X-ray Shots of Cyg X-1

X-ray shots of Cyg X-1 in different energy bands and spectral states have been studied with PCA/RXTE observations. The detailed shot structure is obtained by superposing many shots with one millisecond time bin through aligning their peaks with an improved algorithm. In general, the shots are composed of a slow rise and fast decay. The shot structures in the different states are different. The duration of shot in the high state is shorter than that in the low and transition states. The shot profile in the high energy band is more asymmetric and narrower than that in the low energy band. The average hardness of shot is lower than that of steady emission in the transition and low states but higher than that in the high state. The time lags between the shots in higher and lower energy bands have been found in the different states. In transition states, the time lag is the largest among the different states of Cyg X-1, and it is the smallest in the low state. The implications of the observed shot features for shot models are discussed.Comment: Latex, 20 pages, 12 figures(included), to be published in Ap

Neutron Star Masses and Radii as Inferred from kilo-Hertz QPOs

Kilo-Hertz (kHz) Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) have been discovered in the X-ray fluxes of 8 low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The characteristics of these QPOs are remarkably similar from one source to another. In particular, the highest observed QPO frequencies for 6 of the 8 sources fall in a very narrow range: 1,066 to 1,171 Hz. This is the more remarkable when one considers that these sources are thought to have very different luminosities and magnetic fields, and produce very different count rates in the RXTE detectors. Therefore it is highly unlikely that this near constancy of the highest observed frequencies is due to some unknown selection effect or instrumental bias. In this letter we propose that the highest observed QPO frequency can be taken as the orbital frequency of the marginally stable orbit. This leads to the conclusions that the neutron stars in these LMXBs are inside their marginally stable orbits and have masses in the vicinity of 2.0 solar masses. This mass is consistent with the hypothesis that these neutron stars were born with about 1.4 solar masses and have been accreting matter at a fraction of the Eddington limit for 100 million years.Comment: 7 pages, uses aas2pp4.sty, Accepted by ApJ

X-ray Observations and Infrared Identification of the Transient 7.8 s X-ray Binary Pulsar XTE J1829-098

XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of the transient 7.8 s pulsar XTE J1829-098 are used to characterize its pulse shape and spectrum, and to facilitate a search for an optical or infrared counterpart. In outburst, the absorbed, hard X-ray spectrum with Gamma = 0.76+/-0.13 and N_H = (6.0+/-0.6) x 10^{22} cm^{-2} is typical of X-ray binary pulsars. The precise Chandra localization in a faint state leads to the identification of a probable infrared counterpart at R.A. = 18h29m43.98s, decl. = -09o51'23.0" (J2000.0) with magnitudes K=12.7, H=13.9, I>21.9, and R>23.2. If this is a highly reddened O or B star, we estimate a distance of 10 kpc, at which the maximum observed X-ray luminosity is 2x10^{36} ergs s^{-1}, typical of Be X-ray transients or wind-fed systems. The minimum observed luminosity is 3x10^{32}(d/10 kpc)^2 ergs s^{-1}. We cannot rule out the possibility that the companion is a red giant. The two known X-ray outbursts of XTE J1829-098 are separated by ~1.3 yr, which may be the orbital period or a multiple of it, with the neutron star in an eccentric orbit. We also studied a late M-giant long-period variable that we found only 9" from the X-ray position. It has a pulsation period of ~1.5 yr, but is not the companion of the X-ray source.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. To appear in The Astrophysical Journa

An X-Ray Dip in the X-Ray Transient 4U 1630-47

An x-ray dip was observed during a 1996 Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observation of the recurrent x-ray transient 4U 1630-47. During the dip, the 2-60 keV x-ray flux drops by a factor of about three, and, at the lowest point of the dip, the x-ray spectrum is considerably softer than at non-dip times. We find that the 4U 1630-47 dip is best explained by absorption of the inner part of an accretion disk, while the outer part of the disk is unaffected. The spectral evolution during the dip is adequately described by the variation of a single parameter, the column density obscuring the inner disk.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Exploring the spreading layer of GX 9+9 using RXTE and INTEGRAL

We have fitted ~200 RXTE and INTEGRAL spectra of the neutron star LMXB GX 9+9 from 2002-2007 with a model consisting of a disc blackbody and another blackbody representing the spreading layer (SL), i.e. an extended accretion zone on the NS surface as opposed to the more traditional disc-like boundary layer. Contrary to theory, the SL temperature was seen to increase towards low SL luminosities, while the approximate angular extent had a nearly linear luminosity dependency. Comptonization was not required to adequately fit these spectra. Together with the ~70 degree upper bound of inclination implied by the lack of eclipses, the best-fitting normalization of the accretion disc blackbody component implies a distance of ~10 kpc, instead of the usually quoted 5 kpc.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

On the two types of steady hard X-ray states of GRS 1915+105

Using the data of 5 years of RXTE observations we investigate the X-ray spectral and timing properties of GRS 1915+105 during the hard steady states. According to the results of our simultaneous X-ray spectral and timing analysis the behavior the source during the hard steady states can be reduced to a couple of major distinct types. i) Type I states: The dominant hard component of the energy spectrum has characteristic quasi- exponential cut-off at 50-120 keV. The broad-band power density spectrum of the source shows significant high frequency noise component with a cut-off at 60-80 Hz. ii) Type II states: The hard spectral component has a break in its slope at ~12-20 keV. The high frequency part of the power density spectrum fades quickly lacking significant variability at frequencies higher than ~30 Hz. These two types of the X-ray hard states are also clearly distinguished by their properties in the radio band: while during the type I observations the source tends to be 'radio-quiet', the type II observations are characterized by high level of radio flux ('plateau' radio states). In this work we demonstrate aforementioned differences using the data of 12 representative hard steady state observations. We conclude that the difference between these two types can be probably explained in terms of different structure of the accretion flow in the immediate vicinity of the compact object due to presence of relativistic outflow of matter.Comment: 16 pages, including 3 figures, submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letter

Strong Field Gravity and X-Ray Observations of 4U1820-30

The behavior of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) at frequencies near 1 kHz in the x-ray emission from the neutron star x-ray binary 4U1820-30 has been interpreted as evidence for the existence of the marginally stable orbit, a key prediction of strong-field general relativity. The signature of the marginally stable orbit is a saturation in QPO frequency, assumed to track inner disk radius, versus mass accretion rate. Previous studies of 4U1820-30 have used x-ray count rate as an indicator of mass accretion rate. However, x-ray count rate is known to not correlate robustly with mass accretion rate or QPO frequency in other sources. Here, we examine the QPO frequency dependence on two other indicators of mass accretion rate: energy flux and x-ray spectral shape. Using either of these indicators, we find that the QPO frequency saturates at high mass accretion rates. We interpret this as strong evidence for the existence of the marginally stable orbit.Comment: accepted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters, 7 page