The accretion environment of Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients probed with XMM-Newton

Supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) are characterized by a remarkable variability in the X-ray domain, widely ascribed to the accretion from a clumpy stellar wind. In this paper we performed a systematic and homogeneous analysis of sufficiently bright X-ray flares from the SFXTs observed with XMM-Newton to probe spectral variations on timescales as short as a few hundred of seconds. Our ultimate goal is to investigate if SFXT flares and outbursts are triggered by the presence of clumps and eventually reveal whether strongly or mildly dense clumps are required. For all sources, we employ a technique developed by our group, making use of an adaptive rebinned hardness ratio to optimally select the time intervals for the spectral extraction. A total of twelve observations performed in the direction of five SFXTs are reported. We show that both strongly and mildly dense clumps can trigger these events. In the former case, the local absorption column density may increase by a factor of >>3, while in the latter case, the increase is only by a factor of 2-3 (or lower). Overall, there seems to be no obvious correlation between the dynamic ranges in the X-ray fluxes and absorption column densities in SFXTs, with an indication that lower densities are recorded at the highest fluxes. This can be explained by the presence of accretion inhibition mechanism(s). We propose a classification of the flares/outbursts from these sources to drive future observational investigations. We suggest that the difference between the classes of flares/outbursts is related to the fact that the mechanism(s) inhibiting accretion can be overcome more easily in some sources compared to others. We also investigate the possibility that different stellar wind structures, rather than clumps, could provide the means to temporarily overcome the inhibition of accretion in SFXTs.Comment: Accepted for publication on A&

The Amati relation in the "fireshell" model

(Shortened) CONTEXT: [...] AIMS: Motivated by the relation proposed by Amati and collaborators, we look within the ``fireshell'' model for a relation between the peak energy E_p of the \nu F_\nu total time-integrated spectrum of the afterglow and the total energy of the afterglow E_{aft}, which in our model encompasses and extends the prompt emission. METODS: [...] Within the fireshell model [...] We can then build two sets of ``gedanken'' GRBs varying the total energy of the electron-positron plasma E^{e^\pm}_{tot} and keeping the same baryon loading B of GRB050315. The first set assumes for the effective CBM density the one obtained in the fit of GRB050315. The second set assumes instead a constant CBM density equal to the average value of the GRB050315 prompt phase. RESULTS: For the first set of ``gedanken'' GRBs we find a relation E_p\propto (E_{aft})^a, with a = 0.45 \pm 0.01, whose slope strictly agrees with the Amati one. Such a relation, in the limit B \to 10^{-2}, coincides with the Amati one. Instead, in the second set of ``gedanken'' GRBs no correlation is found. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis excludes the Proper-GRB (P-GRB) from the prompt emission, extends all the way to the latest afterglow phases and is independent on the assumed cosmological model, since all ``gedanken'' GRBs are at the same redshift. The Amati relation, on the other hand, includes also the P-GRB, focuses on the prompt emission only, and is therefore influenced by the instrumental threshold which fixes the end of the prompt emission, and depends on the assumed cosmology. This may well explain the intrinsic scatter observed in the Amati relation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear on A&A Letter

Macroscopic polarization and band offsets at nitride heterojunctions

Ab initio electronic structure studies of prototypical polar interfaces of wurtzite III-V nitrides show that large uniform electric fields exist in epitaxial nitride overlayers, due to the discontinuity across the interface of the macroscopic polarization of the constituent materials. Polarization fields forbid a standard evaluation of band offsets and formation energies: using new techniques, we find a large forward-backward asymmetry of the offset (0.2 eV for AlN/GaN (0001), 0.85 eV for GaN/AlN (0001)), and tiny interface formation energies.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, 2 figure

Reproducing neutrino effects on the matter power spectrum through a degenerate Fermi gas approach

