (2) 32 (4) 1.1$`{}_{}{}^{+2.5}{}_{0.5}{}^{}`$ 1.6$`{}_{}{}^{+3.0}{}_{0.8}{}^{}`$  M51 1.16 (0.02) 0.62 (0.04) 2.5 (0.2) 22 (2) 29 (4) 1.3$`{}_{}{}^{+0.7}{}_{0.4}{}^{}`$ 1.9$`{}_{}{}^{+0.7}{}_{0.4}{}^{}`$  NGC 6946 1.79 (0.03) 0.48 (0.04) 2.0 (0.1) 46 (4) 35 (5) 0.5$`{}_{}{}^{+0.5}{}_{0.3}{}^{}`$ 1.5$`{}_{}{}^{+1.5}{}_{0.6}{}^{}`$     aafootnotetext: Uncertainty given in parentheses.   footnotetext: Column 1: Galaxy    footnotetext: Column 2: Mass inside 2 kpc from standard conversion factor and $`I`$(CO) in $`10^9`$ $`M_{}`$    footnotetext: Columns 3 and 4: Mass inside 2 kpc from 13CO (eq. 3) for given $`T_k`$ in $`10^9`$ $`M_{}`$    footnotetext: Columns 5 and 6: $`T_k`$ from standard X-factor and column density estimated from 13CO (eq. 3)    footnotetext: Columns 7 and 8: X-factor from non-LTE calculations and $``$ (Table 2) in $`10^{20}`$ cm-2(K km s-1)-1


format: text

text:
# Phase Dependent Spectral Variability in 4U1907+09

## 1 Introduction

4U1907+09 was noted as a variable X-ray source during the early sky surveys with Uhuru (Giacconi et al., 1971), Ariel V (Seward et al., 1976), OSO-7 (Markert et al., 1978), and HEAO-1 (Schwartz et al., 1980). The latter allowed Schwartz et al. (1980) to identify the source with a heavily reddened $`m_v16.4`$ star having a broad $`H_\alpha `$ emission line, which they assumed was an OB supergiant. A large X-ray outburst observed by Ariel V during January 1980 indicated regular flux modulation on a time scale of days. Further analysis of all the Ariel V data revealed a period of 8.4 days (Marshall and Rickets, 1980). The folded period profile shows a large primary peak as well as a smaller secondary maximum $``$half a cycle later. Long term observations by Vela 5B seemed to indicate an additional quasi-periodicity at $`P41.6`$ days, which was proposed to be due to precession similar to that of Her X-1 (Priedhorsky and Terrell, 1984).

In 1983, Tenma observed 4U1907+09 for an entire 8 day cycle, which resulted in the discovery of double peaked 437.5 s pulsations (Makishima et al., 1984). Analysis of the pulse arrival times allowed an estimate of the orbital parameters to be made, which confirmed the 8.38 d period as the orbital period. A moderately eccentric ($`e0.22`$) orbit best fit the data, although a circular orbit also provided an adequate fit. Makishima et al. also determined a mass function of $`9M_{\mathrm{}}`$, confirming the massive nature of the companion. Further observations by EXOSAT (Cook and Page, 1987) implied a mean spin-down rate of $`0.23`$ s yr<sup>-1</sup>, a variable column density ($`1.55.7\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$), and slightly refined the Tenma orbital elements. The observed spectra were consistent with a hard power-law ($`\alpha 1.2`$) with variable low-energy cut-off. Balloon observations of 4U1907+09 in the 20-100 keV range and analysis of Einstein archival data are consistent with the EXOSAT spectral observations (Chitnis et al., 1993).

Ginga spectral studies suggested a cyclotron absorption feature at $`19`$ keV (Mihara, 1995; Makishima et al., 1999), which has been confirmed by a recent SAX observation (Cusumano et al., 1998), along with the discovery of the second harmonic at 39 keV, suggesting a surface magnetic field strength of $`2\times 10^{12}`$ Gauss. An iron emission line at $`6.4`$ keV was also detected, with an equivalent width of $`60`$ eV. A pulse period of $`439.5\pm 0.6`$ s is clearly seen in the Ginga data during most of the observations where the source had an average intensity of 15-20 mCrab. However 4U1907+09 also exhibited extended periods of weaker intensity ($``$3 mCrab) accompanied by a reduced pulsed fraction (Makishima et al., 1999).

