The emission regions in X-ray binaries: dipping as a diagnostic

X-ray dipping in the black hole binary Cygnus X-1, the Galactic jet source GRO J1655-40 and in low mass X-ray binaries is discussed. It is shown that spectral analysis strongly constrains emission models. Measurement of dip ingress/egress times allows the sizes of extended emission regions to be determined, notably for the Accretion Disk Corona which is responsible for Comptonization in X-ray binaries. In LMXB, the radius of the ADC is shown to be between ~ 10^9 and ~ 5x10^10 cm, an appreciable fraction of the accretion disk radius. This is inconsistent with Comptonization models requiring a localized Comptonizing region, for example, in the immediate neighbourhood of the neutron star. Results from a survey of LMXB using ASCA and BeppoSAX reveal an approximate equality between the height of the blackbody emission region on the neutron star and the height of the inner radiatively-supported disk, suggesting either that there is a direct causal link, such as a radial accretion flow between the inner disk edge and the star, or an indirect link, as in the case of accretion flow creep on the surface of the neutron star as suggested by Inogamov & Sunyaev. Finally, the survey shows that the blackbody cannot originate on the accretion disk as the required inner radii in many sources are substantially less than the neutron star radius.Comment: solicited review paper presented at COSPAR 2000 "X-ray and Gamma-ray Signatures of Black Holes and Weakly Magnetized Neutron Stars"; accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research (2nd affiliation added

Measurements of accretion disc corona size in LMXB: consequences for Comptonization and LMXB models

We present results of measurements of the radial extent of the accretion disc corona in low mass X-ray binaries. These results prove conclusively the extended nature of the ADC, with radial extent varying from 20,000 km in the faintest sources to 700,000 km in the brightest, a substantial fraction of the accretion disc radius, typically 15%. This result rules out the Eastern model for LMXB which is extensively used, in which the Comptonizing region is a small central region. The ADC size depends strongly on the 1 - 30 keV source luminosity via a simple relationship r_ADC = L^{0.88 +/- 0.16} (99% confidence) close to a simple proportionality. We also present limited evidence that the ADC size agrees with the Compton radius r_C, or maximum radius for hydrostatic equilibrium. The results are consistent with models in which an extended ADC is formed by illumination of the disc by the central source. The dependence on luminosity may reflect the known decrease of coronal temperature as the source luminosity increases leading to an increase of r_C. The extended nature of the ADC means that the seed photons for Comptonization must consist of emission from the disc to the same radial extent as the corona, providing copious supplies of soft seed photons. We demonstrate the importance of the size of the ADC to the correct description of Comptonization, and derive the Comptonized spectrum of a LMXB based on thermal Comptonization of these seed photons and show that this differs fundamentally from that of the Eastern model which assumes a cut-off below 1 keV. Finally, we argue that our results are inconsistent with the assumption often made that the X-ray emission of accreting Black Holes and Neutron Stars has a common mechanism depending on the properties of the accretion flow only.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, MNRAS in press - final versio

A highly-ionized absorber as a new explanation for the spectral changes during dips from X-ray binaries

Until now, the spectral changes observed from persistent to dipping intervals in dipping low-mass X-ray binaries were explained by invoking progressive and partial covering of an extended emission region. Here, we propose a novel and simpler way to explain these spectral changes, which does not require any partial covering and hence any extended corona, and further has the advantage of explaining self-consistently the spectral changes both in the continuum and the narrow absorption lines that are now revealed by XMM-Newton. In 4U 1323-62, we detect Fe XXV and Fe XXVI absorption lines and model them for the first time by including a complete photo-ionized absorber model rather than individual Gaussian profiles. We demonstrate that the spectral changes both in the continuum and the lines can be simply modeled by variations in the properties of the ionized absorber. From persistent to dipping the photo-ionization parameter decreases while the equivalent hydrogen column density of the ionized absorber increases. In a recent work (see Diaz Trigo et al. in these proceedings), we show that our new approach can be successfully applied to all the other dipping sources that have been observed by XMM-Newton.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "The X-ray Universe 2005", San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spain), 26-30 September 200

