scholarly journals High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the stellar wind in Vela X-1 during a flare

2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. A144 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lomaeva ◽  
V. Grinberg ◽  
M. Guainazzi ◽  
N. Hell ◽  
S. Bianchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Multi Phase ◽  
Resonant Transitions ◽  
First Time ◽  
Charged Ions

Context. We present a ~130 ks observation of the prototypical wind-accreting, high-mass X-ray binary Vela X-1 collected with XMM-Newton at orbital phases between 0.12 and 0.28. A strong flare took place during the observation that allows us to investigate the reaction of the clumpy stellar wind to the increased X-ray irradiation. Aims. To examine the wind’s reaction to the flare, we performed both time-averaged and time-resolved analyses of the RGS spectrum and examined potential spectral changes. Methods. We focused on the high-resolution XMM-Newton RGS spectra and divided the observation into pre-flare, flare, and post-flare phases. We modeled the time-averaged and time-resolved spectra with phenomenological components and with the self-consistent photoionization models calculated via CLOUDY and XSTAR in the pre-flare phase, where strong emission lines due to resonant transitions of highly ionized ions are seen. Results. In the spectra, we find emission lines corresponding to K-shell transitions in highly charged ions of oxygen, neon, magnesium, and silicon as well as radiative recombination continua (RRC) of oxygen. Additionally, we observe potential absorption lines of magnesium at a lower ionization stage and features identified as iron L lines. The CLOUDY and XSTAR photoionization models provide contradictory results, either pointing towards uncertainties in theory or possibly a more complex multi-phase plasma, or both. Conclusions. We are able to demonstrate the existence of a plethora of variable narrow features, including the firm detection of oxygen lines and RRC that RGS enables to observe in this source for the first time. We show that Vela X-1 is an ideal source for future high-resolution missions, such as XRISM and Athena.

scholarly journals The Remarkable Spin-down and Ultrafast Outflows of the Highly Pulsed Supersoft Source of Nova Herculis 2021

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (2) ◽  
pp. L42
Author(s):  
Jeremy J. Drake ◽  
Jan-Uwe Ness ◽  
Kim L. Page ◽  
G. J. M. Luna ◽  
Andrew P. Beardmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Dwarf ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
Optical Observations ◽  
High Mass ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Pulse Profile ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Classical Nova ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract Nova Her 2021 (V1674 Her), which erupted on 2021 June 12, reached naked-eye brightness and has been detected from radio to γ-rays. An extremely fast optical decline of 2 magnitudes in 1.2 days and strong Ne lines imply a high-mass white dwarf. The optical pre-outburst detection of a 501.42 s oscillation suggests a magnetic white dwarf. This is the first time that an oscillation of this magnitude has been detected in a classical nova prior to outburst. We report X-ray outburst observations from Swift and Chandra that uniquely show (1) a very strong modulation of supersoft X-rays at a different period from reported optical periods, (2) strong pulse profile variations and the possible presence of period variations of the order of 0.1–0.3 s, and (3) rich grating spectra that vary with modulation phase and show P Cygni–type emission lines with two dominant blueshifted absorption components at ∼3000 and 9000 km s−1 indicating expansion velocities up to 11,000 km s−1. X-ray oscillations most likely arise from inhomogeneous photospheric emission related to the magnetic field. Period differences between reported pre- and post-outburst optical observations, if not due to other period drift mechanisms, suggest a large ejected mass for such a fast nova, in the range 2 × 10−5–2 × 10−4 M ⊙. A difference between the period found in the Chandra data and a reported contemporaneous post-outburst optical period, as well as the presence of period drifts, could be due to weakly nonrigid photospheric rotation.

scholarly journals X-ray variability of the HMXB Cen X-3: evidence for inhomogeneous accretion flows.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Sanjurjo-Ferrín ◽  
J M Torrejón ◽  
K Postnov ◽  
L Oskinova ◽  
J J Rodes-Roca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Equivalent Width ◽  
Compact Star ◽  
Timing Analysis ◽  
Roche Lobe ◽  
The Other ◽  
Emission Lines ◽  
High Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Accretion Flows ◽  
Inner Radius

