scholarly journals Effect of Compact Objects Near Be Stars

1987 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 516-518
Author(s):  
Krishna M.V. Apparao ◽  
S.P. Tarafdar
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Rotation Period ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Compact Objects ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Be Stars ◽  
Eccentric Orbit ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Be Star

Several Be stars are identified with bright X-ray sources. (Rappaport and Van den Heuvel, 1982). The bright X-ray emission and observed periodicities indicate the existence of compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars or black holes) near the Be stars. A prime example is the brightest X-ray source A0538-66 in LMC, which contains a neutron star with a rotation period of 59 ms. Apparao (1985) explained the X-ray emission, which occurs in periodic flares, by considering an inclined eccentric orbit for the neutron star around the assumed Be-star. The neutron star when it enters a gas ring (around the Be-star) accreting matter giving out X-rays.The X-ray emission from the compact objects, when the gas ring from the Be-star envelopes the objects, has interesting consequences. The X-ray emission produces an ionized region (compact object Stromgren sphere or COSS) in the gas surrounding the compact object (CO).

scholarly journals Evidence for a Compact Object in the Aftermath of the Extra-Galactic Transient AT2018cow

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dheeraj Pasham ◽  
Wynn Ho ◽  
William Alston ◽  
Ronald Remillard ◽  
Mason Ng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Compact Objects ◽  
Power Density Spectrum ◽  
High Time Resolution ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Density Spectrum ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Circumstellar Medium

Abstract Fast Blue Optical Transients (FBOTs) are mysterious extragalactic explosions that may represent a new class of astrophysical phenomena. Their fast time to maximum brightness of less than 10 days and decline over less than 2 months and unusual optical spectra and evolution are difficult to explain within the context of core-collapse of massive stars which are powered by radioactive decay of Nickel-56 and evolve slowly on months timescales. AT2018cow (at a redshift of 0.014) is an extreme FBOT both in terms of rapid evolution and high X-ray and bolometric luminosities. Several alternative hypotheses have been proposed to explain its unusual properties. These include shock interactions with dense circumstellar medium, tidal disruption of a star by a 10,000−million solar mass black hole, failed supernova with fallback accretion onto a newborn black hole, neutron star formed in a supernova or from merging compact objects, etc. Here, we present evidence for a high-amplitude (fractional root-mean-squared amplitude of>30%) quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) of AT2018cow’s soft X-rays with a centroid frequency of roughly 225 Hz (statistically significant at the 3.7-sigma level, or a false alarm probability of 0.02%). This signal is found in the average power density spectrum of data taken over the entire outburst lasting roughly 60 days and thus suggests that the signal is highly persistent over several hundreds of millions of cycles (60 daysx225 Hz). This high frequency (rapid timescale) of 225 Hz (4.4 ms) argues for the presence of a compact object in AT2018cow which can either be a neutron star or a black hole, and disfavors circumstellar medium interactions for the origin of X-ray emission. Also, the QPO’s timescale sets an upper limit on the compact object's mass to be 850 solar masses, and thus disfavors models with a heavier black hole. If the QPO represents the spin period of a neutron star we can set upper limits on its magnetic field under different scenarios. This work highlights a new way of using high time-resolution X-ray observations to study FBOTs.

scholarly journals Accretion onto Relativistic Objects

1974 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 194-212
Author(s):  
M. J. Rees
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Neutron Stars ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Supermassive Black Holes ◽  
Compact Objects ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Intergalactic Space

The physics of spherically symmetrical accretion onto a compact object is briefly reviewed. Neither neutron stars nor stellar-mass black holes are likely to be readily detectable if they are isolated and accreting from the interstellar medium. Supermassive black holes in intergalactic space may however be detectable. The effects of accretion onto compact objects in binary systems are then discussed, with reference to the phenomena observed in variable X-ray sources.

scholarly journals Be stars in X-ray binary systems

2000 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 656-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Coe
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Circumstellar Disk ◽  
Be Stars ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Status ◽  
Be Star

AbstractThis paper will review the status of our observations and understanding of Be stars in X-ray binary systems. In virtually all cases the binary partner to the Be star is a neutron star. The circumstellar disk provides the accretion fuel and hence stimulates the X-ray emission, whilst the neutron star provides a valuable probe of the environment around the Be star. The results coming from studies of such systems are helping in our understanding of the Be phenomenon.

scholarly journals The MAVERIC Survey: Variable Jet-accretion Coupling in Luminous Accreting Neutron Stars in Galactic Globular Clusters