Iye (1986) performed the first detailed spectroscopic studies of the companion star to 4U1907+09. He concluded, in contrast to the initial assumptions by Schwartz et al. (1980) that the spectral type of the companion was B2 III – Ve, and that the two X-ray flares seen in some orbits were due to the intersection, and subsequent accretion of material in an extended disk around the companion by the orbiting neutron star.

van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989) next undertook extensive spectroscopic studies to determine whether the companion to 4U1907+09 is an OB supergiant or a Be-star. They considered X-ray, optical and orbital data and suggested most of the measurements support the supergiant nature of the companion, including reddening and distance, $`H_\alpha `$ FWHM, and rotation velocity of the companion. In addition, the location of 4U1907+09 in the spin-period versus orbital-period diagram (Corbet, 1984) is inconsistent with the trend observed for most Be/X-ray pulsars, suggesting instead a wind-fed supergiant system. Since it is difficult to produce a phase-locked secondary flare from the wind of a supergiant star, van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989) suggested the secondary flare may be spurious in nature. There is one clear case of a wind-fed supergiant/X-ray pulsar system, GX 301-2, which has a tendency to flare twice per orbit for extended periods of time (Pravdo et al., 1995), but the cause of this is not well understood.

Recent observations of 4U1907+09 with RXTE showed highly variable flux with frequent drops to below the detection threshold (in’t Zand, Strohmayer and Baykal, 1997). There is no evidence for increased absorption during the drops in their data, suggesting the low flux levels are due to a low accretion rate. A possible flare that is consistent in phase with previously observed secondary flares was also seen in the RXTE data. The 2-30 keV RXTE spectrum is well fit by a cutoff power-law having a photon index $`\alpha 1.01.3`$ with a cutoff energy of 13.6 keV, and $`N_H`$ varying from $`19\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$, the lowest values occurring during the secondary flare. No evidence for line emission was found with $`60`$ eV upper limit on an iron line equivalent width.

By combining the RXTE data with the Tenma data, in’t Zand, Baykal, and Strohmayer (1998) obtained a slightly improved orbital fit. This allowed a good determination of the orbital period (8.3753 $`\pm 0.0003`$ days). However, the eccentricity is still not well determined, with a 68% confidence region of 0.14-0.38. They also reported the discovery of 18 s oscillations during a 1 hr flare, which may be the result of the beat frequency between the spin period and an accretion disk. In addition, the measured spin period $`P_s=440.341_{0.017}^{+0.012}`$ suggests the pulsar has been steadily spinning down since 1983, with $`\dot{P}_s=+0.225\mathrm{s}\mathrm{yr}^1`$.

In this paper we present timing and spectral analysis of four ASCA observations of 4U1907+09 and spectral analysis of an additional 9 RXTE observations, roughly equally spaced around the 8.4 day orbit. We also report on archival observations of this source with HEAO A-1 and the RXTE All Sky Monitor. We then compare these and all previous observations of 4U1907+09 to a model of accretion from a spherical wind coming from the companion.

## 2 Archival Observations

We have investigated archival HEAO A-1 scanning data on 4U1907+09. HEAO A-1 observed 4U1907+09 in a series of 32 s scans during 1978 April 7 – 14. The data show orbital behavior consistent with the Tenma/EXOSAT period with two peaks at orbital phases consistent with what was seen by Ariel V. The lightcurve from the A-1 observations is shown in Figure 1.

The RXTE All Sky Monitor has been observing this source since it began regular observations in February, 1996. We report here on $`1400`$ days of data (MJD 50136-51549). Errors on individual flux measurements are relatively large, making examinations on time scales of days unreliable. However, epoch folding of the light curve clearly shows the orbital modulation. In Figure 2 we show the average orbital light curve for the entire data set, with the orbital period and epoch $`T_{\pi /2}`$ from in’t Zand, Baykal, and Strohmayer (1998). The vertical lines represent the 68% confidence region of the time of periastron. There is evidence for a secondary flare at a phase of $`0.15`$. We also folded separately the light curves from the 3 energy channels (1.3-3.0 keV, 3.0-5.0 keV, and 5.0-12.1 keV) of the ASM and found evidence for the secondary flare at a consistent phase in each. A comparison of the first half of the data set to the second showed this is a fairly stable feature. The ratio of the flare to quiescent flux is difficult to estimate since there is known to be a positive flux bias in the ASM data. In the case of 4U1907+09 this bias is exacerbated by several nearby sources including GRS 1915+105 and W49B.