Abstract Cen X-3 is a compact high mass X-ray binary likely powered by Roche lobe overflow. We present a phase-resolved X-ray spectral and timing analysis of two pointed XMM-Newton observations. The first one took place during a normal state of the source, when it has a luminosity LX ∼ 1036 erg s−1. This observation covered orbital phases φ = 0.00 − 0.37, i.e. the egress from the eclipse. The egress lightcurve is highly structured, showing distinctive intervals. We argue that different intervals correspond to the emergence of different emitting structures. The lightcurve analysis enables us to estimate the size of such structures around the compact star, the most conspicuous of which has a size ∼0.3R*, of the order of the Roche lobe radius. During the egress, the equivalent width of Fe emission lines, from highly ionized species, decreases as the X-ray continuum grows. On the other hand, the equivalent width of the Fe Kα line, from near neutral Fe, strengthens. This line is likely formed due to the X-ray illumination of the accretion stream. The second observation was taken when the source was 10 times X-ray brighter and covered the orbital phases φ = 0.36 − 0.80. The X-ray lightcurve in the high state shows dips. These dips are not caused by absorption but can be due to instabilities in the accretion stream. The typical dip duration, of about 1000 s, is much longer than the timescale attributed to the accretion of the clumpy stellar wind of the massive donor star, but is similar to the viscous timescale at the inner radius of the accretion disk.

scholarly journals Shadow monochromatic backlighting: Large-field high resolution X-ray shadowgraphy with improved spectral tunability

2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.A. PIKUZ ◽  
A. YA. FAENOV ◽  
M. FRAENKEL ◽  
A. ZIGLER ◽  
F. FLORA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Large Field ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Traditional Scheme ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Wide Wavelength Range ◽  
Bent Crystals ◽  
First Time

The shadow monochromatic backlighting (SMB) scheme, a modification of the well-known soft X-ray monochromatic backlighting scheme, is proposed. It is based on a spherical crystal as the dispersive element and extends the traditional scheme by allowing one to work with a wide range of Bragg angles and thus in a wide spectral range. The advantages of the new scheme are demonstrated experimentally and supported numerically by ray-tracing simulations. In the experiments, the X-ray backlighter source is a laser-produced plasma, created by the interaction of an ultrashort pulse, Ti:Sapphire laser (120 fs, 3–5 mJ, 1016 W/cm2 on target) or a short wavelength XeCl laser (10 ns, 1–2 J, 1013 W/cm2 on target) with various solid targets (Dy, Ni + Cr, BaF2). In both experiments, the X-ray sources are well localized spatially (∼20 μm) and are spectrally tunable in a relatively wide wavelength range (λ = 8–15 Å). High quality monochromatic (δλ/λ ∼ 10−5–10−3) images with high spatial resolution (up to ∼4 μm) over a large field of view (a few square millimeters) were obtained. Utilization of spherically bent crystals to obtain high-resolution, large field, monochromatic images in a wide range of Bragg angles (35° < Θ < 90°) is demonstrated for the first time.

scholarly journals On the origin of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 193-196
Author(s):  
Swetlana Hubrig ◽  
Lara Sidoli ◽  
Konstantin A. Postnov ◽  
Markus Schöller ◽  
Alexander F. Kholtygin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Neutron Star ◽  
Stellar Wind ◽  
Longitudinal Magnetic Field ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Large Telescope ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Very Large Telescope ◽  
Low X ◽  
X Ray Binaries

Abstract. A fraction of high-mass X-ray binaries are supergiant fast X-ray transients. These systems have on average low X-ray luminosities, but display short flares during which their X-ray luminosity rises by a few orders of magnitude. The leading model for the physics governing this X-ray behaviour suggests that the winds of the donor OB supergiants are magnetized. In agreement with this model, the first spectropolarimetric observations of the SFXT IGR J11215-5952 using the FORS 2 instrument at the Very Large Telescope indicate the presence of a kG longitudinal magnetic field. Based on these results, it seems possible that the key difference between supergiant fast X-ray transients and other high-mass X-ray binaries are the properties of the supergiant’s stellar wind and the physics of the wind’s interaction with the neutron star magnetosphere.

scholarly journals Orbital phase spectroscopy of four high mass X-ray binary pulsars to study the stellar wind of the companion

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 900-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachindra Naik ◽  
U. Mukherjee ◽  
B. Paul ◽  
C.S. Choi
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Wind ◽  
High Mass ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Binary Pulsars ◽  
Orbital Phase

Transformation of ferrihydrite to hematite: anin situinvestigation on the kinetics and mechanisms

2008 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. Vu ◽  
S. Shaw ◽  
L. G. Benning
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Growth Mechanism ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Resolution Electron ◽  
Stage Process

AbstractThe kinetics and mechanisms of the transformation of 2-line ferrihydrite (FH) to hematite (HM), in the presence of Pb at elevated temperatures and high pH condition, were elucidated using synchrotron-based,in situenergy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD). The time-resolved diffraction data indicated that HM crystallization occurred via a two-stage process. Based on the EDXRD data, combined with high-resolution electron microscopic images, an aqueous-aided 2D growth mechanism is proposed for both HM crystallization stages.