Spectral Evolution of the Continuum and Disc Line in Dipping in GRO J1655-40

The discovery is reported of emission features in the X-ray spectrum of GRO J1655-40 obtained using Rossi-XTE on 1997, Feb 26. The features have been fitted firstly by two Gaussian lines, which in four spectra have average energies of 5.85+/-0.08 keV and 7.32+/-0.13 keV, strongly suggestive that these are the red- and blueshifted wings of an iron disc line from material with velocity ~0.33 c. The blue wing is apparently less bright than expected for a disc line subject to Doppler boosting, however, known absorption in the spectrum of GRO J1655-40 at energies between ~7 and 8 keV can reduce the apparent brightness of the blue wing. The spectra have also been fitted well using the full relativistic disc line model of Laor, plus an absorption line. This gives a restframe energy between 6.4 and 6.8 keV indicating that the line is from highly ionized iron K_alpha. The Laor model also shows that the line originates at radii extending from ~10 Schwarzschild radii (r_S) outwards. The line is direct evidence for the black hole nature of the compact object. The continuum is well described by dominant disc blackbody emission plus Comptonized emission. During dipping, spectral evolution is well modelled by allowing progressive covering of the disc blackbody and simple absorption of the Comptonized emission showing that the thermal emission is more extended. Acceptable fits are only obtained by including the disc line in the covering term, indicating that it originates in the same inner disc region as the thermal continuum. Dip ingress times and durations are used to provide the radius of the disc blackbody emitter as 170-370 r_S, and the radius of the absorber.Comment: paper presented at COSPAR 2000 "X-ray and Gamma-ray Signatures of Black Holes and Weakly Magnetized Neutron Stars"; accepted for publication in Advances in Space Researc

Neutral absorber dips in the periodic burster LMXB XB 1323-619 from Suzaku

We present results of an observation with Suzaku of the dipping, periodic bursting low mass X-ray binary XB 1323-619. Using the energy band 0.8 - 70 keV, we show that the source spectrum is well-described as the emission of an extended accretion disk corona, plus a small contribution of blackbody emission from the neutron star. The dip spectrum is well-fitted by the progressive covering model in which the extended ADC is progressively overlapped by the absorbing bulge of low ionization state in the outer accretion disk and that dipping is basically due to photoelectric absorption in the bulge. An energy-independent decrease of flux at high energies (20 - 70 keV) is shown to be consistent with the level of Thomson scattering expected in the bulge. An absorption feature at 6.67 keV (Fe XXV) is detected in the non-dip spectrum and other possible weak features. In dipping, absorption lines of medium and highly ionized states are seen suggestive of absorption in the ADC but there is no evidence that the lines are stronger than in non-dip. We show that the luminosity of the source has changed substantially since the Exosat observation of 1985, increasing in luminosity between 1985 and 2003, then in 2003 - 2007 falling to the initial low value. X-ray bursting has again become periodic, which it ceased to do in its highest luminosity state, and we find that the X-ray bursts exhibit both the fast decay and later slow decay characteristic of the rp burning process. We present arguments against the recent proposal that the decrease of continuum flux in the dipping LMXB in general can be explained as absorption in an ionized absorber rather than in the bulge in the outer disk generally accepted to be the site of absorption.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics in pres

Results of a LMXB survey: variation in the height of the neutron star blackbody emission region

We present results of a survey of the spectra of Low Mass X-ray Binaries using ASCA. It is shown that all sources in the survey are well-fitted by the same two-component emission model that we have previously shown is able to describe both the non-dip and dip spectra of the dipping class of LMXB. This model consists of point-like blackbody emission from the neutron star plus Comptonized emission from a disk-like accretion disk corona of radius typically 50,000 km. Additional data from results published elsewhere by us from BeppoSAX and ASCA are added to the survey. The large variation in blackbody luminosity of survey sources is shown to be due primarily to major changes in blackbody emitting area. Fitting a multi-temperature disk blackbody plus Comptonization model to the survey spectra requires values of inner disk radius substantially less than the neutron star radius in many cases, making disk origin of the blackbody highly unlikely. Assuming that the emission is from an equatorial strip on the neutron star, it is shown that the half-height of the strip h agrees well with the half-height H of the radiatively-supported inner accretion disk, this agreement spanning three orders of magnitude in each parameter. Possible mechanisms for the agreement are discussed, including radial accretion flow between inner disk and star, and accretion flow ``creep' on the surface of the neutron star.Comment: 10 pages, 7 ps figures; accepted for publication in A&A Main Journa