2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (1) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Teresa Panurach ◽  
Jay Strader ◽  
Arash Bahramian ◽  
Laura Chomiuk ◽  
James C. A. Miller-Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Radio Emission ◽  
Neutron Stars ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Radio Continuum ◽  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Galactic Globular Clusters ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Abstract Accreting neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries show outflows—and sometimes jets—in the general manner of accreting black holes. However, the quantitative link between the accretion flow (traced by X-rays) and outflows and/or jets (traced by radio emission) is much less well understood for neutron stars than for black holes, other than the general observation that neutron stars are fainter in the radio at a given X-ray luminosity. We use data from the deep MAVERIC radio continuum survey of Galactic globular clusters for a systematic radio and X-ray study of six luminous (L X > 1034 erg s−1) persistent neutron star X-ray binaries in our survey, as well as two other transient systems also captured by our data. We find that these neutron star X-ray binaries show an even larger range in radio luminosity than previously observed. In particular, in quiescence at L X ∼ 3 × 1034 erg s−1, the confirmed neutron star binary GRS 1747–312 in Terzan 6 sits near the upper envelope of the black hole radio/X-ray correlation, and the persistently accreting neutron star systems AC 211 (in M15) and X1850–087 (in NGC 6712) show unusual radio variability and luminous radio emission. We interpret AC 211 as an obscured “Z source” that is accreting at close to the Eddington limit, while the properties of X1850–087 are difficult to explain, and motivate future coordinated radio and X-ray observations. Overall, our results show that neutron stars do not follow a single relation between inflow and outflow, and confirm that their accretion dynamics are more complex than for black holes.

High Speed Photometry at Mt Stromlo Observatory

1974 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 278-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. A. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Crab Nebula ◽  
Binary Star ◽  
Rotation Period ◽  
Radio Pulsars ◽  
X Ray ◽  
High Speed Photometry ◽  
The Crab Nebula

Important observations of X-ray sources and searches for the optical counterparts of X-ray and radio pulsars require a capability of detecting and analysing light variations with a time scale of milliseconds. X-ray sources in binary star systems are expected to be collapsed objects – neutron stars or black holes (Peterson 1973) – and are expected to produce light variations. In the case of a neutron star, pulses with the same period as the rotation period of the neutron star would be produced, and such have been observed from Cen X-3 (schreier et al. 1972) in the X-ray, and from Her X-1 (Middleditch and Nelson 1973) and the Crab Nebula pulsar (Cocke et al. 1969) in the X-ray optical.

scholarly journals Multiwavelength observations of the Be-star/X-ray binary EXO2030+375 during outburst

1994 ◽  
Vol 162 ◽  
pp. 206-207
Author(s):  
A.J. Norton ◽  
M.J. Coe ◽  
C. Everall ◽  
P. Roche ◽  
L. Bildsten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Be Stars ◽  
Infrared Excess ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Circumstellar Material ◽  
Spin Period ◽  
Be Star ◽  
Star Surface ◽  
X Ray Binaries

EXO2030+375 consists of a neutron star in an eccentric 46 day orbit around a 20th magnitude Be-star companion (Coe et al., 1988; Parmar et al., 1989; Stollberg et al., 1993). The Be-star is thought to be surrounded by a shell/disc of material which is responsible for the infrared excess and Balmer emission lines which are characteristic of Be-stars in general. At periastron, the neutron star passes through this circumstellar material, giving rise to enhanced accretion onto the neutron star surface. As a result of this, the X-ray emission (pulsed at the neutron star spin period of 41.8s) increases dramatically, so producing the transient, outburst behaviour which is commonly seen in Be-star / X-ray binaries.

scholarly journals Jets from Compact X-ray Sources

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (H15) ◽  
pp. 266-267
Author(s):  
Nick D. Kylafis
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
Black Hole ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Common Belief ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Radio Waves ◽  
Characteristic Frequencies ◽  
X Ray

AbstractJets have been observed from both neutron stars and black holes in binary X-ray sources. The neutron star jets are typically 30 times weaker than the black-hole ones. Thus, the second have been studied more extensively. Contrary to common belief, jets from compact X-ray sources are not simply “fireworks” that emit radio waves. I will demonstrate that they play a central role in the observed phenomena in both neutron star and black-hole systems. In particular, for black-hole jets, a simple jet model can explain the very stringent correlations that have been found between the power-law X-ray spectrum and a) the time lag between hard and soft X-rays and b) the characteristic frequencies observed in the power spectra. Up to now, no other model has even attempted to explain these correlations. I will present the weaknesses of the model and the improvements that need to be done to it.

scholarly journals X-Ray Bursts

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
George W. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Compact Star ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Gravitational Potential Energy ◽  
X Rays ◽  
High Luminosity ◽  
Emission Pattern ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Accretion Rates ◽  
Nuclear Burning

