scholarly journals Radiation from rapidly rotating oblate neutron stars

2018 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. A50 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Nättilä ◽  
P. Pihajoki

A theoretical framework for emission originating from rapidly rotating oblate compact objects is described in detail. Using a Hamilton-Jacobi formalism, we show that special relativistic rotational effects such as aberration of angles, Doppler boosting, and time dilatation naturally emerge from the general relativistic treatment of rotating compact objects. We use the Butterworth–Ipser metric expanded up to the second order in rotation and hence include effects of light bending, frame-dragging, and quadrupole deviations on our geodesic calculations. We also give detailed descriptions of the numerical algorithms used and provide an open-source implementation of the numerical framework called BENDER. As an application, we study spectral line profiles (i.e., smearing kernels) from rapidly rotating oblate neutron stars. We find that in this metric description, the second-order quadrupole effects are not strong enough to produce narrow observable features in the spectral energy distribution for almost any physically realistic parameter combination, and hence, actually detecting them is unlikely. The full width at tenth-maximum and full width at half-maximum of the rotation smearing kernels are also reported for all viewing angles. These can then be used to quantitatively estimate the effects of rotational smearing on the observed spectra. We also calculate accurate pulse profiles and observer skymaps of emission from hot spots on rapidly rotating accreting millisecond pulsars. These allow us to quantify the strength of the pulse fractions one expects to observe from typical fast-spinning millisecond pulsars.

2019 ◽  
Vol 491 (4) ◽  
pp. 5702-5716 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Pinto ◽  
M Mehdipour ◽  
D J Walton ◽  
M J Middleton ◽  
T P Roberts ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are mainly powered by accretion in neutron stars or stellar-mass black holes. Accreting at rates exceeding the Eddington limit by factors of a few up to hundreds, radiation pressure is expected to inflate the accretion disc, and drive fast winds that have in fact been observed at significant fractions of the speed of light. Given the super-Eddington luminosity, the accretion disc will be thicker than in sub-Eddington accretors such as common active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries, leading to a different spectral energy distribution and, possibly, a different thermal status of the wind. Here, we show the first attempt to calculate the photoionization balance of the winds driven by strong radiation pressure in thick discs with a focus on ULXs hosting black holes or non-magnetic neutron stars. We find that the winds are generally in thermally stable equilibrium, but long-term variations in the accretion rate and the inclination due to precession may have significant effects on the wind appearance and stability. Our model trends can explain the observed correlation between the spectral residuals around 1 keV and the ULX spectral state. We also find a possible correlation between the spectral hardness of the ULX, the wind velocity, and the ionization parameter in support of the general scenario.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S290) ◽  
pp. 231-232
Author(s):  
Alexander F. Kholtygin ◽  
Andrei P. Igoshev

AbstractWe consider the evolution of the very young neutron stars (NS) with moderate and low magnetic field values around 1E8 G to know how large is the share of the these objects among the those attributed as the millisecond pulsars (MSP). To exclude the contamination of accreted NS and young NS with moderate magnetic fields we study the observational evidences of the accretion on NS in the binary systems and different methods of age determinations. It was concluded that only central compact objects are appropriate candidates for NSs with small initial magnetic fields.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S337) ◽  
pp. 187-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. Ray ◽  
Zaven Arzoumanian ◽  
Keith C. Gendreau ◽  

AbstractThe Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) presents an exciting new capability for exploring the modulation properties of X-ray emitting neutron stars, including large area, low background, extremely precise absolute event time stamps, superb low-energy response and flexible scheduling. The Pulsation Searches and Multiwavelength Coordination working group has designed a 2.5 Ms observing program to search for emission and characterize the modulation properties of about 30 known or suspected neutron star sources across a number of source categories. A key early goal will be to search for pulsations from millisecond pulsars that might exhibit thermal pulsations from the surface suitable for pulse profile modeling to constrain the neutron star equation of state. In addition, we will search for pulsations from transitional millisecond pulsars, isolated neutron stars, low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), accretion-powered millisecond pulsars, central compact objects and other sources. We present our science plan and initial results from the first months of the NICER mission, including the discovery of pulsations from the millisecond pulsar J1231–1411.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 1460197 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. PAREDES-FORTUNY ◽  
M. RIBÓ ◽  
O. FORS ◽  
J. NÚÑEZ ◽  
V. BOSCH-RAMON

Three gamma-ray binaries, namely PSR B1259–63, HESS J0632+057 and LS I +61 303, contain compact objects orbiting around massive Be stars. Around periastron passage the compact objects should produce significant changes in the structure of the Be disks due to gravitational forces and eventually by ram pressure from the putative pulsar wind. Indeed, variability in the Hα emission line has been detected in all these systems, and optical periodic variability has been detected in one of them. However, there is lack of a systematic monitoring with accurate photometry, which could be used to constrain the shape of the disk during the periastron passage. This information is important to build accurate physical models to explain the broadband spectral energy distribution of these sources. Here we present an ongoing program to monitor the optical photometry of gamma-ray binaries and show preliminary results for the case of LS I +61 303.