We have also performed a period search on the ASM data in order to search for other periodicities such as the proposed 41 day periodicity (Priedhorsky and Terrell, 1984). We binned the data into 20 phase bins and calculated $`\chi _\nu ^2`$ for a constant model averaging over phase, as recommended by Collura et al. (1989). As Figure 3 shows, the 8.375 day orbital period and several multiples of it are poorly fit by a constant model. Although not evident in the ASM data folding, five times the orbital period would correspond to 41.9 days which is consistent with the quasi-periodicity seen in the Vela 5B data by Priedhorsky and Terrell (1984) and interpreted as an additional, longer period. We find no evidence for a periodicity in the long-term light-curve of this system which is unrelated to the orbital period.

## 3 ASCA Observations

In August 1996, ASCA made four 10 ks observations of 4U1907+09, roughly equally spaced throughout the 8.4 d orbit. Observational parameters are listed in Table 1. Extraction regions of 6’ radius were used for the GIS detectors, while a 4’ radius was used for SIS0. A slightly smaller region was used for SIS1 ($`3.5^{}`$) since the source was nearer the edge of the chip. Since the source is in the galactic ridge a local estimate of the background is necessary. Therefore, source free regions of the detectors were used for extracting background light curves and spectra with a background rate of $`3\times 10^2\mathrm{cts}/\mathrm{s}`$ in each detector.

### 3.1 Temporal Analysis

The background subtracted GIS3 light curve for all 4 observations (Aobs1-4) is shown in Figure 4. Aobs1 consists of short flaring episodes with times of low flux in between where the count rate dropped by a factor of $`10`$, reminiscent of the “dipping” seen in the earlier RXTE observations (in’t Zand, Strohmayer and Baykal, 1997). Aobs2 and Aobs3 show the source in a very low state, a factor of $`50`$ below the average flux in Aobs4 and about a factor of $`4`$ below the low flux states in Aobs1. Since Aobs4 has the best statistics and is relatively constant on time scales longer than the pulse period, we used it to find the best pulse period of $`440.35\pm 0.06`$ sec (after correcting the arrival times for the orbital motion of the pulsar, assuming the orbital parameters of in’t Zand, Baykal, and Strohmayer (1998)) by epoch folding the light curve. We then folded each of the observations at this period and show these in Figure 5. The pulses seem to change shape and become weaker during the low states (Aobs2 and Aobs3).

### 3.2 Orbital Phase Spectroscopy

Using Xselect, spectra were extracted from each of the four detectors for each observation. These were analyzed using XSPEC and fit to an absorbed power law model, adding narrow ($`\sigma =0`$) Gaussian lines if they significantly improved the fit. Aobs2 and Aobs3 had very low statistics so the two GIS detectors were combined into one data set, as were the two from the SIS detectors. In order to use all available photons, SIS Bright mode data were used. The results are shown in Table 2. It can immediately be seen that the lower states (Aobs2 and Aobs3) show no evidence of increased absorption. The lowest absorption occurs during Aobs4, the brightest observation, and is a factor of 2 lower than the high absorption seen during Aobs1. The spectral slope changes by a small, but statistically significant, amount. Weak iron line emission is present during Aobs4 and may be present during the other observations, although the statistics were not good enough to give more than upper limits at the 90% confidence level.

In order to test whether the drops in flux during Aobs1 are due to an increase of column depth, we extracted spectra separately from the flaring and the low portions of the data set. As shown in Figure 6, there is no evidence of increased absorption during dips. In fact, there is evidence that the absorption column $`decreases`$ during the dips, although the statistics on the low flux are such that the data are barely consistent within the 90% multi-parameter confidence region. There is no evidence of a significant change in photon index. If we assume the photon index remains constant, the change in absorption column is $`2\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$. In the SIS data during the periods of low flux there appears to be an emission feature near 3.8 keV, which is evident in both SIS0 and SIS1, although not apparent in the GIS data. In the GIS data the fit could be significantly improved by an inclusion of a 0 width Gaussian line at 2.2 keV. This feature appears in several of the data sets, although since it is near the known bump in the response due to Gold in the telescopes, this feature should be viewed with caution.

During Aobs4 the source was only varying by a factor of 2 or so, mostly due to the pulsations, and had a fairly high count rate allowing tight constraints on $`N_H`$ and the photon index. The fits are significantly improved by the inclusion of an iron line at $`6.4`$ keV. The count rates were sufficiently high during this observation to extract spectra as a function of pulse phase using the best fit pulse period. There is no strong evidence for variability in $`N_H`$. A strong anti-correlation between photon index and intensity is evident which we show in Figure 7. There also seems to be a concentration of iron line emission in the pulse phase 0-0.1 spectrum. However, the uncertainties in the fit line strength at the other phases preclude a definitive measurement of line strength variability.

## 4 RXTE Observations

RXTE observed 4U1907+09 for a second series of observations during December 1996. A total of 9 observations (Robs1-9), each approximately 2 ksec in duration, were made spaced roughly one day apart in order to evenly sample the 8.4 day orbit. Data from the Standard2 observational mode were analyzed using FTOOLS 4.2. Combined spectra were extracted from all 5 PCUs (except obs1, which only had PCUs 0-3 on during the observation) and all layers. Model background spectra were then constructed using the background models provided by the RXTE Science Operations Facility, which take into account the particle induced background. However, they do not take into account the X-ray background from the galactic plane. To construct an accurate background model for 4U1907+09, it is necessary to take into account contributions from both the Galactic ridge and the nearby supernova remnant W49B. During two of the observations, Robs4 and Robs5, the source was in the “dip” state. The model background was subtracted from these observations, and their spectra were examined. The count rate of $`18`$cts/s is comparable to what is observed by RXTE for the diffuse emission from the Galactic ridge (Valinia and Marshall, 1998). We created a crude model of the Galactic ridge plus SNR W49B emission consisting of two thermal bremsstrahlung sources with fixed temperatures of $`1.8`$keV and $`10`$ keV, moderate ($`1.6\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$) absorption, and a $`6.7`$ keV gaussian lines with only the normalizations allowed to vary. These parameter values were taken from Koyama (1989) for this position in the galactic ridge and Smith et al. (1985) for W49B. This model adequately fit the data for Robs4 and Robs5 with normalizations that could reasonably be expected if the source had dropped to flux levels consistent with the low states seen in the ASCA data and the spectra were dominated by emission from the Galactic ridge and the nearby thermal supernova remnant. Therefore, these observations were used to make a background spectrum for use in spectral fits of the other observations in the following way. Using the background models available from the RXTE GOF, we generated background spectra for all 9 observations. These were directly subtracted from the observation spectra using the mathpha FTOOL to create the files to be used in the fitting. The background subtracted pha files of Robs4 and Robs5 were then added together to create a local X-ray background for 4U1907+09 which was used as the background file in XSPEC.

All the spectra from the remaining seven observations were modelled using an absorbed power-law with a high-energy cutoff in XSPEC. The data were fit in the energy range of 2.5 - 20 keV, and the results are listed in Table 4. The measured cut-offs are consistent with the broad-band spectral fits of Beppo-Sax (Cusumano et al., 1998). We also obtained the archival RXTE data from February 1996 first analyzed by in’t Zand, Strohmayer and Baykal (1997) to fit for average fluxes and absorption in the 2.5-10 keV band for inclusion in the modelling below.

## 5 Modelling of Orbital Spectral Variations

In Figure 8 we show measurements of nH as a function of orbital phase for spectral measurements from ASCA and RXTE (this work), EXOSAT (Cook and Page, 1987), Tenma (Makishima et al., 1984), and SAX (Cusumano et al., 1998). As a consistency check, we also plot the ASM hardness ratio of (5.0-12.1 keV cts/s)/(1.3-3.0 keV cts/s) as a function of phase (dotted line). Since the spectral slope does not vary greatly, we expect this hardness ratio to change mostly due to column depth. The vertical lines represent the 68% confidence region of the time of periastron. We see that the absorption begins to increase towards the end of the primary flare stays high until right before the secondary flare, where it drops again. In Figure 9 we plot the photon spectral index as a function of orbital phase. Small but significant changes are observed. In Figure 10 we plot the 2-10 keV flux measurements from these same observations versus orbital phase with the ASM lightcurve overplotted. The secondary flare is twice seen to be nearly as bright as the primary during these observations. One of the RXTE observations seen at an overlapping phase with the ASCA Aobs2 is still seen to be moderately bright ($`F_X10^{10}`$ ergs $`\mathrm{cm}^2`$ $`\mathrm{s}^1`$) although dipping activity is seen during the observation. Therefore, extended periods of low flux as seen in the ASCA Aobs2 and Aobs3 probably do not occur every orbit. In general there is a positive flux bias of $`0.1`$ cts/s in ASM data. However, in crowded regions of the Galactic plane, such as around 4U1907+09, there are likely to be further systematic biases. By comparing the folded ASM light curve to the observed multi-mission fluxes we estimate a positive flux bias of $`0.20.6`$ cts/s. We will assume a bias of $`0.3`$ for the analysis below.

