X-ray spectral components of the blazar and binary black hole candidate OJ 287 (2005-2020)

We present a comprehensive analysis of all XMM-Newton spectra of OJ 287 spanning 15 yr of X-ray spectroscopy of this bright blazar. We also report the latest results from our dedicated Swift UVOT and XRT monitoring of OJ 287, which started in 2015, along with all earlier public Swift data since 2005. During this time interval, OJ 287 was caught in extreme minima and outburst states. Its X-ray spectrum is highly variable and encompasses all states seen in blazars from very flat to exceptionally steep. The spectrum can be decomposed into three spectral components: Inverse Compton (IC) emission dominant at low-state, supersoft synchrotron emission that becomes increasingly dominant as OJ 287 brightens, and an intermediately-soft (Gamma(x) = 2.2) additional component seen at outburst. This last component extends beyond 10 keV and plausibly represents either a second synchrotron/IC component and/or a temporary disc corona of the primary supermassive black hole (SMBH). Our 2018 XMM-Newton observation, quasi-simultaneous with the Event Horizon Telescope observation of OJ 287, is well described by a two-component model with a hard IC component of Gamma(x) = 1.5 and a soft synchrotron component. Low-state spectra limit any long-lived accretion disc/corona contribution in X-rays to a very low value of L-x/L-Edd < 5.6 x 10(-4) (for M-BH,M- primary = 1.8 x 10(10) M-circle dot). Some implications for the binary SMBH model of OJ 287 are discussed

A change in the optical polarization associated with a gamma-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279

It is widely accepted that strong and variable radiation detected over all accessible energy bands in a number of active galaxies arises from a relativistic, Doppler-boosted jet pointing close to our line of sight. The size of the emitting zone and the location of this region relative to the central supermassive black hole are, however, poorly known, with estimates ranging from light-hours to a light-year or more. Here we report the coincidence of a gamma-ray flare with a dramatic change of optical polarization angle. This provides evidence for co-spatiality of optical and gamma-ray emission regions and indicates a highly ordered jet magnetic field. The results also require a non-axisymmetric structure of the emission zone, implying a curved trajectory for the emitting material within the jet, with the dissipation region located at a considerable distance from the black hole, at about 10^5 gravitational radii.Comment: Published in Nature issued on 18 February 2010. Corresponding authors: Masaaki Hayashida and Greg Madejsk

EXPRES. III. Revealing the stellar activity radial velocity signature of ϵ Eridani with photometry and interferometry

This is the final version. Available from IOP Publishing via the DOI in this record. The distortions of absorption line profiles caused by photospheric brightness variations on the surfaces of cool, main-sequence stars can mimic or overwhelm radial velocity (RV) shifts due to the presence of exoplanets. The latest generation of precision RV spectrographs aims to detect velocity amplitudes ≲ 10 cm s-1, but requires mitigation of stellar signals. Statistical techniques are being developed to differentiate between Keplerian and activity-related velocity perturbations. Two important challenges, however, are the interpretability of the stellar activity component as RV models become more sophisticated, and ensuring the lowest-amplitude Keplerian signatures are not inadvertently accounted for in flexible models of stellar activity. For the K2V exoplanet host Eridani, we separately used ground-based photometry to constrain Gaussian processes for modeling RVs and TESS photometry with a light-curve inversion algorithm to reconstruct the stellar surface. From the reconstructions of TESS photometry, we produced an activity model that reduced the rms scatter in RVs obtained with EXPRES from 4.72 to 1.98 m s-1. We present a pilot study using the CHARA Array and MIRC-X beam combiner to directly image the starspots seen in the TESS photometry. With the limited phase coverage, our spot detections are marginal with current data but a future dedicated observing campaign should allow for imaging, as well as allow the stellar inclination and orientation with respect to the debris disk to be definitively determined. This work shows that stellar surface maps obtained with high-cadence, time-series photometric and interferometric data can provide the constraints needed to accurately reduce RV scatter.European CommissionNSFNSFNASANASA XRPEuropean Research CouncilNASA TESS GIHeising-Simons FoundationAnonymous donor in the Yale alumni communityYale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics Prize Postdoctoral FellowshipHeising-Simons 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowshi

