scholarly journals Study of recent outburst in the Be/X-ray binary RX J0209.6−7427 with AstroSat: a new ultraluminous X-ray pulsar in the Magellanic Bridge?

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (3) ◽  
pp. 2664-2672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Deo Chandra ◽  
Jayashree Roy ◽  
P C Agrawal ◽  
Manojendu Choudhury

ABSTRACT We present the timing and spectral studies of RX J0209.6–7427 during its rare 2019 outburst using observations with the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) and Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) instruments on the AstroSat satellite. Pulsations having a periodicity of 9.29 s were detected for the first time by the NICER mission in the 0.2–10 keV energy band and, as reported here, by AstroSat over a broad energy band covering 0.3–80 keV. The pulsar exhibits a rapid spin-up during the outburst. Energy resolved folded pulse profiles are generated in several energy bands in 3–80 keV. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of the timing and spectral characteristics of this Be binary pulsar in hard X-rays. There is suggestion of evolution of the pulse profile with energy. The energy spectrum of the pulsar is determined and from the best-fitting spectral values, the X-ray luminosity of RX J0209.6−7427 is inferred to be 1.6 × 1039 erg s−1. Our timing and spectral studies suggest that this source has features of an ultraluminous X-ray pulsar in the Magellanic Bridge. Details of the results are presented and discussed in terms of the current ideas.

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Kouba ◽  
Zhong-Geng Ling ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Yohannes M. Desta ◽  
Jost Goettert
Keyword(s):  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  

2020 ◽  
Vol 492 (3) ◽  
pp. 4361-4368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Sharma ◽  
Aru Beri ◽  
Andrea Sanna ◽  
Anjan Dutta

ABSTRACT SAX J1748.9−2021 is a transient accretion powered millisecond X-ray pulsar located in the globular cluster NGC 6440. We report on the spectral and timing analysis of SAX J1748.9−2021 performed on AstroSat data taken during its faint and short outburst of 2017. We derived the best-fitting orbital solution for the 2017 outburst and obtained an average local spin frequency of 442.361098(3) Hz. The pulse profile obtained from 3 to 7 and 7 to 20 keV energy bands suggest constant fractional amplitude ∼0.5 per cent for fundamental component, contrary to previously observed energy pulse profile dependence. Our AstroSat observations revealed the source to be in a hard spectral state. The 1–50 keV spectrum from SXT (Soft X-ray Telescope) and LAXPC (Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter) on-board AstroSat can be well described with a single temperature blackbody and thermal Comptonization. Moreover, we found that the combined spectra from XMM–Newton (EPIC-PN) and AstroSat (SXT + LAXPC) indicated the presence of reflection features in the form of iron (Fe Kα) line that we modelled with the reflection model xillvercp. One of the two X-ray burst observed during the AstroSat/LAXPC observation showed hard X-ray emission (>30 keV) due to Compton up-scattering of thermal photons by the hot corona. Time-resolved analysis performed on the bursts revealed complex evolution in emission radius of blackbody for second burst suggestive of mild photospheric radius expansion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 2273-2279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyang Zhao ◽  
Keiichi Hirano ◽  
Kenji Sakurai
Keyword(s):  
X Rays ◽  
X Ray ◽  

The scattering background in large-area X-ray fluorescence analysis (more than one square centimeter) has been greatly reduced by using highly polarized X-rays and by inserting a collimator plate between the sample and the detector.


Author(s):  
Daiji Noda ◽  
Naoki Takahashi ◽  
Atsushi Tokuoka ◽  
Megumi Katori ◽  
Tadashi Hattori

X-ray radiographic imaging techniques have been applied in many fields. Previously we proposed a method for X-ray phase imaging using X-ray Talbot interferometry which requires the use of X-ray gratings. In this work, we fabricated the X-ray gratings needed for X-ray Talbot interferometry using an X-ray lithography technique. For X-ray lithography the accuracy of the fabricated structure depends largely on the accuracy of the X-ray mask. Conventionally a resin material is used for the support membrane for large area X-ray masks. However, resin membranes have the disadvantage that they can sag after several cycles of X-ray exposure due to the heat generated by the X-rays. For our new proposal we used thin carbon wafers for the membrane material because carbon has an extremely small thermal expansion coefficient. This new type of X-ray mask is very easy to process, and it is expected that it will lead to more precise X-ray masks. We fabricated carbon membrane X-ray masks on 6 inch wafers with a 1:1 line-to-space ratio and a pitch of 5.3 μm, covering a large effective area of 100 × 100 mm2.


