142 research outputs found
Origin of intermittent accretion-powered X-ray oscillations in neutron stars with millisecond spin periods
We have shown previously that many of the properties of persistent
accretion-powered millisecond pulsars can be understood if their X-ray emitting
areas are near their spin axes and move as the accretion rate and structure of
the inner disk vary. Here we show that this "nearly aligned moving spot model"
may also explain the intermittent accretion-powered pulsations that have been
detected in three weakly magnetic accreting neutron stars. We show that
movement of the emitting area from very close to the spin axis to about 10
degrees away can increase the fractional rms amplitude from less than about 0.5
percent, which is usually undetectable with current instruments, to a few
percent, which is easily detectable. The second harmonic of the spin frequency
usually would not be detected, in agreement with observations. The model
produces intermittently detectable oscillations for a range of emitting area
sizes and beaming patterns, stellar masses and radii, and viewing directions.
Intermittent oscillations are more likely in stars that are more compact. In
addition to explaining the sudden appearance of accretion-powered millisecond
oscillations in some neutron stars with millisecond spin periods, the model
explains why accretion-powered millisecond oscillations are relatively rare and
predicts that the persistent accretion-powered millisecond oscillations of
other stars may become undetectable for brief intervals. It suggests why
millisecond oscillations are frequently detected during the X-ray bursts of
some neutron stars but not others and suggests mechanisms that could explain
the occasional temporal association of intermittent accretion-powered
oscillations with thermonuclear X-ray bursts.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure; includes additional discussion and updated
references; accepted for publication in ApJ
Implications of kHz QPOs for the spin frequencies and magnetic fields of neutron stars: new results from Circinus X-1
Detection of paired kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) in the
X-ray emission of a compact object is compelling evidence that the object is an
accreting neutron star. In many neutron stars, the stellar spin rate is equal
or roughly equal to Delta-nu, the frequency separation of the QPO pair, or to
2Delta-nu. Hence, if the mechanism that produces the kilohertz QPOs is similar
in all stars, measurement of Delta-nu can provide an estimate of the star's
spin rate. The involvement of the stellar spin in producing Delta-nu indicates
that the magnetic fields of these stars are dynamically important.
We focus here on the implications of the paired kHz QPOs recently discovered
in the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) system Cir X-1 (Boutloukos et al. 2006).
The kHz QPOs discovered in Cir X-1 are generally similar to those seen in other
stars, establishing that the compact object in the Cir X-1 system is a neutron
star. However, the frequency nu-u of its upper kHz QPO is up to a factor of
three smaller than is typical, and Delta-nu varies by about a factor 2 (167 Hz,
the largest variation so far observed). Periodic oscillations have not yet been
detected from Cir X-1, so its spin rate has not yet been measured directly. The
low values of nu-u and the large variation of Delta-nu challenge current models
of the generation of kHz QPOs. Improving our understanding of Cir X-1 will
improve our knowledge of the spin rates and magnetic fields of all neutron
stars.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, a table with all known accreting millisecond
X-ray pulsars up to October 2007. To appear in "40 Years of Pulsars,
Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More" conference proceeding
On mass-constraints implied by the relativistic precession model of twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillations in Circinus X-1
Boutloukos et al. (2006) discovered twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillations
(QPOs) in 11 observations of the peculiar Z-source Circinus X-1. Among several
other conjunctions the authors briefly discussed the related estimate of the
compact object mass following from the geodesic relativistic precession model
for kHz QPOs. Neglecting the neutron star rotation they reported the inferred
mass M_0 = 2.2 +/- 0.3 M_\sun. We present a more detailed analysis of the
estimate which involves the frame-dragging effects associated with rotating
spacetimes. For a free mass we find acceptable fits of the model to data for
(any) small dimensionless compact object angular momentum j=cJ/GM^2. Moreover,
quality of the fit tends to increase very gently with rising j. Good fits are
reached when M ~ M_0[1+0.55(j+j^2)]. It is therefore impossible to estimate the
mass without the independent knowledge of the angular momentum and vice versa.
Considering j up to 0.3 the range of the feasible values of mass extends up to
3M_\sun. We suggest that similar increase of estimated mass due to rotational
effects can be relevant for several other sources.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures (in colour
The return of the bursts: Thermonuclear flashes from Circinus X-1
We report the detection of 15 X-ray bursts with RXTE and Swift observations
of the peculiar X-ray binary Circinus X-1 during its May 2010 X-ray
re-brightening. These are the first X-ray bursts observed from the source after
the initial discovery by Tennant and collaborators, twenty-five years ago. By
studying their spectral evolution, we firmly identify nine of the bursts as
type I (thermonuclear) X-ray bursts. We obtain an arcsecond location of the
bursts that confirms once and for all the identification of Cir X-1 as a type I
X-ray burst source, and therefore as a low magnetic field accreting neutron
star. The first five bursts observed by RXTE are weak and show approximately
symmetric light curves, without detectable signs of cooling along the burst
decay. We discuss their possible nature. Finally, we explore a scenario to
explain why Cir X-1 shows thermonuclear bursts now but not in the past, when it
was extensively observed and accreting at a similar rate.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Tables
1 & 2 merged. Minor changes after referee's comments. 5 pages, 4 Figure
The star cluster formation history of the LMC
The Large Magellanic Cloud is one of the nearest galaxies to us and is one of
only few galaxies where the star formation history can be determined from
studying resolved stellar populations. We have compiled a new catalogue of
ages, luminosities and masses of LMC star clusters and used it to determine the
age distribution and dissolution rate of LMC star clusters. We find that the
frequency of massive clusters with masses M>5000 Msun is almost constant
between 10 and 200 Myr, showing that the influence of residual gas expulsion is
limited to the first 10 Myr of cluster evolution or clusters less massive than
5000 Msun. Comparing the cluster frequency in that interval with the absolute
star formation rate, we find that about 15% of all stars in the LMC were formed
in long-lived star clusters that survive for more than 10 Myr. We also find
that the mass function of LMC clusters younger than 1 Gyr can be fitted by a
power-law mass function with slope \alpha=-2.3, while older clusters follow a
significantly shallower slope and interpret this is a sign of the ongoing
dissolution of low-mass clusters. Our data shows that for ages older than 200
Myr, about 90% of all clusters are lost per dex of lifetime. The implied
cluster dissolution rate is significantly faster than that based on analytic
estimates and N-body simulations. Our cluster age data finally shows evidence
for a burst in cluster formation about 1 Gyr ago, but little evidence for
bursts at other ages.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, MNRAS in pres
What can quasi-periodic oscillations tell us about the structure of the corresponding compact objects?
We show how one can estimate the multipole moments of the space-time,
assuming that the quasi-periodic modulations of the X-ray flux (quasi-periodic
oscillations), observed from accreting neutron stars or black holes, are due to
orbital and precession frequencies (relativistic precession model). The
precession frequencies and can be expressed as
expansions on the orbital frequency , in which the moments enter the
coefficients in a prescribed form. Thus, observations can be fitted to these
expressions in order to evaluate the moments. If the compact object is a
neutron star, constrains can be imposed on the equation of state. The same
analysis can be used for black holes as a test for the validity of the no-hair
theorem. Alternatively, instead of fitting for the moments, observations can be
matched to frequencies calculated from analytic models that are produced so as
to correspond to realistic neutron stars described by various equations of
state. Observations can thus be used to constrain the equation of state and
possibly other physical parameters (mass, rotation, quadrupole, etc.) Some
distinctive features of the frequencies, which become evident by using the
analytic models, are discussed.Comment: accepted in MNRAS; changes made to match version in prin
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