In this section we model the primary flare and absorption as accretion from a spherical stellar wind with the addition of an absorbing gas stream. This model, first applied to Tenma observations of GX 301-2, is detailed in Leahy (1991). We first attempt to model the average ASM lightcurve and multi-mission absorption data as accretion from a simple spherical stellar wind with velocity profile:

$$v_{wind}=v_{\mathrm{}}(1R_c/r)^\beta $$

where $`v_{\mathrm{}}`$ is the terminal velocity, assumed to be 3 times the escape velocity, and $`R_c`$ is the radius of the companion. The Castor, Abbott, and Klein (1975) theoretical wind model has $`\beta =0.5`$, but observations of OB stars (Leitherer, 1988; Boroson et al., 1999) suggest that $`\beta 0.72`$ depending on spectral type. We assume $`\beta =1`$, consistent with the assumption of an OB supergiant. In the case of a lower mass Be-type star, models of the wind structure are more complex and uncertain. However, the velocity profile of the polar wind from a Be-star is similar to that of an OB supergiant (de Araújo, de Freitas Pacheco, and Petrini, 1994), and the profile of the equatorial wind probably has a similar functional form but lower terminal velocity. If the companion is a Be-star, it is likely that the spin axis is not aligned with the orbital axis (see discussion) and so emission dominated by accretion from the polar wind over much of the orbit may not be an unreasonable assumption.

We assume the orbital period $`P=8.3753`$d, longitude of periastron (i.e. the observer’s viewing angle) $`\omega =330\mathrm{deg}`$, and periastron phase of the best fit model from in’t Zand, Baykal, and Strohmayer (1998) and fit the ASM light curve for a range of inclination angles by adjusting the eccentricity and the parameter $`x=\dot{M}_{20}/d_3^2`$, where $`\dot{M}_{20}`$ is the mass loss rate in units of $`10^{20}\mathrm{grams}/\mathrm{sec}`$ and $`d_3`$ is the distance in units of 3 kpc. We choose as our canonical values $`i=47.9`$, which implies a companion mass $`M_c=24M_{}`$ given the mass function derived from the orbital fits assuming a neutron star mass of $`1.4M_{}`$, and $`i=75.7^{}`$ for a companion mass $`M_c=12M_{}`$ more in line with a Be-star.

For the companion radius we follow van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989) and assume $`R_c=31R_{}`$ for a $`24M_{}`$ star. However, a star of this radius would be larger than its Roche lobe at periastron, as defined in Brown and Boyle (1984), assuming the best fit eccentricity of $`e=0.28`$ (in’t Zand, Baykal, and Strohmayer, 1998), a rotational velocity $`v_{sini}=90`$ km/s (van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel, 1989), and alignment of the rotational and orbital axes. In Figure 11 we plot the Roche lobe radius as a function of companion mass as well as the limits on radius inferred from the lack of eclipses. All supergiant companions would greatly overflow their Roche lobes and would have to be excluded if we assume this as a radius limit. However, a non-rotating (or non-aligned) star has a greater Roche lobe radius, as would a system where the eccentricity is less. For the $`12M_{}`$ star, we use the Iye (1986) value of $`R_c=6R_{}`$ for a Be-star companion. For intermediate inclinations and masses, the apropriate radius is dependent on spectral type. For supergiants, the radius actually increases with decreased mass, which would exacerbate the Roche lobe problem. However, a type Ib, III, or V are all smaller than our canonical Ia supergiant star. In Figure 11 we plot radii for a number of early B stars (Underhill and Doazan, 1982). A linearly interpolation between our two canonical stars seems to provide a reasonable mass-radius relationship for modelling purposes.

In Figure 12 we show the range of model curves compared to the ASM light curve. To fit the higher mass companion to the shape of the primary flare an eccentricity $`e0.14`$ is required (which would also allow the star to underfill its Roche lobe at periastron). For the lower mass companion the best fit to the observed primary flare peak is $`e=0.26`$, more in line with the best fit eccentricity from the pulse arrival analysis. In no case can a secondary flare be produced from this model.