Small-angle scattering: a view on the properties, structures and structural changes of biological macromolecules in solution

2003 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel H. J. Koch ◽  
Patrice Vachette ◽  
Dmitri I. Svergun
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Structure Factor ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Biological Macromolecules ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Scattering Intensity ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Angle Scattering

1. Introduction 1482. Basics of X-ray and neutron scattering 1492.1 Elastic scattering of electromagnetic radiation by a single electron 1492.2 Scattering by assemblies of electrons 1512.3 Anomalous scattering and long wavelengths 1532.4 Neutron scattering 1532.5 Transmission and attenuation 1553. Small-angle scattering from solutions 1563.1 Instrumentation 1563.2 The experimental scattering pattern 1573.3 Basic scattering functions 1593.4 Global structural parameters 1613.4.1 Monodisperse systems 1613.4.2 Polydisperse systems and mixtures 1633.5 Characteristic functions 1644. Modelling 1664.1 Spherical harmonics 1664.2 Shannon sampling 1694.3 Shape determination 1704.3.1 Modelling with few parameters: molecular envelopes 1714.3.2 Modelling with many parameters: bead models 1734.4 Modelling domain structure and missing parts of high-resolution models 1784.5 Computing scattering patterns from atomic models 1844.6 Rigid-body refinement 1875. Applications 1905.1 Contrast variation studies of ribosomes 1905.2 Structural changes and catalytic activity of the allosteric enzyme ATCase 1916. Interactions between molecules in solution 2036.1 Linearizing the problem for moderate interactions: the second virial coefficient 2046.2 Determination of the structure factor 2057. Time-resolved measurements 2118. Conclusions 2159. Acknowledgements 21610. References 216A self-contained presentation of the main concepts and methods for interpretation of X-ray and neutron-scattering patterns of biological macromolecules in solution, including a reminder of the basics of X-ray and neutron scattering and a brief overview of relevant aspects of modern instrumentation, is given. For monodisperse solutions the experimental data yield the scattering intensity of the macromolecules, which depends on the contrast between the solvent and the particles as well as on their shape and internal scattering density fluctuations, and the structure factor, which is related to the interactions between macromolecules. After a brief analysis of the information content of the scattering intensity, the two main approaches for modelling the shape and/or structure of macromolecules and the global minimization schemes used in the calculations are presented. The first approach is based, in its more advanced version, on the spherical harmonics approximation and relies on few parameters, whereas the second one uses bead models with thousands of parameters. Extensions of bead modelling can be used to model domain structure and missing parts in high-resolution structures. Methods for computing the scattering patterns from atomic models including the contribution of the hydration shell are discussed and examples are given, which also illustrate that significant differences sometimes exist between crystal and solution structures. These differences are in some cases explainable in terms of rigid-body motions of parts of the structures. Results of two extensive studies – on ribosomes and on the allosteric protein aspartate transcarbamoylase – illustrate the application of the various methods. The unique bridge between equilibrium structures and thermodynamic or kinetic aspects provided by scattering techniques is illustrated by modelling of intermolecular interactions, including crystallization, based on an analysis of the structure factor and recent time-resolved work on assembly and protein folding.

Structure of fluorite-like compound based on Nd5Mo3O16with lead partly substituting for neodymium

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander M. Antipin ◽  
Natalia I. Sorokina ◽  
Olga A. Alekseeva ◽  
Alexandra N. Kuskova ◽  
Elena P. Kharitonova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Single Crystal ◽  
Experimental Verification ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Transmission Microscopy ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Oxygen Ion ◽  
First Time ◽  
Edx Microanalysis

A single crystal of Nd5Mo3O16with lead partly substituting for neodymium, which has a fluorite-like structure, was studied by precision X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission microscopy and EDX microanalysis. The crystal structure is determined in the space group Pn\bar 3n. It was found that the Pb atoms substitute in part for Nd atoms in the structure and are located in the vicinity of Nd2 positions. Partial substitutions of Mo cations for Nd positions and of Nd for Mo positions in crystals of theLn5Mo3O16oxide family are corroborated by X-ray diffraction for the first time. The first experimental verification of the location of an additional oxygen ion in the voids abutting MoO4tetrahedra was obtained.

High resolution X-ray study of multi charged ions in collisions with surfaces

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S343-S345 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Bonnet ◽  
A. Fleury ◽  
M. Bonnefoy ◽  
M. Chassevent ◽  
T. Lamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Charged Ions
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