Physical changes during Z-track movement in Sco X-1 on the flaring branch

We present results of a detailed study of X-ray flaring in the Z-track source Sco X-1 in a highly super-Eddington state made using high quality Rossi-XTE data from the PCA and HEXTE instruments. The emission model successfully used to explain the dipping LMXB, and other classes of LMXB in recent years, was applied to study the physical evolution along the Z-track which remains a major problem. This model consists of blackbody emission from the neutron star plus Comptonized emission from an extended accretion disk corona. As found in earlier work, major changes take place in the neutron star blackbody emission with kT increasing in flaring, and the blackbody radius R_BB increasing substantially to a maximum value of 9.4 +/- 0.6 km, consistent with the radius of the neutron star, after which R_BB decreases. Thus this result is a measurement of neutron star radius. The behaviour of Sco X-1 in flaring is compared with our previous results for the strong flaring that takes place in the bright dipping, flaring LMXB X 1624-490. Remarkably, during movement along the Normal Branch towards the apex with the Flaring Branch, the luminosities of both spectral components decrease, suggesting the possibility that Mdot may decrease on the Normal Branch, contrary to the widely-held view that Mdot increases monotonically along the Z-track. During flaring, we detect for the first time an increase of the Comptonization cut-off energy which may suggest heating of the ADC plasma by the neutron star flare. The energy of a broad Gaussian line at 6.4 keV does not change, but the intensity of the line increases in flaring suggesting either an increase in ADC size in flaring or the effects of irradiation by the neutron star.Comment: 12 pages including 8 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics in press; reference list correcte

The Ephemeris and Dipping Spectral Behavior of X1624-490

We present striking results from Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the 21-hr low mass X-ray binary X1624-490, showing five complex dips in unprecedented detail. For the first time, dipping is detected up to 15 keV. Prominent flares are also observed in the light curves, limited to energies above 8 keV. Spectra selected by intensity during dip episodes can be well fit with a two-component model consisting of a point-like blackbody from the neutron star and progressive covering of an extended Comptonized region, presumably an accretion disk corona (ADC), corrected for photons scattered into and out of the X-ray beam by a interstellar dust halo. We find that the outer regions of the absorber are highly ionized and that electron scattering is totally responsible for the X-ray attenuation during shallow dipping. The timescales of dip ingress and egress indicate that the envelope of material absorbing the ADC has smaller angular size than the ADC itself, and that the ADC is likely limited to a height-to-radius ratio of 10%, rather than being spherical in extent. In addition, we have analyzed 4.5 yrs of RXTE All Sky Monitor (ASM) coverage to derive the first accurate orbital ephemeris for X1624-490, with phase zero (the time of dip centers) well-described by the relation 2450088.63918(69) + N*0.869907(12) (JD).Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

The Cessation of Flickering during Dips in Cygnus X-1

We report the discovery of the cessation of flickering in dips in the black hole candidate Cygnus X-1, detected for the first time in the ASCA observation of May 9th., 1995. During this observation, particularly deep dipping took place resulting in strong changes in hardness ratio corresponding to absorption of the power law spectral component. The deadtime corrected light curve with high time resolution clearly shows a dramatic decrease in the extent of flickering in the band 0.7 - 4.0 keV during dipping, but in the band 4.0 - 10.0 keV, there is relatively little change. We show that the rms flickering amplitude in the band 0.7 - 4.0 keV is proportional to the X-ray intensity in this band which changes by a factor of almost three. This is direct evidence that the strong Low State flickering is intrinsic to the power law emission; ie takes place as part of the emission process. The rms amplitude is proportional to the intensity in the low energy band, except for a possible deviation from linearity at the lower intensities. If confirmed, this non-linearity could imply a process such as electron scattering of radiation which will tend to smear out the fluctuations, or a process of fluctuation generation which depends on radial position in the source. Thus timing observations during absorption dips can give information about the source region and may place constraints on its size.Comment: 6 pages including 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter