Quasi-Periodic Oscillations and energy spectra from the two brightest Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources in M82

Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources are thought to be accreting black holes that might host Intermediate Mass Black Holes (IMBH), proposed to exist by theoretical studies, even though a firm detection (as a class) is still missing. The brightest ULX in M82 (M82 X-1) is probably one of the best candidates to host an IMBH. In this work we analyzed the data of the recent release of observations obtained from M82 X-1 taken by XMM-Newton. We performed a study of the timing and spectral properties of the source. We report on the detection of (46+-2) mHz Quasi-Periodic Oscillations (QPOs) in the power density spectra of two observations. A comparison of the frequency of these high-frequency QPOs with previous detections supports the 1:2:3 frequency distribution as suggested in other studies. We discuss the implications if the (46+-2) mHz QPO detected in M82 X-1 is the fundamental harmonic, in analogy with the High-Frequency QPOs observed in black hole binaries. For one of the observations we have detected for the first time a QPO at 8 mHz (albeit at a low significance), that coincides with a hardening of the spectrum. We suggest that the QPO is a milli-hertz QPO originating from the close-by transient ULX M82 X-2, with analogies to the Low-Frequency QPOs observed in black hole binaries.Comment: 9 pages (with 4 figures and 4 tables). Accepted for publication in MNRAS (26/09/13

Playing Quantum Physics Jeopardy with zero-energy eigenstates

We describe an example of an exact, quantitative Jeopardy-type quantum mechanics problem. This problem type is based on the conditions in one-dimensional quantum systems that allow an energy eigenstate for the infinite square well to have zero curvature and zero energy when suitable Dirac delta functions are added. This condition and its solution are not often discussed in quantum mechanics texts and have interesting pedagogical consequences.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, requires graphicx and epsfig packages. Additional information, including individual files containing the Worksheet and a Worksheet template, are available at http://webphysics.davidson.edu/mjb/jeopardy

A Unified Description of the Timing Features of Accreting X-ray Binaries

We study an empirical model for a unified description of the power spectra of accreting neutron stars and black holes. This description is based on a superposition of multiple Lorentzians and offers the advantage that all QPO and noise components are dealt with in the same way, without the need of deciding in advance the nature of each component. This approach also allows us to compare frequencies of features with high and low coherences in a consistent manner and greatly facilitates comparison of power spectra across a wide range of source types and states. We apply the model to six sources, the low-luminosity X-ray bursters 1E 1724-3045, SLX 1735-269 and GS 1826-24, the high-latitude transient XTE J1118+480, the bright system Cir X-1, and the Z source GX 17+2. We find that it provides a good description of the observed spectra, without the need for a scale-free (1/f) component. We update previously reported correlations between characteristic frequencies of timing features in the light of this new approach and discuss similarities between different types of systems which may point towards similar underlying physics.Comment: 13 pages, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa

A Disk--Jet interaction model for the X--Ray Variability in Microquasars

We propose a simple dynamical model that may account for the observed spectral and temporal properties of GRS 1915+105 and XTE J1550-5634. The model is based on the assumption that a fraction of the radiation emitted by a hot spot lying on the accreting disk is dynamically Comptonized by the relativistic jet that typically accompanies the microquasar phenomenon. We show that scattering by the jet produces a detectable modulation of the observed flux. In particular, we found that the phase lag between hard and soft photons depends on the radial position of the hot spot and, if the angle between the jet and the line of sight is sufficiently large, the lags of the fundamental and its harmonics may be either positive or negative.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Part

The ABC of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in Black-Hole Candidates: analogies with Z-sources

Three main types of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs) have been observed in Black Hole Candidates. We re-analyzed RXTE data of the bright systems XTE J1859+226, XTE J1550-564 and GX 339-4, which show all three of them. We review the main properties of these LFQPOs and show that they follow a well-defined correlation in a fractional rms vs. softness diagram. We show that the frequency behavior through this correlation presents clear analogies with that of Horizontal-, Normal- and Flaring-Branch Oscillations in Z sources, with the inverse of the fractional rms being the equivalent of the curvilinear coordinate Sz through the Z track.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ, uses emulateap

The impact of working conditions on mental health: Novel evidence from the UK

This paper investigates the causal impact of working conditions on mental health in the UK, combining new longitudinal data on working conditions from the European Working Conditions Survey with microdata from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey (Understanding Society). Our empirical strategy accounts for the endogenous sorting of individuals into occupations by including individual fixed effects. We address the potential endogeneity of occupational change over time by focusing only on individuals who remain in the same occupation (ISCO 3-digit), exploiting the variation in working conditions within each occupation over time. This variation, determined primarily by general macroeconomic conditions, is likely to be exogenous from the individual point of view. Our results indicate that, for female workers, improvements in working conditions such as skills and discretion, working time quality, and work intensity improve mental health outcomes such as loss of confidence, anxiety, social dysfunction, and risk of clinical depression. These effects are clinically relevant and substantial for younger and older female workers and larger for workers in occupations characterised by an inherently higher level of job strain. We detail how different dimensions of job quality impact different mental health outcomes for different age groups. Our results have important implications for public policies and firms which aim to improve workers’ wellbeing and productivity through workplace interventions focused on mental health

The 1998 outburst of the X-ray transient XTE J2012+381 as observed with BeppoSAX

We report on the results of a series of X-ray observations of the transient black hole candidate XTE J2012+381 during the 1998 outburst performed with the BeppoSAX satellite. The observed broad-band energy spectrum can be described with the superposition of an absorbed disk black body, an iron line plus a high energy component, modelled with either a power law or a Comptonisation tail. The source showed pronounced spectral variability between our five observations. While the soft component in the spectrum remained almost unchanged throughout our campaign, we detected a hard spectral tail which extended to 200 keV in the first two observations, but became barely detectable up to 50 keV in the following two. A further re-hardening is observed in the final observation. The transition from a hard to a soft and then back to a hard state occurred around an unabsorbed 0.1-200 keV luminosity of 10^38 erg/s (at 10 kpc). This indicates that state transitions in XTE 2012+281 are probably not driven only by mass accretion rate, but additional physical parameters must play a role in the evolution of the outburst.Comment: Paper accepted for publication on A&A (macro included, 9 pages, 5 figures

Coupling Between Periodic and Aperiodic Variability in SAX J1808.4-3658

We detect a significant broadening in the wings of the 401 Hz peak in the power spectrum of the accreting millisecond binary pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658. This feature is consistent with the convolution of the red noise present in the power spectrum with the harmonic line. We conclude that the flux modulated by the spin period shows aperiodic variability similar to the red noise in the overall flux, suggesting such variability also originates at the magnetic caps close to the neutron star surface. This is analogous to the results found in some longer period, higher magnetic field pulsators in high mass X-ray binaries.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, to be published in The Astrophysical Journa