2020 ◽  
Vol 498 (3) ◽  
pp. 4404-4410
Author(s):  
Sneha Prakash Mudambi ◽  
A Rao ◽  
S B Gudennavar ◽  
R Misra ◽  
S G Bubbly

ABSTRACT LMC X-1, a persistent, rapidly rotating, extra-galactic, black hole X-ray binary (BHXB) discovered in 1969, has always been observed in its high soft state. Unlike many other BHXBs, the black hole mass, source distance, and binary orbital inclination are well established. In this work, we report the results of simultaneous broad-band spectral studies of LMC X-1 carried out using the data from Soft X-ray Telescope and Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter aboard AstroSat as observed on 2016 November 26 and 2017 August 28. The combined spectrum was modelled with a multicolour blackbody emission (diskbb), a Gaussian along with a Comptonization component (simpl) in the energy range 0.7–30.0 keV. The spectral analysis revealed that the source was in its high soft state (Γ = 2.67$^{+0.24}_{-0.24}$ and Γ = 2.12$^{+0.19}_{-0.20}$) with a hot disc (kTin = 0.86$^{+0.01}_{-0.01}$ and kTin = 0.87$^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$). Thermal disc emission was fitted with a relativistic model (kerrbb) and spin of the black hole was estimated to be 0.93$^{+0.01}_{-0.01}$ and 0.93$^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$ (statistical errors) for the two Epochs through X-ray continuum-fitting, which agrees with the previous results.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. He ◽  
R. Durst ◽  
B. L. Becker ◽  
J. Kaercher ◽  
G. Wachter
Keyword(s):  
X Ray ◽  

2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (3) ◽  
pp. 3385-3393
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Matsumoto ◽  
Tsvi Piran

ABSTRACT The discovery of optical/UV (ultraviolet) tidal disruption events (TDEs) was surprising. The expectation was that, upon returning to the pericentre, the stellar-debris stream will form a compact disc that will emit soft X-rays. Indeed, the first TDEs were discovered in this energy band. A common explanation for the optical/UV events is that surrounding optically thick matter reprocesses the disc’s X-ray emission and emits it from a large photosphere. If accretion follows the super-Eddington mass infall rate, it would inevitably result in an energetic outflow, providing naturally the reprocessing matter. We describe here a new method to estimate, using the observed luminosity and temperature, the mass and energy of outflows from optical transients. When applying this method to a sample of supernovae, our estimates are consistent with a more detailed hydrodynamic modelling. For the current sample of a few dozen optical TDEs, the observed luminosity and temperature imply outflows that are significantly more massive than typical stellar masses, posing a problem to this common reprocessing picture.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 145-148
Author(s):  
E.J.A. Meurs

Several IRAS galaxies have been detected at X-rays, with a variety of satellite observatories. About half of these are classified optically as Seyfert galaxies. Among those not (convincingly) classified as AGN, many have X-ray luminosities for which stellar evolution products offer convenient explanations. Some non-active IRAS galaxies display anomalously high levels of X-ray emission for which several conceivable origins are investigated: optical misclassification, X-ray misidentification, hidden AGN, incidental activity, starburst, environmental sources. X-ray spectral studies and temporal variations constitute important tools for further investigation, for instance to assess the strength of a starburst or to establish signatures of an active core.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 1447-1458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl L. Howard ◽  
Martin D. de Jonge ◽  
Nader Afshar ◽  
Chris G. Ryan ◽  
Robin Kirkham ◽  
...  

The X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) beamline is an in-vacuum undulator-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microprobe beamline at the 3 GeV Australian Synchrotron. The beamline delivers hard X-rays in the 4–27 keV energy range, permitting K emission to Cd and L and M emission for all other heavier elements. With a practical low-energy detection cut-off of approximately 1.5 keV, low-Z detection is constrained to Si, with Al detectable under favourable circumstances. The beamline has two scanning stations: a Kirkpatrick–Baez mirror microprobe, which produces a focal spot of 2 µm × 2 µm FWHM, and a large-area scanning `milliprobe', which has the beam size defined by slits. Energy-dispersive detector systems include the Maia 384, Vortex-EM and Vortex-ME3 for XRF measurement, and the EIGER2 X 1 Mpixel array detector for scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy measurements. The beamline uses event-mode data acquisition that eliminates detector system time overheads, and motion control overheads are significantly reduced through the application of an efficient raster scanning algorithm. The minimal overheads, in conjunction with short dwell times per pixel, have allowed XFM to establish techniques such as full spectroscopic XANES fluorescence imaging, XRF tomography, fly scanning ptychography and high-definition XRF imaging over large areas. XFM provides diverse analysis capabilities in the fields of medicine, biology, geology, materials science and cultural heritage. This paper discusses the beamline status, scientific showcases and future upgrades.


1990 ◽  
Vol 123 ◽  
pp. 41-48
Author(s):  
F. Makino

AbstractThe X-ray astronomy satellite Ginga carries three scientific instruments, the Large Area proportional Counters (LAC), All Sky X-ray Monitor (ASM) and Gamma-ray Burst Detector (GBD). The LAC is the main instrument with an effective area of 4000 cm2 giving it the highest sensitivity to hard X-rays so far achieved. Ginga observed about 250 targets up to the end of 1989.


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