THE INFRARED COUNTERPART OF GX-13+1

We have discovered a bright (K = 12) infrared source which is likely the counterpart to the bright galactic bulge x-ray source GX 13 + 1. Observations with the MMT infrared photometer and the Rochester infrared Array camera at the IRTF allow determination of the source position to approximately 0.7 arcsec, allow the infrared colors to be measured, and shows no variability on a 1 yr timescale. We consider four possible sources for the infrared emission, and conclude that it is most likely due to a K giant secondary. Future observations should allow more definite discrimination between the various possibilities. The discovery of a late-type giant secondary in GX 13 + 1 is contrary to the expectation that low-mass x-ray binaries (LMXB) which show quasiperiodic oscillations (QPO) have giant companions, while those which do not show QPO (like GX 13 + 1) have dwarf secondaries. The relation between the size of the scattered x-ray halo and the A(V) inferred from the infrared observations is compared to that found in other x-ray sources.