scholarly journals Recycled Pulsars and Low Mass X-Ray Binaries

1992 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 209-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Bisnovatyi-Kogan

AbstractA magnetized neutron star may appear as a radio pulsar or an X-ray source. The latter is connected with a binary system where accretion from a normal star onto the neutron star produces X-ray emission. At the end of the evolution of a normal non-massive star, accretion stops and the neutron star becomes a recycled radio pulsar. Further evolution may lead to an additional transition from a radio pulsar to a low mass X-ray binary (LMXB). The formation of a single recycled pulsar is considered and a new mechanism of “enhanced evaporation” in globular clusters is analyzed.

Author(s):  
R Pattnaik ◽  
K Sharma ◽  
K Alabarta ◽  
D Altamirano ◽  
M Chakraborty ◽  
...  

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (S351) ◽  
pp. 367-376
Author(s):  
Maureen van den Berg

AbstractThe features and make up of the population of X-ray sources in Galactic star clusters reflect the properties of the underlying stellar environment. Cluster age, mass, stellar encounter rate, binary frequency, metallicity, and maybe other properties as well, determine to what extent we can expect a contribution to the cluster X-ray emission from low-mass X-ray binaries, millisecond pulsars, cataclysmic variables, and magnetically active binaries. Sensitive X-ray observations withXMM-Newton and certainlyChandra have yielded new insights into the nature of individual sources and the effects of dynamical encounters. They have also provided a new perspective on the collective X-ray properties of clusters, in which the X-ray emissivities of globular clusters and old open clusters can be compared to each other and to those of other environments. I will review our current understanding of cluster X-ray sources, focusing on star clusters older than about 1 Gyr, illustrated with recent results.


1987 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 199-199
Author(s):  
J. Shaham ◽  
M. Tavani

Spectral observations of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) show that the soft component usually dominates over the hard one. These results provide additional support to an interpretation based on models of LMXBs in which the neutron star while, on the average, spinning up, is also experiencing a spinning down torque. Under these conditions, a fraction of the luminosity associated with the gravitational release of energy on the surface of the accreting neutron star may manifest itself as luminosity originating in the inner part of the accretion disk. It is probably possible to separate the two contributions; the stellar luminosity can be associated with the hard component of the spectrum and the disk luminosity, related to the exchange of energy due to the torque between the rapidly spinning neutron star and the accretion disk, can be associated with the soft spectral component.


1996 ◽  
Vol 158 ◽  
pp. 371-374
Author(s):  
R. E. Spencer

Some of the most astrophysically interesting objects are found among the radio-emitting X-ray binary stars (REXRB). The class includes the well-studied objects such as SS 433, Cyg X-3 and Sco X-1. The recent discoveries of relativistic ejection of radio knots in the X-ray transients 1915+105 (Mirabel & Rodriguez 1994) and 1655–40 (Hjellming & Rupen 1995) well illustrate the extreme nature of some of these objects.X-ray binaries are semi-detached binary stars in which matter is transfered from a more or less normal star onto a neutron star or black hole. X-ray satellites have detected large numbers of these objects (193 in a recent catalogue by van Paradijs 1995). However only a small fraction of these are known to have radio emission (e.g. Hjellming 1988).


1998 ◽  
Vol 501 (1) ◽  
pp. L95-L99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Psaltis ◽  
Mariano Méndez ◽  
Rudy Wijnands ◽  
Jeroen Homan ◽  
Peter G. Jonker ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (3) ◽  
pp. 3245-3250
Author(s):  
P Chris Fragile

ABSTRACT Across black hole (BH) and neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), there appears to be some correlation between certain high- and low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). In a previous paper, we showed that for BH LMXBs, this could be explained by the simultaneous oscillation and precession of a hot, thick, torus-like corona. In the current work, we extend this idea to NS LMXBs by associating the horizontal branch oscillations (HBOs) with precession and the upper-kiloHertz (ukHz) QPO with vertical epicyclic motion. For the Atoll source 4U 1608-52, the model can match many distinct, simultaneous observations of the HBO and ukHz QPO by varying the inner and outer radius of the torus, while maintaining fixed values for the mass (MNS) and spin (a*) of the NS. The best-fitting values are MNS = 1.38 ± 0.03 M⊙ and a* = 0.325 ± 0.005. By combining these constraints with the measured spin frequency, we are able to obtain an estimate for the moment of inertia of INS = 1.40 ± 0.02 × 1045 g cm2, which places constraints on the equation of state. The model is unable to fit the lower-kHz QPO, but evidence suggests that QPO may be associated with the boundary layer between the accretion flow and the NS surface, which is not treated in this work.


1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-253
Author(s):  
Jianke Li ◽  
Dayal T. Wickramasinghe

AbstractX-ray binaries in which the accreting component is a neutron star commonly exhibit significant changes in their spin. In the system Cen X-3, a disk accreting binary system, the pulsar was observed to spin up at a rate ḟ = 8 × 10−13 Hz s−1 when averaged over the past twenty years, but significant fluctuations were observed above this mean. Recent BASTE observations have disclosed that these fluctuations are much larger than previously noted, and appeared to be a system characteristic. The change in the spin state from spin-up to spin-down or vice-versa occurs on a time scale that is much shorter than the instrument can resolve (≤1 d), but appears always to be a similar amplitude, and to occur stochastically. These observations have posed a problem for the conventional torque–mass accretion relation for accreting pulsars, because in this model the spin rate is closely related to the accretion rate, and the latter needs to be finely tuned and to change abruptly to explain the observations. Here we review recent work in this direction and present a coherent picture that explains these observations. We also draw attention to some outstanding problems for future studies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document