scholarly journals Accretion disc atmospheres and winds in low-mass X-ray binaries

2016 ◽  
Vol 337 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 368-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Díaz Trigo ◽  
L. Boirin
Keyword(s):  
Accretion Disc ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries

scholarly journals Alignment and precession of a black hole misaligned with its accretion disc: application to low-mass X-ray binaries

2019 ◽  
Vol 487 (3) ◽  
pp. 3488-3504
Author(s):  
Srimanta Banerjee ◽  
Chandrachur Chakraborty ◽  
Sudip Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Accretion Disc ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries

scholarly journals A Strong Variation of Accretion Disc Corona Size with Luminosity in LMXB

2004 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 140-143
Author(s):  
M. J. Church
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Emission ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Accretion Disc ◽  
Spectral Form ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Radial Extent ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Rule Out ◽  
The Continuum

AbstractThe controversy that has existed for many years over the nature of the continuum X-ray emission components in X-ray binaries is reviewed, in which workers have been polarized between the Eastern model with a small central Comptonizing region around the compact object and alternative models. We present measurements of the radial extent of the Comptonizing ADC in low mass X-ray binaries which rule out the Eastern model and show that, the ADC is extended (the Birmingham model). Dip ingress timing shows conclusively that the ADC radial extent varies from 7% of the accretion disc radius in faint sources, to 65% in bright sources. Remarkably, the size depends strongly on the source luminosity suggesting that the ADC is formed by irradiation of the disc by the neutron star and the hot inner disc. These results have fundamental implications for the correct description of Comptonization in X-ray binaries, and the spectral form is derived for the Comptonized emission of an extended ADC led by soft, seed photons from the underlying disc which differs substantially from that of the Eastern model. Measured ADC electron températures provide values of the Compton radius in broad agreement with measured values of the radial extent of the ADC. Finally, we show that the results are inconsistent with the non-thermal emission being produced in a jet, and so provide evidence against the recent suggestion that all LMXB have jets.

scholarly journals Modelling the disc atmosphere of the low mass X-ray binary EXO 0748-676

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A129 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Psaradaki ◽  
E. Costantini ◽  
M. Mehdipour ◽  
M. Díaz Trigo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Structure ◽  
Accretion Disc ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Opening Angle ◽  
X Ray ◽  
High Ionization ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Large Opening ◽  
The Impact ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Low mass X-ray binaries exhibit ionized emission from an extended disc atmosphere that surrounds the accretion disc. However, the atmosphere’s nature and geometry is still unclear. In this work we present a spectral analysis of the extended atmosphere of EXO 0748-676 using high-resolution spectra from archival XMM-Newton observations. We model the spectrum that is obtained during the eclipses. This enables us to model the emission lines that come only from the extended atmosphere of the source, and study its physical structure and properties. The RGS spectrum reveals a series of emission lines consistent with transitions of OVIII, OVII, NeIX and NVII. We perform both Gaussian line fitting and photoionization modelling. Our results suggest that there are two photoionization gas components that are out of pressure equilibrium with respect to each other. One has an ionization parameter of log ξ ∼ 2.5 and a large opening angle, and one has log ξ ∼ 1.3. The second component possibly covers a smaller fraction of the source. From the density diagnostics of the OVII triplet using photoionization modelling, we detect a rather high density plasma of > 1013 cm−3 for the lower ionization component. This latter component also displays an inflow velocity. We propose a scenario where the high ionization component constitutes an extended upper atmosphere of the accretion disc. The lower ionization component may instead be a clumpy gas created from the impact of the accretion stream with the disc.

Iron K-Line Emission from X-Ray Binaries

1988 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 47-50
Author(s):  
K. Masai ◽  
S. Hayakawa ◽  
F. Nagase
Keyword(s):  
Accretion Disk ◽  
Radiative Recombination ◽  
Characteristic Temperature ◽  
Line Emission ◽  
Ionization Front ◽  
Continuum Radiation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries

AbstractEmission mechanisms of the iron Kα-lines in X-ray binaries are discussed in relation with the characteristic temperature Txof continuum radiation thereof. The 6.7 keV line is ascribed to radiative recombination followed by cascades in a corona of ∼ 100 eV formed above the accretion disk. This mechanism is attained for Tx≲ 10 keV as observed for low mass X-ray binaries. The 6.4 keV line observed for binary X-ray pulsars with Tx> 10 keV is likely due to fluorescence outside the He II ionization front.

scholarly journals QPOs in compact binaries from small scale eruptions in an inner magnetized disk

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Scepi ◽  
Mitchell C Begelman ◽  
Jason Dexter
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Heating ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Type B ◽  
Periodic Oscillations ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Compact Binaries ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Standard Disk

Abstract Dwarf novæ (DNe) and low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are compact binaries showing variability on time scales from years to less than seconds. Here, we focus on explaining part of the rapid fluctuations in DNe, following the framework of recent studies on the monthly eruptions of DNe that use a hybrid disk composed of an outer standard disk and an inner magnetized disk. We show that the ionization instability, that is responsible for the monthly eruptions of DNe, is also able to operate in the inner magnetized disk. Given the low density and the fast accretion time scale of the inner magnetized disk, the ionization instability generates small, rapid heating and cooling fronts propagating back and forth in the inner disk. This leads to quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) with a period of the order of 1000 s. A strong prediction of our model is that these QPOs can only develop in quiescence or at the beginning/end of an outburst. We propose that these rapid fluctuations might explain a subclass of already observed QPOs in DNe as well as a, still to observe, subclass of QPOs in LMXBs. We also extrapolate to the possibility that the radiation pressure instability might be related to Type B QPOs in LMXBs.