2004 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 279-282
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Walter ◽  
Jose A. Pons

The nearby compact object RX J1856.5−3754 may be a paradigm for the vast majority of neutron stars. Its spectral energy distribution lacks any non-thermal continuua or lines. Study of the thermal surface has provided insights into the surface and interior properties of neutron stars. We report on attempts to model the spectrum. Non-magnetic heavy metal atmospheres reproduce the overall spectral energy distribution, but not the lack of absorption lines.


Author(s):  
J Johansson ◽  
A Goobar ◽  
S H Price ◽  
A Sagués Carracedo ◽  
L Della Bruna ◽  
...  

Abstract We report the results from spectroscopic observations of the multiple images of the strongly lensed Type Ia supernova (SN Ia), iPTF16geu, obtained with ground based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). From a single epoch of slitless spectroscopy with HST, we resolve spectra of individual lensed supernova images for the first time. This allows us to perform an independent measurement of the time-delay between the two brightest images, Δt = 1.4 ± 5.0 days, which is consistent with the time-delay measured from the light-curves. We also present measurements of narrow emission and absorption lines characterizing the interstellar medium in the SN Ia host galaxy at z = 0.4087, as well as in the foreground lensing galaxy at z = 0.2163. We detect strong Na id absorption in the host galaxy, indicating that iPTF16geu belongs to a subclass of SNe Ia displaying ”anomalously” large Na id column densities compared to dust extinction derived from light curves. For the lens galaxy, we refine the measurement of the velocity dispersion, σ = 129 ± 4 km s−1, which significantly constrains the lens model. We use ground-based spectroscopy, boosted by a factor ∼70 from lensing magnification, to study the properties of a high-z SN Ia with unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio. The spectral properties of the supernova, such as pseudo-Equivalent widths of several absorption features and velocities of the Si ii-line, indicate that iPTF16geu is a normal SN Ia. We do not detect any significant deviations of the SN spectral energy distribution from microlensing of the SN photosphere by stars and compact objects in the lensing galaxy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (09) ◽  
pp. 1641006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector O. Silva ◽  
Andrea Maselli ◽  
Masato Minamitsuji ◽  
Emanuele Berti

Horndeski gravity holds a special position as the most general extension of Einstein’s theory of general relativity (GR) with a single scalar degree of freedom and second-order field equations. Because of these features, Horndeski gravity is an attractive phenomenological playground to investigate the consequences of modifications of GR in cosmology and astrophysics. We present a review of the progress made so far in the study of compact objects (black holes (BHs) and neutron stars (NSs)) within Horndeski gravity. In particular, we review our recent work on slowly rotating BHs and present some new results on slowly rotating NSs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S290) ◽  
pp. 243-244
Author(s):  
M. Kunert-Bajraszewska ◽  
K. Katarzyński ◽  
A. Janiuk ◽  
M. Cegłowski

AbstractWe have applied theoretical models to explain spectral energy distribution (SED) of three radio-loud broad absorption line (BAL) quasars: an extended hybrid object PG 1004+130 and two compact sources 1045+352 and 3C270.1. We calculate the emission from the very inner part of the sources which accounts for more than 90% of the observed X-ray radiation. In our analysis we consider a scenario in which the observed X-ray emission comes from the inverse-Compton (IC) scattering inside a jet and from the accretion disk corona. The compact objects 1045+352 and 3C270.1 are high-redshift quasars (z = 1.604 and 1.532 respectively), with strong radio cores. We argue that in the case of these two sources a non-thermal, inverse-Compton emission from the innermost parts of the jet can explain a large fraction of the observed X-ray emission. The large scale object PG 1004+130 with a peculiar radio morphology is a low-redshift (z = 0.24), lobe-dominated BAL quasar with a weak radio core. In this case simulated inverse-Compton X-ray emission of the jet is relatively low. However, the corona emission appears strong enough to explain the observed X-ray spectrum of this object.


2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (2) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
Dominic W. Pesce ◽  
Daniel C. M. Palumbo ◽  
Ramesh Narayan ◽  
Lindy Blackburn ◽  
Sheperd S. Doeleman ◽  
...  

Abstract We present estimates for the number of shadow-resolved supermassive black hole (SMBH) systems that can be detected using radio interferometers, as a function of angular resolution, flux density sensitivity, and observing frequency. Accounting for the distribution of SMBHs across mass, redshift, and accretion rate, we use a new semianalytic spectral energy distribution model to derive the number of SMBHs with detectable and optically thin horizon-scale emission. We demonstrate that (sub)millimeter interferometric observations with ∼0.1 μas resolution and ∼1 μJy sensitivity could access >106 SMBH shadows. We then further decompose the shadow source counts into the number of black holes for which we could expect to observe the first- and second-order lensed photon rings. Accessing the bulk population of first-order photon rings requires ≲2 μas resolution and ≲0.5 mJy sensitivity, whereas doing the same for second-order photon rings requires ≲0.1 μas resolution and ≲5 μJy sensitivity. Our model predicts that with modest improvements to sensitivity, as many as ∼5 additional horizon-resolved sources should become accessible to the current Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), whereas a next-generation EHT observing at 345 GHz should have access to ∼3 times as many sources. More generally, our results can help guide enhancements of current arrays and specifications for future interferometric experiments that aim to spatially resolve a large population of SMBH shadows or higher-order photon rings.


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