Radio and optical intra-day variability observations of five blazars

We carried out a pilot campaign of radio and optical band intra-day variability (IDV) observations of five blazars (3C66A, S5 0716+714, OJ287, B0925+504 and BL Lacertae) on 2015 December 18-21 by using the radio telescope in Effelsberg (Germany) and several optical telescopes in Asia, Europe and America. After calibration, the light curves from both 5 GHz radio band and the optical R band were obtained, although the data were not smoothly sampled over the sampling period of about four days. We tentatively analyse the amplitudes and time-scales of the variabilities, and any possible periodicity. The blazars vary significantly in the radio (except 3C66A and BL Lacertae with only marginal variations) and optical bands on intra-and inter-day time-scales, and the source B0925+504 exhibits a strong quasi-periodic radio variability. No significant correlation between the radio-and optical-band variability appears in the five sources, which we attribute to the radio IDV being dominated by interstellar scintillation whereas the optical variability comes from the source itself. However, the radio and optical-band variations appear to be weakly correlated in some sources and should be investigated based on well-sampled data from future observations

A polarimetrically oriented X-ray stare at the accreting pulsar EXO 2030+375

Accreting X-ray pulsars (XRPs) are presumed to be ideal targets for polarization measurements, as their high magnetic field strength is expected to polarize the emission up to a polarization degree of 80%. However, such expectations are being challenged by recent observations of XRPs with the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE). Here, we report on the results of yet another XRP, namely, EXO 2030+375, observed with IXPE and contemporarily monitored with Insight-HXMT and SRG/ART-XC. In line with recent results obtained with IXPE for similar sources, an analysis of the EXO 2030+375 data returns a low polarization degree of 0%- 3% in the phase-averaged study and a variation in the range of 2%- 7% in the phase-resolved study. Using the rotating vector model, we constrained the geometry of the system and obtained a value of 60 for the magnetic obliquity. When considering the estimated pulsar inclination of 130, this also indicates that the magnetic axis swings close to the observera's line of sight. Our joint polarimetric, spectral, and timing analyses hint toward a complex accreting geometry, whereby magnetic multipoles with an asymmetric topology and gravitational light bending significantly affect the behavior of the observed source

Complex variations in X-ray polarization in the X-ray pulsar LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431

We report on Imaging X-ray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) observations of the Be-transient X-ray pulsar LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431 made at two luminosity levels during the giant outburst in January- February 2023. Considering the observed spectral variability and changes in the pulse profiles, the source was likely caught in supercritical and subcritical states with significantly different emission-region geometry, associated with the presence of accretion columns and hot spots, respectively. We focus here on the pulse-phase-resolved polarimetric analysis and find that the observed dependencies of the polarization degree and polarization angle (PA) on the pulse phase are indeed drastically different for the two observations. The observed differences, if interpreted within the framework of the rotating vector model (RVM), imply dramatic variations in the spin axis inclination, the position angle, and the magnetic colatitude by tens of degrees within the space of just a few days. We suggest that the apparent changes in the observed PA phase dependence are predominantly related to the presence of an unpulsed polarized component in addition to the polarized radiation associated with the pulsar itself. We then show that the observed PA phase dependence in both observations can be explained with a single set of RVM parameters defining the pulsar s geometry. We also suggest that the additional polarized component is likely produced by scattering of the pulsar radiation in the equatorial disk wind

Polarization Properties of the Weakly Magnetized Neutron Star X-Ray Binary GS 1826-238 in the High Soft State

The launch of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) on 2021 December 9 has opened a new window in X-ray astronomy. We report here the results of the first IXPE observation of a weakly magnetized neutron star, GS 1826−238, performed on 2022 March 29-31 when the source was in a high soft state. An upper limit (99.73% confidence level) of 1.3% for the linear polarization degree is obtained over the IXPE 2-8 keV energy range. Coordinated INTEGRAL and NICER observations were carried out simultaneously with IXPE. The spectral parameters obtained from the fits to the broadband spectrum were used as inputs for Monte Carlo simulations considering different possible geometries of the X-ray emitting region. Comparing the IXPE upper limit with these simulations, we can put constraints on the geometry and inclination angle of GS 1826-238

Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462

CONTEXT: After about 16 years since its first outburst, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701−462 turned on again in September 2022, allowing for the first study of its X-ray polarimetric characteristics by a dedicated observing program with the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE). AIMS: Polarimetric studies of XTE J1701−462 have been expected to improve our understanding of accreting weakly magnetized neutron stars, in particular, the physics and the geometry of the hot inner regions close to the compact object. METHOD: The IXPE data of two triggered observations were analyzed using time-resolved spectroscopic and polarimetric techniques, following the source along its Z-track of the color–color diagram. RESULTS: During the first pointing on 2022 September 29, an average 2–8 keV polarization degree of (4.6 ± 0.4)% was measured, the highest value found up to now for this class of sources. Conversely, only a ∼0.6% average degree was obtained during the second pointing ten days later. CONCLUSIONS: The polarimetric signal appears to be strictly related to the higher energy blackbody component associated with the boundary layer (BL) emission and its reflection from the inner accretion disk, and it is as strong as 6.1% and 1.2% (> 95% significant) above 3–4 keV for the two measurements, respectively. The variable polarimetric signal is apparently related to the spectral characteristics of XTE J1701−462, which is the strongest when the source was in the horizontal branch of its Z-track and the weakest in the normal branch. These IXPE results provide new important observational constraints on the physical models and geometry of the Z-sources. Here, we discuss the possible reasons for the presence of strong and variable polarization among these sources

Uncovering the geometry of the hot X-ray corona in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 with IXPE

We present an X-ray spectropolarimetric analysis of the bright Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. The source has been observed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) for 700 ks, complemented with simultaneous XMM–Newton (50 ks) and NuSTAR (100 ks) pointings. A polarization degree Π = 4.9 ± 1.1 per cent and angle Ψ = 86° ± 7° east of north (68 per cent confidence level) are measured in the 2–8 keV energy range. The spectropolarimetric analysis shows that the polarization could be entirely due to reflection. Given the low reflection flux in the IXPE band, this requires, however, a reflection with a very large (&amp;gt;38 per cent) polarization degree. Assuming more reasonable values, a polarization degree of the hot corona ranging from ∼4 to ∼8 per cent is found. The observed polarization degree excludes a ‘spherical’ lamppost geometry for the corona, suggesting instead a slab-like geometry, possibly a wedge, as determined via Monte Carlo simulations. This is further confirmed by the X-ray polarization angle, which coincides with the direction of the extended radio emission in this source, supposed to match the disc axis. NGC 4151 is the first active galactic nucleus with an X-ray polarization measure for the corona, illustrating the capabilities of X-ray polarimetry and IXPE in unveiling its geometry

X-ray polarimetry of X-ray pulsar X Persei: another orthogonal rotator?

X Persei is a persistent low-luminosity X-ray pulsar of period of ≈ 835 s in a Be binary system. The field strength at the neutron star surface is not known precisely, but indirect signs indicate a magnetic field above 1013 G, which makes the object one of the most magnetized known X-ray pulsars. Here we present the results of observations X Persei performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The X-ray polarization signal was found to be strongly dependent on the spin phase of the pulsar. The energy-averaged polarization degree in 3–8 keV band varied from several to ∼20 per cent over the pulse with a phase dependence resembling the pulse profile. The polarization angle shows significant variation and makes two complete revolutions during the pulse period, resulting in nearly nil pulse-phase averaged polarization. Applying the rotating vector model to the IXPE data we obtain the estimates for the rotation axis inclination and its position angle on the sky, as well as for the magnetic obliquity. The derived inclination is close to the orbital inclination, reported earlier for X Persei. The polarimetric data imply a large angle between the rotation and magnetic dipole axes, which is similar to the result reported recently for the X-ray pulsar GRO J1008−57. After eliminating the effect of polarization angle rotation over the pulsar phase using the best-fitting rotating vector model, the strong dependence of the polarization degree with energy was discovered, with its value increasing from 0 at ∼2 keV to 30per cent at 8 keV