3,009 research outputs found
The transitional millisecond pulsar IGR J18245-2452 during its 2013 outburst at X-rays and soft gamma-rays
IGR~J18245--2452/PSR J1824--2452I is one of the rare transitional accreting
millisecond X-ray pulsars, showing direct evidence of switches between states
of rotation powered radio pulsations and accretion powered X-ray pulsations,
dubbed transitional pulsars. IGR~J18245--2452 is the only transitional pulsar
so far to have shown a full accretion episode, reaching an X-ray luminosity of
~erg~s permitting its discovery with INTEGRAL in 2013. In
this paper, we report on a detailed analysis of the data collected with the
IBIS/ISGRI and the two JEM-X monitors on-board INTEGRAL at the time of the 2013
outburst. We make use of some complementary data obtained with the instruments
on-board XMM-Newton and Swift in order to perform the averaged broad-band
spectral analysis of the source in the energy range 0.4 -- 250~keV. We have
found that this spectrum is the hardest among the accreting millisecond X-ray
pulsars. We improved the ephemeris, now valid across its full outburst, and
report the detection of pulsed emission up to keV in both the ISGRI
() and Fermi/GBM () bandpass. The alignment of the
ISGRI and Fermi GBM 20 -- 60 keV pulse profiles are consistent at a $\sim25\
\mu$s level. We compared the pulse profiles obtained at soft X-rays with \xmm\
with the soft \gr-ray ones, and derived the pulsed fractions of the fundamental
and first harmonic, as well as the time lag of the fundamental harmonic, up to
s, as a function of energy. We report on a thermonuclear X-ray burst
detected with \Integ, and using the properties of the previously type-I X-ray
burst, we show that all these events are powered primarily by helium ignited at
a depth of g cm. For such a helium
burst the estimated recurrence time of d is in
agreement with the observations.Comment: 10 pages, 6 Figures, 3 Tables Astronomy and Astrophysics Journal,
accepted for publication on the 13th of April 201
GRB990510: on the possibility of a beamed X-ray afterglow
We discuss the prompt emission of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 990510 and its
subsequent X-ray afterglow from 8.0 to 44.3 hrs after the prompt emission,
using observations with the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Narrow Field
Instruments on BeppoSAX. In the 40-700 keV band, GRB990510 had a fluence of
\~1.9x10^{-5}erg cm^{-2}, whereas it reached a peak flux of ~2.4x10^{-6}erg
cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The X-ray afterglow decay light curve can be satisfactorily
described by a single power law with index of -1.42+/-0.07. Both the X-ray and
optical behaviour of the afterglow can be explained by gamma-ray burst debris
expanding as a jet; we find that the cooling frequency is (fixed) between the
optical and X-ray wavelength bands.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars: 10 years of INTEGRAL observations
During the last 10 years, INTEGRAL made a unique contribution to the study of
accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars (AMXPs), discovering three of the 14
sources now known of this class. Besides increasing the number of known AMXPs,
INTEGRAL also carried out observations of these objects above 20 keV,
substantially advancing our understanding of their behaviour. We present here a
review of all the AMXPs observed with INTEGRAL and discuss the physical
interpretation of their behaviour in the X-ray domain. We focus in particular
on the lightcurve profile during outburst, as well as the timing, spectral, and
thermonuclear type-I X-ray bursts properties.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures. Proceedings of "An INTEGRAL view of the
high-energy sky (the first 10 years)" the 9th INTEGRAL Workshop, October
15-19, 2012, Paris, Franc
Low frequency VLBI in space using GAS-Can satellites: Report on the May 1987 JPL Workshop
Summarized are the results of a workshop held at JPL on May 28 and 29, 1987, to study the feasibility of using small, very inexpensive spacecraft for a low-frequency radio interferometer array. Many technical aspects of a mission to produce high angular resolution images of the entire sky at frequencies from 2 to 20 MHz were discussed. The workshop conclusion was that such a mission was scientifically valuable and technically practical. A useful array could be based on six or more satellites no larger than those launched from Get-Away-Special canisters. The cost of each satellite could be $1-2M, and the mass less than 90 kg. Many details require further study, but as this report shows, there is good reason to proceed. No fundamental problems have been discovered involving the use of untraditional, very inexpensive spacecraft for this type of mission
Hard X-ray timing and spectral properties of PSR B0540-69
We report the hard X-ray properties of the young Crab-like LMC pulsar PSR
B0540-69, using archival RXTE PCA (2 - 60 keV) and RXTE HEXTE (15 - 250 keV)
data. Making use of the very long effective exposure of 684 ks, we derived a
very detailed master pulse profile for energies 2 - 20 keV. We confirm the
broad single-pulse shape with a dip in the middle and with a significant fine
structure to the left of the dip. For the first time pulse profiles in the 10 -
50 keV energy interval are shown. Remarkably, the coarse pulse shape is stable
from the optical up to X-ray energies analogous to the case of the Crab pulsar
(PSR B0531+21). The profiles can be described with two Gaussians with a phase
separation of ~0.2; the distribution of the ratios between the two components