Most of the variable phenomena of high-luminosity (≳1036erg s−1) stellar X-ray sources can be explained, at least qualitatively, within the general framework of binary accretion models in which thermal X-rays are emitted in the vicinity of a neutron star or blackhole by plasma that has flowed downhill from the surface of a nuclear burning companion and been heated by conversion of its gravitational potential energy. The yield of X-ray energy in this process is so high, exceeding in some cases 0.1c2per unit mass, that X-ray luminosities in excess of 104L⊙can be generated with accretion rates of only ˜10−BM⊙per year. Since the transfer process depends strongly on many parameters that specify the relevant properties of two stars and their interaction, one finds a remarkable variety and range of X-ray phenomena. If the compact object is a magnetized neutron star, rotation will cause its X-ray emission pattern to sweep over a distant observer and thereby produce regular pulsations like those observed with periods in the range from 1 to 103seconds. Orbital motions can cause regular eclipses and absorption dips like those observed with periods in the range from hours to days. Changes in the rate of mass loss by the nuclear burning star or in the transfer efficiency can account for the variations in intrinsic X-ray luminosities that appear as flares, novae and on-off transitions. Irregularities in the flow of plasma near the compact star can also affect the intrinsic luminosity and appear as erratic fluctuations, spikes and shot-noise in the observed intensity.

scholarly journals A semi-analytical treatment to wind accretion in neutron star supergiant high-mass X-ray binaries – I. Eccentric orbits

2020 ◽  
Vol 501 (2) ◽  
pp. 2403-2417
Author(s):  
E Bozzo ◽  
L Ducci ◽  
M Falanga
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Comprehensive Treatment ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Eccentric Orbit ◽  
Analytical Treatment ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Eccentric Orbits ◽  
X Ray Binaries

ABSTRACT We present in this paper a first step toward a semi-analytical treatment of the accretion process in wind-fed neutron star (NS) supergiant X-ray binaries with eccentric orbits. We consider the case of a spherically symmetric wind for the supergiant star and a simplified model for the accretion on to the compact object. A self-consistent calculation of the photoionization of the stellar wind by the X-rays from the accreting NS is included. This effect is convolved with the modulation of the mass accretion rate induced by the eccentric orbit to obtain the expected X-ray luminosity of a system along the orbit. As part of our results, we first show that the bi-modality of low- and high-X-ray luminosity solutions for supergiant X-ray binaries reported in previous papers is likely to result from the effect of the NS approaching first and then moving away from the companion (without coexisting simultaneously). We propose that episodes of strong wind photoionization can give rise to off-states of the sources. Our calculations are applied to the case of a few classical supergiant X-ray binary systems with known eccentricities (Vela X-1, 4U 1907+09, GX 301-2) and to the case of the only supergiant fast X-ray transient with a confirmed eccentric orbit, IGR J08408-4503. The results are compared with observational findings on these sources. We also discuss the next steps needed to expand the calculations toward a more comprehensive treatment in future publications.

scholarly journals Swift J011511.0-725611: discovery of a rare Be star/white dwarf binary system in the SMC

2021 ◽  
Vol 508 (1) ◽  
pp. 781-788
Author(s):  
J A Kennea ◽  
M J Coe ◽  
P A Evans ◽  
L J Townsend ◽  
Z A Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Binary System ◽  
South African ◽  
White Dwarf ◽  
Compact Object ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Large Telescope ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Be Star

ABSTRACT We report on the discovery of Swift J011511.0-725611, a rare Be X-ray binary system (BeXRB) with a white dwarf (WD) compact object, in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) by S-CUBED, a weekly X-ray/UV survey of the SMC by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Observations show an approximately 3 month outburst from Swift J011511.0-725611, the first detected by S-CUBED since it began in 2016 June. Swift J011511.0-725611 shows supersoft X-ray emission, indicative of a WD compact object, which is further strengthened by the presence of an 0.871 keV edge, commonly attributed to O viii K-edge in the WD atmosphere. Spectroscopy by South African Large Telescope confirms the Be nature of the companion star, and long term light curve by OGLE finds both the signature of a circumstellar disc in the system at outburst time, and the presence of a 17.4 day periodicity, likely the orbital period of the system. Swift J011511.0-725611 is suggested to be undergoing a Type-II outburst, similar to the previously reported SMC Be white dwarf binary (BeWD), Swift J004427.3-734801. It is likely that the rarity of known BeWD is in part due to the difficulty in detecting such outbursts due to both their rarity, and their relative faintness compared to outbursts in Neutron Star BeXRBs.

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