scholarly journals X-ray Transient Sources (Multifrequency Laboratories) The Case of the Prototype A0535+26/HDE 245770

10.14311/1310 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Giovannelli ◽  
L. Sabau-Graziati

The goal of this paper is to discuss the behaviour of the X-ray transient source A0535+26 which is considered for historical reasons and for the huge amount of multifrequency data, spread over a period of 35 years, as the prototype of this class of objects. Transient sources are formed by a Be star — the primary — and a neutron star X-ray pulsar — the secondary — and constitute a sub-class of X-ray binary systems. We will emphasize the discovery of low-energy indicators of high-energy processes. They are UBVRI magnitudes and Balmer lines of the optical companion. Particular unusual activity of the primary star — usually at the periastron passage of the neutron star – indicates that an X-ray flare is drawing near. The shape and intensity of X-ray outbursts are dependent on the strength of the activity of the primary. We derive the optical orbital period of the system as 110.856 ± 0.02 days. By using the optical flare of December 5, 1981 (here after 811205-E) that triggered the subsequent X-ray outburst of December 13, 1981, we derive the ephemeris of the system as JD Popt−outb = JD0 (2, 444, 944) ± n(110.856 ± 0.02). Thus the passage of the neutron star at the periastron occurs with a periodicity of 110.856 ± 0.02 days and the different kinds of X-ray outbursts of A0535+26 — following the definitions reported in the review by Giovannelli & Sabau-Graziati (1992) — occur just after ∼ 8 days. The delay between optical and X-ray outbursts is just the transit time of the material coming out from the optical companion to reach the neutron star X-ray pulsar. The occurrence of X-ray “normal outbursts”, “anomalous outbursts” or “casual outbursts” is dependent on the activity of the Be star: “quiet state: steady stellar wind”, “excited state: stellar wind plus puffs of material”, and “expulsion of a shell”, respectively. In the latter case, the primary manifests a strong optical activity and the consequent strong X-ray outburst can occur in any orbital phase, with a preference at the periastron passage of the neutron star, because of its gravitational effects on the Be star.


2000 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 656-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Coe

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.



2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (3) ◽  
pp. 3856-3866
Author(s):  
V V Gvaramadze ◽  
A Y Kniazev ◽  
J S Gallagher ◽  
L M Oskinova ◽  
Y-H Chu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We report the results of optical spectroscopy of the Small Magellanic Cloud supernova remnant (SNR) MCSNR J0127−7332 and the mass donor Be star, 2dFS 3831, in its associated high-mass X-ray binary SXP 1062 carried out with the Southern African Large Telescope. Using high-resolution long-slit spectra, we measured the expansion velocity of the SNR shell of ${\approx} 140 \, {\rm \, km\, s^{-1}}$, indicating that MCSNR J0127−7332 is in the radiative phase. We found that the observed line ratios in the SNR spectrum can be understood if the local interstellar medium is ionized by 2dFS 3831 and/or OB stars around the SNR. We propose that MCSNR J0127−7332 is the result of supernova explosion within a bubble produced by the stellar wind of the supernova progenitor and that the bubble was surrounded by a massive shell at the moment of supernova explosion. We estimated the age of MCSNR J0127−7332 to be ${\lesssim} 10\, 000$ yr. We found that the spectrum of 2dFS 3831 changes with orbital phase. Namely, the equivalent width of the H α emission line decreased by ≈40 per cent in ≈130 d after periastron passage of the neutron star and then almost returned to its original value in the next ≈100 d. Also, the spectrum of 2dFS 3831 obtained closest to the periastron epoch (about 3 weeks after the periastron) shows a noticeable emission line of He ii λ4686, which disappeared in the next 2 weeks. We interpret these changes as a result of the temporary perturbation and heating of the disc as the neutron star passes through it.



2018 ◽  
Vol 613 ◽  
pp. A52 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Reig ◽  
A. Zezas

Context. IGR J06074+2205 is a poorly studied X-ray source with a Be star companion. It has been proposed to belong to the group of Be/X-ray binaries (BeXBs). In BeXBs, accretion onto the neutron star occurs via the transfer of material from the Be star’s circumstellar disk. Thus, in the absence of the disk, no X-ray should be detected. Aims. The main goal of this work is to study the quiescent X-ray emission of IGR J06074+2205 during a disk-loss episode. Methods. We obtained light curves at different energy bands and a spectrum covering the energy range 0.4–12 keV. We used Fourier analysis to study the aperiodic variability and epoch folding methods to study the periodic variability. Model fitting to the energy spectrum allowed us to identify the possible physical processes that generated the X-rays. Results. We show that at the time of the XMM-Newton observation, the decretion disk around the Be star had vanished. Still, accretion appears as the source of energy that powers the high-energy radiation in IGR J06074+2205. We report the discovery of X-ray pulsations with a pulse period of 373.2 s and a pulse fraction of ~50%. The 0.4–12 keV spectrum is well described by an absorbed power law and blackbody components with the best fitting parameters: NH = (6.2 ± 0.5) × 1021 cm−2, kTbb = 1.16 ± 0.03 keV, and Γ = 1.5 ± 0.1. The absorbed X-ray luminosity is LX = 1.4 × 1034 erg s−1 assuming a distance of 4.5 kpc. Conclusions. The detection of X-ray pulsations confirms the nature of IGR J06074+2205 as a BeXB. We discuss various scenarios to explain the quiescent X-ray emission of this pulsar. We rule out cooling of the neutron star surface and magnetospheric emission and conclude that accretion is the most likely scenario. The origin of the accreted material remains an open question.