scholarly journals Drifts of the marginally stable burning frequency in the X-ray binaries 4U 1608–52 and Aql X–1

2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (2) ◽  
pp. 1856-1863
Author(s):  
G C Mancuso ◽  
D Altamirano ◽  
M Méndez ◽  
M Lyu ◽  
J A Combi
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Drift ◽  
Soft Or ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Intermediate States ◽  
Source State ◽  
Nuclear Burning ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Stable Burning

ABSTRACT We detect millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations (mHz QPOs) using the Rossi X-ray Time Explorer (RXTE) from the atoll neutron-star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries 4U 1608–52 and Aql X–1. From the analysis of all RXTE observations of 4U 1608–52 and Aql X–1, we find mHz QPOs with a significance level >3σ in 49 and 47 observations, respectively. The QPO frequency is constrained between ∼4.2 and 13.4 mHz. These types of mHz QPOs have been interpreted as being the result of marginally stable nuclear burning of He on the NS surface. We also report the discovery of a downward frequency drift in three observations of 4U 1608–52, making it the third source that shows this behaviour. We only find strong evidence of frequency drift in one occasion in Aql X–1, probably because the observations were too short to measure a significant drift. Finally, the mHz QPOs are mainly detected when both sources are in the soft or intermediate states; the cases that show frequency drift only occur when the sources are in intermediate states. Our results are consistent with the phenomenology observed for the NS systems 4U 1636–53 and EXO 0748–676, suggesting that all four sources can reach the conditions for marginally stable burning of He on the NS surface. These conditions depend on the source state in the same manner in all four systems.

scholarly journals Search for intermittent X-ray pulsations from neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunus Emre Bahar ◽  
Manoneeta Chakraborty ◽  
Ersin Göğüş
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Stars ◽  
Orbital Period ◽  
Oscillation Frequency ◽  
Orbital Motion ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Corrected Data ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Abstract We present the results of our extensive binary orbital motion corrected pulsation search for 13 low-mass X-ray binaries. These selected sources exhibit burst oscillations in X-rays with frequencies ranging from 45 to 1 122 Hz and have a binary orbital period varying from 2.1 to 18.9 h. We first determined episodes that contain weak pulsations around the burst oscillation frequency by searching all archival Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data of these sources. Then, we applied Doppler corrections to these pulsation episodes to discard the smearing effect of the binary orbital motion and searched for recovered pulsations at the second stage. Here we report 75 pulsation episodes that contain weak but coherent pulsations around the burst oscillation frequency. Furthermore, we report eight new episodes that show relatively strong pulsations in the binary orbital motion corrected data.

4U 1608–52 as a quasi-persistent X-ray source

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtěch Šimon
Keyword(s):  
Accretion Disk ◽  
Time Segment ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Band Emission ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Soft State ◽  
Cyclic Variations ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries ◽  
Disk Region

Abstract 4U 1608–52 is a soft X-ray transient. The analysis presented here of a particular part of its X-ray activity uses observations of RXTE/ASM and Swift/BAT. We show a time segment (MJD 54262–MJD 55090) (828 d) in which 4U 1608–52 behaved as a quasi-persistent X-ray source with a series of bumps, with a complicated relation between the evolution of fluxes in the soft (1.5–12 keV) and the hard (15–50 keV) X-ray regions. We ascribe these bumps to a series of propagations of heating and cooling fronts over the inner disk region without any transitions to the true quiescence. 4U 1608–52 oscillated around the boundary between the dominance of the Comptonized component and the dominance of the multicolor accretion disk in its luminosity. Only some of the bumps in this series were accompanied by a transition from the hard to the soft state; if it occurred, it displayed a strong hysteresis effect. The hard-band emission with the dominant Comptonized component was present for most of this active state and showed a cycle of about 40 d. We argue that the cyclic variations of flux come from the inner disk region, not, e.g., from a jet. We also discuss the observed behavior of 4U 1608–52 in the context of other quasi-persistent low-mass X-ray binaries.

scholarly journals A Machine Learning Approach For Classifying Low-mass X-ray Binaries Based On Their Compact Object Nature

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Pattnaik ◽  
K Sharma ◽  
K Alabarta ◽  
D Altamirano ◽  
M Chakraborty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Average Accuracy ◽  
Machine Learning Approach ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Abstract Low Mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are binary systems where one of the components is either a black hole or a neutron star and the other is a less massive star. It is challenging to unambiguously determine whether a LMXB hosts a black hole or a neutron star. In the last few decades, multiple observational works have tried, with different levels of success, to address this problem. In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning to tackle this observational challenge. We train a random forest classifier to identify the type of compact object using the energy spectrum in the energy range 5-25 keV obtained from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer archive. We report an average accuracy of 87±13% in classifying the spectra of LMXB sources. We further use the trained model for predicting the classes for LMXB systems with unknown or ambiguous classification. With the ever-increasing volume of astronomical data in the X-ray domain from present and upcoming missions (e.g., SWIFT, XMM-Newton, XARM, ATHENA, NICER), such methods can be extremely useful for faster and robust classification of X-ray sources and can also be deployed as part of the data reduction pipeline.

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