Quiescent luminosities of accreting neutron stars-possibility of neutrino losses due to strong pion condensations

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (08) ◽  
pp. 1850067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuhide Matsuo ◽  
HeLei Liu ◽  
Masa-aki Hashimoto ◽  
Tsuneo Noda

We construct the quiescent neutron star models in the evolutionary calculations. The X-ray luminosities have been derived in terms of the time-averaged mass accretion rate for various neutron star masses and surface compositions. We compare the quiescent luminosities observed from X-ray transients in low mass X-ray binaries, where the stellar evolutionary calculations of accreting neutron stars include neutrino cooling due to strong pion condensations. Our results based on the evolutionary calculations suggest that stronger cooling process would be necessary to be consistent with observations.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helei Liu ◽  
Masa-aki Hashimoto ◽  
Guoliang Lü ◽  
Yasuhide Matsuo ◽  
Dehua Wen ◽  
...  

Abstract As some neutron star transients require an additional unknown heat source (referred to as “shallow heating”) to explain their high temperatures at the beginning of quiescence, we investigate the effect of shallow heating as well as compressional heating on the thermal state of transiently accreting neutron stars with the use of evolutionary calculations in the present work. Through comparing our theoretical predictions of the equilibrium redshifted luminosities $(L_{\gamma}^{\infty})$ produced by both deep crustal heating and shallow heating/compressional heating for different time-averaged mass-accretion rates $\langle\dot{M}\rangle$ with 35 updated observations of soft X-ray transients, the results show that both shallow heating and compressional heating make significant contributions to the equilibrium redshifted luminosity. The hotter sources (XTE J1701, MAXI J0556, EXO 0748, Aql X-1 etc.) with higher accretion rates are more likely to be explained with the effect of shallow heating or compressional heating. In addition, for a proper shallow heat $q_\mathrm{sh}$ and mass-accretion rate $\dot{M}$, the effect of shallow heating could be simulated by compressional heating.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 34-39
Author(s):  
Ileyk El Mellah ◽  
Andreas A. C. Sander ◽  
Jon O. Sundqvist ◽  
Rony Keppens

AbstractSupergiant X-ray Binaries host a compact object, generally a neutron star, orbiting an evolved O/B star. Mass transfer proceeds through the intense radiatively-driven wind of the stellar donor, a fraction of which is captured by the gravitational field of the neutron star. The subsequent accretion process onto the neutron star is responsible for the abundant X-ray emission from those systems. They also display variations in time of the X-ray flux by a factor of a few 10, along with changes in the hardness ratios believed to be due to varying absorption along the line-of-sight. We used the most recent results on the inhomogeneities (aka clumps) in the non-stationary wind of massive hot stars to evaluate their impact on the time-variable accretion process. We ran three-dimensional simulations of the wind in the vicinity of the accretor to witness the formation of the bow shock and follow the inhomogeneous flow over several spatial orders of magnitude, down to the neutron star magnetosphere. In particular, we show that the impact of the clumps on the time-variability of the intrinsic mass accretion rate is severely damped by the crossing of the shock, compared to the purely ballistic Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton estimation. We also account for the variable absorption due to clumps passing by the line-of-sight and estimate the final effective variability of the mass accretion rate for different orbital separations. These results are confronted to recent analysis of Vela X-1 observations with Chandra by Grinberg et al. (2017). It shows that clumps account well for time-variability at low luminosity but can not generate, per se, the high luminosity activity observed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 626 ◽  
pp. A18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Chashkina ◽  
Galina Lipunova ◽  
Pavel Abolmasov ◽  
Juri Poutanen

We present a model for a super-Eddington accretion disc around a magnetized neutron star taking into account advection of heat and the mass loss by the wind. The model is semi-analytical and predicts radial profiles of all the basic physical characteristics of the accretion disc. The magnetospheric radius is found as an eigenvalue of the problem. When the inner disc is in radiation-pressure-dominated regime but does not reach its local Eddington limit, advection is mild, and the radius of the magnetosphere depends weakly on the accretion rate. Once it approaches the local Eddington limit the disc becomes advection-dominated, and the scaling for the magnetospheric radius with the mass accretion rate is similar to the classical Alfvén relation. Allowing for the mass loss in a wind leads to an increase in the magnetospheric radius. Our model can be applied to a wide variety of magnetized neutron stars accreting close to or above their Eddington limits: ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars, Be/X-ray binaries in outbursts, and other systems. In the context of our model we discuss the observational properties of NGC 5907 X-1, the brightest ultra-luminous pulsar currently known, and NGC 300 ULX1, which is apparently a Be/X-ray binary experiencing a very bright super-Eddington outburst.