This luminosity model implies a varying absorption as a function of orbital phase, with the overall normalization being only a function of $`\dot{M}`$. Using the parameters given above and an assumed interstellar absorption of $`nH=1.5\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$, we find that $`\dot{M}_{20}=11.5`$ best fit the absorption data over our range of inclination angles. This is somewhat low for a B supergiant, but quite high for a Be-star (de Araújo, de Freitas Pacheco, and Petrini, 1994). In order to improve the fit, we also vary the the longitude of periastron since that is poorly constrained by the pulse arrival time analysis of in’t Zand, Baykal, and Strohmayer (1998). In Figure 13 we plot the results compared to the multi-mission data. Neither the phase or the amplitude of the large increase in absorption after periastron can be produced from this simple spherical wind model.

We can use the $`\dot{M}`$ from the absorption fits and the parameter $`x`$ from the luminosity model to estimate distances to the system. For the $`24M_{}`$ model, we derive a distance $`d4.3`$ kpc, while for the $`16M_{}`$ and $`12M_{}`$ models, we derive $`d1.0`$ kpc and $`d0.4`$ kpc respectively. The first is in line with the distance estimates of 5.9 to 2.4 kpc for a supergiant companion from van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989), and the latter are consistent with their estimates of 1.5 to 0.6 kpc for a giant. Note that the minimum measured $`nH1.5\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$ means the assumed interstellar component of the absorption is an upper limit. Thus the derived values of $`\dot{M}`$, and hence the inferred distances, should be considered lower limits.

To fit the post-periastron absorption, we added a linear trailing gas stream to the above model (see Leahy (1991) for details). Such a stream can be interpreted as arising from the wake caused by the passage of the neutron star through the wind, or from an accretion stream coming from the companion (although this latter interpretation would require modification of the luminosity model). The stream is modelled as a density enhancement with a gaussian profile perpendicular to the stream line, an exponential cutoff on the front side and no cutoff in the downstream direction. The total contribution to the absorption is then obtained by integrating along the line of site. For a given orbital phase, longitude of periastron, and orbital inclination , the amplitude of the absorption enhancement of the trailing gas stream is completely determined by the product $`n_o\sigma 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$, where $`n_o`$ is the central density and $`\sigma `$ the gaussian width. The additional absorption due to the stream is shown in the top of Figure 14. The phase of the absorption peak is somewhat earlier than indicated by the data, so we also tried offsetting the stream line towards the companion star by angles of $`20^{}`$ and $`40^{}`$. The bottom panel of Figure 14 shows how the combined wind plus stream model compares to the absorption data for the various cases. We find that an adequate fit can be obtained with the larger inclination angles and an offset stream. A downstream cutoff of the stream would tend to broaden the peak somewhat, which might further improve the fit.

## 6 Discussion

If the eccentricity of $`e0.2`$ of the best fit orbital parameters from pulse arrival time analyses is correct, the primary flare seen in the overall light curve can be fit using a model of accretion from a spherical wind off of a star of mass $`M_c16M_{}`$. However, the absorption measurements and the persistence of the secondary flare require modifications to this model. We have shown that a trailing accretion stream moderately offset towards the companion can account for the extra absorption component, although not the secondary flare. Such an offset stream may be indicated by the high resolution two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of Benensohn, Lamb, and Taam (1991). The “flip-flop” instability seen in their simulations modifies the direction of the downstream flow so that it switches back and forth resulting in a wake that could be characterized by two offset streams, one of which could provide the enhanced absorption seen in the data (see Fig. 2 of Benensohn, Lamb, and Taam (1991)). This instability can in principle also explain the “dipping” or “flaring” behavior seen in Aobs1 and in the RXTE observations of in’t Zand, Strohmayer and Baykal (1997), and may even be compatible with a drop in absorption during low accretion phases. However, this instability may just be an artifact of two-dimensional simulations, and whether similar affects occur in a three-dimensional flow is an open question. Recent 3D simulations by Ruffert (1999) do exhibit active unstable phases, although the changes in accretion rate tend to be smaller and the downstream density profile is unclear.