from the optical to the X-ray range is consistent with being flat. Therefore we
cannot conclude that the profile consists of two distinct components. We also
derived a new total pulsed spectrum in the ~0.01 - 50 keV range in a consistent
analysis including also archival ROSAT PSPC (0.01 - 2.5 keV) data. This
spectrum cannot be described by a single power-law, but requires an additional
energy dependent term. The bending of the spectrum around 10 keV resembles that
of the Crab pulsar spectrum. Although model calculations using Outer Gap
scenarios could probably explain the high-energy characteristics of PSR
B0540-69 as they successfully do for the Crab, our measurements do not entirely
agree with the latest calculations by Zhang & Cheng (2000). The small
discrepancies are likely to be caused by uncertainties in the pulsar's
geometry.Comment: 7 pages and 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Hard X-ray timing and spectral characteristics of the energetic pulsar PSR J0205+6449 in supernova remnant 3C58
PSR J0205+6449 is a young rotation-powered pulsar in SNR 3C 58. It is one of
only three young (<10,000 year old) pulsars which are so far detected in the
radio and the classical X-ray bands, as well as at hard X-rays above 20 keV and
at high-energy (>100 MeV) -rays. The other two young pulsars are the
Crab and PSR B1509-58. Our aim is to derive the timing and spectral
characteristics of PSR J0205+6449 over the broad X-ray band from ~0.5 to ~270
keV. We used all publicly available RXTE observations of PSR J0205+6449 to
first generate accurate ephemerides over the period September 30, 2000 - March
18, 2006. Next, phase-folding procedures yielded pulse profiles using data from
RXTE PCA and HEXTE, and XMM-Newton EPIC PN. While our timing solutions are
consistent with earlier results, our work shows sharper structures in the PCA
X-ray profile. The X-ray pulse profile consists of two sharp pulses, separated
in phase by 0.488(2), which can be described with 2 asymmetric Lorentzians,
each with the rising wing steeper than the trailing wing, and
full-width-half-maximum 1.41(5) ms and 2.35(22) ms, respectively. We find an
indication for a flux increase by a factor ~2, about 3.5 sigma above the
time-averaged value, for the second, weaker pulse during a two-week interval,
while its pulse shape did not change. The spectrum of the pulsed X-ray emission
is of non-thermal origin, exhibiting a power-law shape with photon index Gamma
= 1.03(2) over the energy band ~0.5 to ~270 keV. In the energy band covered
with the PCA (~3-30 keV) the spectra of the two pulses have the same photon
index, namely, 1.04(3) and 1.10(8), respectively.Comment: 10 pages; 7 figures (2 in color), resubmitted to A&A, including
referee comment
Gamma-ray Luminosity and Death Lines of Pulsars with Outer Gaps
We re-examine the outer gap size by taking the geometry of the dipole
magnetic field into account. Furthermore, we also consider that instead of
taking the gap size at half of the light cylinder radius to represent the
entire outer gap it is more appropriate to average the entire outer gap size
over the distance. When these two factors are considered, the derived outer gap
size f is not only the function of period P and magnetic field B of the neutron
star, but also the function of the average radial distance to the neutron star
. We use this new outer gap model to study -ray luminosity of
pulsars, and to study the death lines of -ray emission of the pulsars.
Our model can predict the -ray luminosity of individual pulsar if its
and are known. Since different pulsars have different ,
this explains why some -ray pulsars have very similar and but
have very different -ray luminosities. In determining the death line of
-ray pulsars, we have used a new criterion based on concrete physical
reason. In estimate of the fractional size of the outer gap, two possible X-ray
fields are considered: (i) X-rays are produced by the neutron star cooling and
polar cap heating, and (ii)X-rays are produced by the bombardment of the
relativistic particles from the outer gap on the stellar surface. Since it is
very difficult to measure in general, we use a Monte Carlo method to
simulate the properties of -ray pulsars in our galaxy. We find that
this new outer gap model predicts many more weak -ray pulsars. For all
simulated -ray pulsars with self-sustained outer gaps, -ray
luminosity satisfies ; where
the value of depends on the ensitivity of the -ray detector.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
FUSE Spectra of the Black Hole Binary LMC X-3
Far-ultraviolet spectra of LMC X-3 were taken covering photometric phases
0.47 to 0.74 in the 1.7-day orbital period of the black-hole binary (phase zero
being superior conjunction of the X-ray source). The continuum is faint and
flat, but appears to vary significantly during the observations. Concurrent
RXTE/ASM observations show the system was in its most luminous X-ray state
during the FUSE observations. The FUV spectrum contains strong terrestrial
airglow emission lines, while the only stellar lines clearly present are
emissions from the O VI resonance doublet. Their flux does not change
significantly during the FUSE observations. These lines are modelled as two
asymmetrical profiles, including the local ISM absorptions due to C II and
possibly O VI. Velocity variations of O VI emission are consistent with the
orbital velocity of the black hole and provide a new constraint on its mass.Comment: 12 pages including 1 table, 4 diagrams To appear in A
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