2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (1) ◽  
pp. 752-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Tang ◽  
D Liu ◽  
B Wang

ABSTRACT Intermediate-mass binary pulsars (IMBPs) are composed of neutron stars (NSs) and CO/ONe white dwarfs (WDs). It is generally suggested that IMBPs evolve from intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (IMXBs). However, this scenario is difficult to explain the formation of IMBPs with orbital periods (Porb) less than 3 d. It has recently been proposed that a system consisting of an NS and a helium (He) star can form IMBPs with Porb less than 3 d (known as the NS+He star scenario), but previous works can only cover a few observed sources with short orbital periods. We aim to investigate the NS+He star scenario by adopting different descriptions of the Eddington accretion rate ($\skew4\dot{M}_{\rm Edd}$) for NSs and different NS masses (MNS) varying from $1.10$ to $1.80\, \rm M_{\odot }$. Our results can cover most of the observed IMBPs with short orbital periods and almost half of the observed IMBPs with long orbital periods. We found that $\skew4\dot{M}_{\rm Edd}$ ∝ MNS−1/3 could match the observations better than a specific value for all NSs. We also found that the final spin periods of NSs slightly decrease with the initial MNS. The observed parameters of PSR J0621+1002, which is one of the well-observed IMBPs whose pulsar mass has been precisely measured, can be reproduced by this work.


2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (04) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. ZHANG

We ascribe the twin kilohertz Quasi Periodic Oscillations (kHz QPOs) of X-ray spectra of Low Mass X-Ray Binaries (LMXBs) to the pseudo-Newtonian Keplerian frequency and the apogee and perigee precession frequency of the same matter in the inner disk, and ascribe 15–60 Hz QPO (HBO) to the apogee (or perigee) precession and its second harmonic frequency to both apogee and perigee precession in the outer disk boundary of the neutron star (NS) magnetosphere. The radii of the inner and outer disks are correlated each other by a factor of two is assumed. The obtained conclusions include: all QPO frequencies increase and frequency difference of twin kHz QPOs decreases with increasing the accretion rate. The obtained theoretical relations between HBO frequency and twin kHz QPOs are simlilar to the measured empirical formula. Further, the theo-retical formula to calculate the NS mass by the twin kHz QPOs is proposed, and the resultant values are in the range of 1.4 to 1.8 M⊙. QPOs from LMXBs likely provide an accurate laboratory for a strong gravitational field, by which a new method to determine the NS masses of LMXBs is suggested.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Ch. C. Moustakidis ◽  
M. C. Papazoglou

The gravitational radiation has been proposed a long time before, as an explana- tion for the observed relatively low spin frequencies of young neutron stars and of accreting neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries as well. In the present work we studied the effects of the neutron star equation of state on the r-mode instability window of rotating neutron stars.


2004 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 71-72
Author(s):  
R. Barnard

AbstractWe have devised a new technique for identifying stellar mass black holes in low mass X-ray binaries, and have applied it to XMM-Newton observations of two X-ray sources in M31. In particular we search for low accretion rate power density spectra; these are very similar for all LMXB, whether the primary is a black hole or a neutron star. Galactic neutron star LMXB exhibit these distinctive PDS at very low luminosities (~ 1036 erg s–1) while black hole LMXB can exhibit them at luminosities > 1038 erg s–1! Following the work of van der Klis (1994), we assume a maximum accretion rate (as a fraction of the Eddington limit) for low accretion rate PDS that is constant for all LMXB, and obtain an empirical value of ~10% Eddington. We have so far discovered two candidate black hole binaries in M31, exhibiting low accretion rate PDS at up to 3 x 1038 and 5 x 1037 erg s–1. If we assume that they are at <10% Eddington, they have minimum masses of 20 and 4 M⊙ respectively. Furthermore, any LMXB exhibiting a low accretion rate power density spectrum at a luminosity > 5 x 1037 erg s–1 is likely to have a black hole primary.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Ch. C. Moustakidis

We study the effect of nuclear equation of state on the r-mode instability of a rotating neutron star. We consider the case where the crust of the neutron star is perfectly rigid and we employ the related theory. The effects of the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy on r-mode instability properties are presented and analyzed. A comparison of theoretical predictions with observed neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries is also performed and analyzed.


1995 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 308-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan van Paradijs ◽  
Walter H.G. Lewin

An X-ray burst is a sudden increase (rise time of order seconds) of the X-ray brightness of an X-ray source, which after reaching its peak decays, generally within a minute. The sky distribution of X-ray burst sources indicates that they are galactic objects (see Fig. 1); their concentration to the direction of the galactic center tells us that they lie at typical distances of ∼ 8 kpc, with corresponding peak luminosities of order 1038 erg s−1. The X-ray and optical properties of the persistent emission of X-ray burst sources show that they are low-mass X-ray binaries, in which mass is transferred from a rather normal low-mass (< 1 M⊙) star to a neutron star. The persistent emission is caused by the conversion of kinetic energy of the transferred matter into heat, at a rate of ∼ GM/R (∼ 0.1c2) per gram of accreted matter. The bursts are caused by unstable thermonuclear burning of material that has accumulated on the neutron star (‘thermonuclear flash’).The global properties of X-ray bursts, in particular their dependence on the mass accretion rate, are fairly well understood. Different from the case of γ-ray bursts (see the contributions by Fishman, Hartmann and Kouveliotou to this Colloquium) the relevant question about X-ray bursts is not ‘What are they?’, but rather ‘What use are they?’. As we will argue here, X-ray bursts may provide us information on the mass and radius of a neutron star. This usefulness of X-ray bursts derives from the fact that the burst emission originates from the surface of the neutron star, unlike the persistent emission caused by mass accretion, of which we only know that it comes from the neutron star’s near vicinity.


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