Modifications on the predictions about the matter power spectrum based on the hypothesis of a tiny contribution from a degenerate Fermi gas (DFG) test-fluid to some dominant cosmological scenario are investigated. Reporting about the systematic way of accounting for all the cosmological perturbations, through the Boltzmann equation we obtain the analytical results for density fluctuation, $\delta$, and fluid velocity divergence, $\theta$, of the DFG. Small contributions to the matter power spectrum are analytically obtained for the radiation-dominated background, through an ultra-relativistic approximation, and for the matter-dominated and $\Lambda$-dominated eras, through a non-relativistic approximation. The results can be numerically reproduced and compared with those of considering non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic neutrinos into the computation of the matter power spectrum. Lessons concerning the formation of large scale structures of a DFG are depicted, and consequent deviations from standard $\Lambda$CDM predictions for the matter power spectrum (with and without neutrinos) are quantified.Comment: 28 pages, 06 figure

Theoretical correlation between possible evidences of neutrino chiral oscillations and polarization measurements

Reporting about the formalism with the Dirac equation we describe the dynamics of chiral oscillations for a fermionic particle non-minimally coupling with an external magnetic field. For massive particles, the chirality and helicity quantum numbers represent different physical quantities of representative importance in the study of chiral interactions, in particular, in the context of neutrino physics. After solving the interacting Hamiltonian (Dirac) equation for the corresponding {\em fermionic} Dirac-{\em type} particle (neutrino) and quantifying chiral oscillations in the Dirac wave packet framework, we avail the possibility of determining realistic neutrino chirality conversion rates by means of (helicity) polarization measurements. We notice that it can become feasible for some particular magnetic field configurations with large values of {\boldmath$B$} orthogonal to the direction of the propagating particle.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

On the Optical -- X-ray correlation from outburst to quiescence in Low Mass X-ray Binaries: the representative cases of V404 Cyg and Cen X-4

Low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) show evidence of a global correlation of debated origin between X-ray and optical luminosity. We study for the first time this correlation in two transient LMXBs, the black hole V404 Cyg and the neutron star Cen X-4, over 6 orders of magnitude in X-ray luminosity, from outburst to quiescence. After subtracting the contribution from the companion star, the Cen X-4 data can be described by a single power law correlation of the form $L_{opt}\propto\,L_{X}^{0.44}$, consistent with disk reprocessing. We find a similar correlation slope for V404 Cyg in quiescence (0.46) and a steeper one (0.56) in the outburst hard state of 1989. However, V404 Cyg is about $160-280$ times optically brighter, at a given $3-9$ keV X-ray luminosity, compared to Cen X-4. This ratio is a factor of 10 smaller in quiescence, where the normalization of the V404 Cyg correlation also changes. We show that once the bolometric X-ray emission is considered and the known main differences between V404 Cyg and Cen X-4 are taken into account (a larger compact object mass, accretion disk size, and the presence of a strong jet contribution in the hard state for the black hole system) the two systems lie on the same correlation. In V404 Cyg, the jet dominates spectrally at optical-infrared frequencies during the hard state, but makes a negligible contribution in quiescence, which may account for the change in its correlation slope and normalization. These results provide a benchmark to compare with data from the 2015 outburst of V404 Cyg and, potentially, other transient LMXBs as well.Comment: Accepted on ApJ, 12 pages, 4 figures, 4 table

GRB970228 and the class of GRBs with an initial spikelike emission: do they follow the Amati relation?

On the basis of the recent understanding of GRB050315 and GRB060218, we return to GRB970228, the first Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) with detected afterglow. We proposed it as the prototype for a new class of GRBs with "an occasional softer extended emission lasting tenths of seconds after an initial spikelike emission". Detailed theoretical computation of the GRB970228 light curves in selected energy bands for the prompt emission are presented and compared with observational BeppoSAX data. From our analysis we conclude that GRB970228 and likely the ones of the above mentioned new class of GRBs are "canonical GRBs" have only one peculiarity: they exploded in a galactic environment, possibly the halo, with a very low value of CBM density. Here we investigate how GRB970228 unveils another peculiarity of this class of GRBs: they do not fulfill the "Amati relation". We provide a theoretical explanation within the fireshell model for the apparent absence of such correlation for the GRBs belonging to this new class.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, in the Proceedings of the "4th Italian-Sino Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics", held in Pescara, Italy, July 20-28, 2007, C.L. Bianco, S.-S. Xue, Editor