The spherical wind accretion models favor a high inclination angle, implying a companion mass more in line with a Be-star than a supergiant. In addition, if the companion mass is high, the models imply an eccentricity near the low end of the acceptable range. This lower eccentricity is also required to keep a massive supergiant from greatly overflowing its Roche lobe near periastron. Even with a smaller eccentricity, it is likely that periodic Roche lobe overflow (Brown and Boyle, 1984) or tidal stripping (Layton et al., 1997) would be the dominant mass transfer mechanism. In this case, the observed accretion rate and orbital variation may be somewhat low, unless long-term storage of material by an accretion disk could keep the accretion rate low except for occasional large outbursts like the one seen by Ariel V in 1980 (Marshall and Rickets, 1980). If the best fit eccentricity value of $`e0.28`$ is correct, it would seem to exclude the accretion from a supergiant wind model. This suggests that an alternative model of the accretion perhaps should be considered. One persistent possibility is an equatorially enhanced wind with the neutron star in an inclined orbit, as suggested by Iye(1986). In this case, the neutron star passes behind an extended matter disk around the companion after periastron and comes back through after apastron. While tidal forces would tend to align the neutron star orbital axis with that of the companion’s spin axis, the timescale for this is similar to the circularization timescale, and accretion processes might counteract the tidal forces somewhat (Matese and Whitmire, 1983). Given that the orbit is eccentric, we do not view a somewhat inclined orbital axis as being unreasonable.

In the equatorially enhanced wind scenario, the flares are fed by matter gathered by the neutron star as it passes through the matter envelope. If the outflow speed is somewhat slower near the equator, the size of this envelope might be limited by the neutron star’s orbit. Such truncation is indicated from studies of the H$`\alpha `$ emission line in several Be/X-ray binary systems (Zamanov et al., 2000). The matter is depleted by the periastron passage of the neutron star, so significantly less material is available further out at the apastron radius. If sufficiently depleted, there may be no secondary flare at all. Hence we get an intermittent but phase locked secondary flare.

The major difficulty to this picture is the “virtually certain” classification of the companion as a supergiant by van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989). This is based on a collection of observed properties of the system, with some favoring a Be-star, and some favoring a supergiant. Two factors seem to greatly favor the supergiant interpretation. First is the color excess $`E_{BV}=3.4\pm 0.2`$, which is quite high for the inferred distance of $`1.5`$ kpc of a Be-star. However, the variation in absorption column with orbital phase suggests that much of this could be local. Indeed, the average excess determined from interstellar absorption lines is only $`E_{BV}=2.4\pm 0.5`$ or $`E_{BV}=2.7\pm 0.6`$, depending on which coefficients for the ratio of equivalent width to color excess used (van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel, 1989). These lower values are more in line with the inferred interstellar X-ray absorption of $`nH1.5\times 10^{22}\mathrm{cm}^2`$. The independent distance estimate van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989) obtain from the interstellar sodium lines of $`d=2.1\pm 0.6`$ is between the supergiant and Be-star distances, and consistent with both given the error.

The second factor strongly favoring the supergiant interpretation is the large FWHM$``$700 km/s of the H$`\alpha `$ line combined with the relatively low projected rotational velocity $`v_{sini}90`$kms. While neither value is exceptionally unusual for a Be-star, the combination is (Dachs et al., 1986). The inclination angle suggested by the observed projected rotational velocity is $`i15^{}`$ assuming typical Be-star rotational velocities, as opposed to the inferred orbital inclination $`i60^{}75^{}`$ of the neutron star with a giant or main sequence star companion, consistent with the inclined orbit scenario. However, the large value of the FWHM suggests the outflowing disk is seen nearly edge on. The circumstellar envelope can and would be affected by the neutron star, as evidenced by the large-scale perturbations observed in the $`H\alpha `$ profiles of several Be/X-ray binaries (Negueruela et al., 1998). Since the orbital period of 4U1907+09 is shorter than any of the known Be/X-ray binaries (except A0538-66, which is not well observed), it would be expected to have a much greater perturbing effect. It is interesting to note that the projected orbital velocity of a particle in the orbital plane near the Roche lobe radius of a lower mass star in 4U1907+09 is roughly half the observed H$`\alpha `$ FWHM. If the gravitational attraction of the neutron star could warp the equatorial outflow of the companion such that it would be nearly co-planar to the neutron star orbit at the Roche lobe radius, the observed FWHM might result. Hydrodynamical simulations should be able to determine if such a scenario is feasible.

The relatively long periods of low accretion rate seen in Aobs2 and Aobs3 are somewhat puzzling. Inhomogeneities in the wind from the companion could possibly account for these variations, although the apparent duration of several days during the ASCA observations would argue against this. If the accretion is modified by a transient accretion disk, instabilities in the accretion disk could account for both the sudden changes in accretion rate seen in Aobs1 and the longer periods of quiescence seen in Aobs2 and Aobs3. The consistent spin-up of the neutron star and the 18 sec. oscillations seen by RXTE (in’t Zand, Strohmayer and Baykal, 1997) argue for the existence of an accretion disk. The on-off behavior seen by both RXTE and ASCA are suggestive of magnetically inhibited accretion from a disk whose inner edge is near the corotation radius. The residual emission during the off periods may then be a result of accretion on to the magnetosphere or a bow shock. However, the slow spin period and correspondingly large corotation radius makes this unlikely.