2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (S346) ◽  
pp. 125-130
Author(s):  
Norbert S. Schulz ◽  
Timothy E. Kallman ◽  
Sebastian Heinz ◽  
Paul Sell ◽  
Peter Jonker ◽  
...  

AbstractCir X-1 is a young X-ray binary exhibiting X-ray flux changes of four orders of magnitude over several decades. It has been observed many times since the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory with high energy transmission grating spectrometer and each time the source gave us a vastly different look. At its very lowest X-ray flux we found a single 1.7 keV blackbody spectrum with an emission radius of 0.5 km. Since the neutron star in Cir X-1 is only few thousand years old we identify this as emission from an accretion column since at this youth the neutron star is assumed to be highly magnetized. At an X-ray flux of 1.8×10−11 erg cm−2 s−1 this implies a moderate magnetic field of a few times of 1011 G. The photoionized X-ray emission line properties at this low flux are consistent with B5-type companion wind. We suggest that Cir X-1 is a very young Be-star binary.



2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Y. M. Tokayer ◽  
H. An ◽  
J. P. Halpern ◽  
J. Kim ◽  
K. Mori ◽  
...  

Abstract HESS J0632+057 belongs to a rare subclass of binary systems that emit gamma rays above 100 GeV. It stands out for its distinctive high-energy light curve, which features a sharp “primary” peak and broader “secondary” peak. We present the results of contemporaneous observations by NuSTAR and VERITAS during the secondary peak between 2019 December and 2020 February, when the orbital phase (ϕ) is between 0.55 and 0.75. NuSTAR detected X-ray spectral evolution, while VERITAS detected TeV emission. We fit a leptonic wind-collision model to the multiwavelength spectra data obtained over the four NuSTAR and VERITAS observations, constraining the pulsar spin-down luminosity and the magnetization parameter at the shock. Despite long-term monitoring of the source from 2019 October to 2020 March, the MDM observatory did not detect significant variation in Hα and Hβ line equivalent widths, an expected signature of Be-disk interaction with the pulsar. Furthermore, fitting folded Swift-XRT light-curve data with an intrabinary shock model constrained the orbital parameters, suggesting two orbital phases (at ϕ D = 0.13 and 0.37), where the pulsar crosses the Be-disk, as well as phases for the periastron (ϕ 0 = 0.30) and inferior conjunction (ϕ IFC = 0.75). The broadband X-ray spectra with Swift-XRT and NuSTAR allowed us to measure a higher neutral hydrogen column density at one of the predicted disk-passing phases.



Author(s):  
R Pattnaik ◽  
K Sharma ◽  
K Alabarta ◽  
D Altamirano ◽  
M Chakraborty ◽  
...  

Abstract Low Mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are binary systems where one of the components is either a black hole or a neutron star and the other is a less massive star. It is challenging to unambiguously determine whether a LMXB hosts a black hole or a neutron star. In the last few decades, multiple observational works have tried, with different levels of success, to address this problem. In this paper, we explore the use of machine learning to tackle this observational challenge. We train a random forest classifier to identify the type of compact object using the energy spectrum in the energy range 5-25 keV obtained from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer archive. We report an average accuracy of 87±13% in classifying the spectra of LMXB sources. We further use the trained model for predicting the classes for LMXB systems with unknown or ambiguous classification. With the ever-increasing volume of astronomical data in the X-ray domain from present and upcoming missions (e.g., SWIFT, XMM-Newton, XARM, ATHENA, NICER), such methods can be extremely useful for faster and robust classification of X-ray sources and can also be deployed as part of the data reduction pipeline.



2009 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. B. Ramsteiner ◽  
A. Schöps ◽  
H. Reichert ◽  
H. Dosch ◽  
V. Honkimäki ◽  
...  

Diffuse X-ray scattering has been an important tool for understanding the atomic structure of binary systems for more than 50 years. The majority of studies have used laboratory-based sources providing 8 keV photons or synchrotron radiation with similar energies. Diffuse scattering is weak, with the scattering volume determined by the X-ray absorption length. In the case of 8 keV photons, this is not significantly different from the typical extinction length for Bragg scattering. If, however, one goes to energies of the order of 100 keV the scattering volume for the diffuse scattering increases up to three orders of magnitude while the extinction length increases by only one order of magnitude. This leads to a gain of two orders of magnitude in the relative intensity of the diffuse scattering compared with the Bragg peaks. This gain, combined with the possibility of recording the intensity from an entire plane in reciprocal space using a two-dimensional X-ray detector, permits time-resolved diffuse scattering studies in many systems. On the other hand, diffraction features that are usually neglected, such as multiple scattering, come into play. Four types of multiple scattering phenomena are discussed, and the manner in which they appear in high-energy diffraction experiments is considered.



1985 ◽  
pp. 399-407
Author(s):  
L. Stella ◽  
N. E. White ◽  
R. Rosner
Keyword(s):  


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