## 7 Comparison with GX301-2

4U1907+09 is similar in many respects to the wind fed Supergiant/X-ray pulsar binary system GX301-2. Both have eccentric orbits and occupy a similar location on the spin-period versus orbital-period diagram (Corbet, 1986) (for GX 301-2, $`e0.47,P_{spin}680\mathrm{s},P_{orb}41.5\mathrm{d}`$, Koh et al. (1997)). The absorption profile and primary orbital flux peak of both systems have been successfully fit by a spherical wind plus gas stream model (Leahy, 1991). GX 301-2 also has extended periods where there is a secondary orbital flare at a consistent phase that cannot be fit by wind models. An equatorialy enhanced outflow has also been suggested for this system and models of such an outflow can grossly fit the orbital light curve (Koh et al., 1997). Both systems have companions with similar temperatures (spectral type B2) and projected rotational velocities ($`v\mathrm{sin}i70`$ for GX 301-2, Parkes et al. (1980)).

However, the companion star of GX 301-2, Wray 977, is unambiguously identified as a supergiant by the strength of various lines in the blue portion of the spectrum (Parkes et al., 1980). The observations of Iye (1986) and van Kerkwijk, van Oijen, and van den Heuvel (1989) did not extend into the blue portion of the spectrum, so such diagnostics are not available for 4U 1907+09. The H$`\beta `$ emission line of Wray 977 has a P-Cygni profile (Parkes et al., 1980), clear evidence of an expanding atmosphere. No such profiles have been seen in 4U 1907+09.

The local absorption column and iron line equivalent width of the X-ray spectrum of GX 301-2 are both more than an order of magnitude stronger than in 4U1907+09. This implies the mass loss from Wray 977 is much greater than from the companion of 4U1907+09, despite the similarity in the proposed spectral classes. While enhanced mass loss in these systems could be expected due to gravitational interaction with a neutron star, the orbit of GX 301-2 is significantly wider, and there is no question that the companion remains inside its Roche lobe (although at periastron it can come close, Leahy (1991)). If both were supergiants, the naive expectation would be greater mass loss from the companion of 4U1907+09 due to transient Roche lobe overflow (Brown and Boyle, 1984) or tidal stripping Layton et al. (1997).

The changes in spectral index with pulse phase of both systems show a softening of the spectrum near the pulse minimum in the 1-10 keV band (Saraswat et al., 1996; Leahy and Matsuoka, 1990). The iron line equivalent width in GX 301-2 varies with pulse phase as well, with a peak near the pulse minimum. The possible iron line enhancement near the pulse minimum in the 4U1907+09 ASCA data, if real, would be consistent. These similarities in the phase-resolved spectra suggest the accretion columns are similar. This is not surprising, since the spin periods and surface magnetic field strengths (as inferred from their cyclotron absorption lines) are similar.

## 8 Conclusions

Observations of the variation of the spectra of 4U1907+07 with orbital phase are consistent with a simple spherical wind accreting onto the neutron star from an OB supergiant companion with excess absorption caused by a trailing accretion wake. However, the implied inclination angle for such a model suggests a relatively low mass ($`16M_{}`$) for the companion. The excess of absorption column seen after periastron might also be interpreted as the neutron star passing through an equatorially enhanced matter envelope in an inclined orbit. Observations of the secondary flare near apastron by RXTE and HEAO A-1, as well as the average orbital light curve from the RXTE ASM, further support the hypothesis that this flaring has been occurring at a consistent phase but with variable amplitude for 20 years. The measurements of the low states by ASCA suggest that the accretion rate can change by 1-2 orders of magnitude over a short time period, perhaps due to a transient accretion disk. The most critical components to a better understanding of this system are more secure measurements of the orbital eccentricity and periastron phase and improved optical measurements of the companion. A high resolution optical spectrum at shorter wavelengths and orbital radial velocity measurements could unambiguously determine the companion type.

We thank J. G. Jernigan for useful discussions as to the nature of the companion star in this system and the anonymous referee for pointing out the importance of the Roche lobe radius. All Sky Monitor results were provided by the ASM/RXTE teams at MIT and at the RXTE SOF and GOF at NASA’s GSFC. This work was supported in part by NASA Guest Observer grants NAG 5-2948 and NAG 5-3332.