208 research outputs found
Spectral and timing properties of the accreting X-ray millisecond pulsar IGR J17498-2921
We analyze the spectral and timing properties of IGR J17498-2921 and the
characteristics of X-ray bursts to constrain the physical processes responsible
for the X-ray production in this class of sources. The broad-band average
spectrum is well-described by thermal Comptonization with an electron
temperature of kT_e ~ 50 keV, soft seed photons of kT_bb ~ 1 keV, and Thomson
optical depth \taut ~ 1 in a slab geometry. The slab area corresponds to a
black body radius of R_bb ~9 km. During the outburst, the spectrum stays
remarkably stable with plasma and soft seed photon temperatures and scattering
optical depth that are constant within the errors. This behavior has been
interpreted as indicating that the X-ray emission originates above the neutron
star (NS) surface in a hot slab (either the heated NS surface or the accretion
shock). The INTEGRAL, RXTE, and Swift data reveal the X-ray pulsation at a
period of 2.5 milliseconds up to ~65 keV. The pulsed fraction is consistent
with being constant, i.e. energy independent and has a typical value of 6-7%.
The nearly sinusoidal pulses show soft lags that seem to saturate near 10 keV
at a rather small value of ~ -60\mu s with those observed in other accreting
pulsars. The short burst profiles indicate that there is a hydrogen-poor
material at ignition, which suggests either that the accreted material is
hydrogen-deficient, or that the CNO metallicity is up to a factor of about two
times solar. However, the variation in the burst recurrence time as a function
of \dot{m} (inferred from the X-ray flux) is much smaller than predicted by
helium-ignition models.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. arXiv admin
note: text overlap with arXiv:1012.022
X-Ray Spectral Study of AGN Sources Content in Some Deep Extragalactic XMM-Newton Fields
We undertake a spectral study of a sample of bright X-ray sources taken from
six XMM-Newton fields at high galactic latitudes, where AGN are the most
populous class. These six fields were chosen such that the observation had an
exposure time more than 60 ksec, had data from the EPIC-pn detector in the
full-Frame mode and lying at high galactic latitude . The analysis
started by fitting the spectra of all sources with an absorbed power-law model,
and then we fitted all the spectra with an absorbed power-law with a low energy
black-body component model.The sources for which we added a black body gave an
F-test probability of 0.01 or less (i.e. at 99% confidence level), were
recognized as sources that display soft excess. We perform a comparative
analysis of soft excess spectral parameters with respect to the underlying
power-law one for sources that satisfy this criterion. Those sources, that do
not show evidence for a soft excess, based on the F-test probability at a 99%
confidence level, were also fitted with the absorbed power-law with a low
energy black-body component model with the black-body temperature fixed at 0.1
and 0.2 keV. We establish upper limits on the soft excess flux for those
sources at these two temperatures. Finally we have made use of Aladdin
interactive sky atlas and matching with NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)
to identify the X-ray sources in our sample. For those sources which are
identified in the NED catalogue, we make a comparative study of the soft excess
phenomenon for different types of systems
Revisiting a fundamental test of the disc instability model for X-ray binaries
We revisit a core prediction of the disc instability model (DIM) applied to
X-ray binaries. The model predicts the existence of a critical mass transfer
rate, which depends on disc size, separating transient and persistent systems.
We therefore selected a sample of 52 persistent and transient neutron star and
black hole X-ray binaries and verified if observed persistent (transient)
systems do lie in the appropriate stable (unstable) region of parameter space
predicted by the model. We find that, despite the significant uncertainties
inherent to these kinds of studies, the data are in very good agreement with
the theoretical expectations. We then discuss some individual cases that do not
clearly fit into this main conclusion. Finally, we introduce the transientness
parameter as a measure of the activity of a source and show a clear trend of
the average outburst recurrence time to decrease with transientness in
agreement with the DIM predictions. We therefore conclude that, despite
difficulties in reproducing the complex details of the lightcurves, the DIM
succeeds to explain the global behaviour of X-ray binaries averaged over a long
enough period of time.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Version 2:
some typos corrected and references adde
Thermal proteome profiling of breast cancer cells reveals proteasomal activation by CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib
Palbociclib is a CDK4/6 inhibitor approved for metastatic estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. In addition to G1 cell cycle arrest, palbociclib treatment results in cell senescence, a phenotype that is not readily explained by CDK4/6 inhibition. In order to identify a molecular mechanism responsible for palbociclib-induced senescence, we performed thermal proteome profiling of MCF7 breast cancer cells. In addition to affecting known CDK4/6 targets, palbociclib induces a thermal stabilization of the 20S proteasome, despite not directly binding to it. We further show that palbociclib treatment increases proteasome activity independently of the ubiquitin pathway. This leads to cellular senescence, which can be counteracted by proteasome inhibitors. Palbociclib-induced proteasome activation and senescence is mediated by reduced proteasomal association of ECM29. Loss of ECM29 activates the proteasome, blocks cell proliferation, and induces a senescence-like phenotype. Finally, we find that ECM29 mRNA levels are predictive of relapse-free survival in breast cancer patients treated with endocrine therapy. In conclusion, thermal proteome profiling identifies the proteasome and ECM29 protein as mediators of palbociclib activity in breast cancer cells
The X-ray spectrum of the newly discovered accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J17511-3057
We report on an XMM-Newton observation of the accreting millisecond pulsar,
IGR J17511-3057. Pulsations at 244.8339512(1) Hz are observed with an RMS
pulsed fraction of 14.4(3)%. A precise solution for the P_orb=12487.51(2)s
binary system is derived. The measured mass function indicates a main sequence
companion with a mass between 0.15 and 0.44 Msun. The XMM-Newton spectrum of
the source can be modelled by at least three components, multicoloured disc
emission, thermal emission from the NS surface and thermal Comptonization
emission. Spectral fit of the XMM-Newton data and of the RXTE data, taken in a
simultaneous temporal window, constrain the Comptonization parameters: the
electron temperature, kT_e=51(+6,-4) keV, is rather high, while the optical
depth (tau=1.34(+0.03,-0.06)) is moderate. The energy dependence of the pulsed
fraction supports the interpretation of the cooler thermal component as coming
from the accretion disc, and indicates that the Comptonizing plasma surrounds
the hot spots on the NS surface, which provide the seed photons. Signatures of
reflection, such as a broadened iron K-alpha emission line and a Compton hump
at 30 keV ca., are also detected. We derive from the smearing of the reflection
component an inner disc radius of ~> 40 km for a 1.4 Msun neutron star, and an
inclination between 38{\deg} and 68{\deg}. XMM-Newton also observed two type-I
X-ray bursts, probably ignited in a nearly pure helium environment. No
photospheric radius expansion is observed, thus leading to an upper limit on
the distance to the source of 10 kpc. A lower limit of 6.5 kpc can be also set
if it is assumed that emission during the decaying part of the burst involves
the whole neutron star surface. Pulsations observed during the burst decay are
compatible with being phase locked, and have a similar amplitude, than
pre-burst pulsations.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA
States and transitions in black-hole binaries
With the availability of the large database of black-hole transients from the
Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer, the observed phenomenology has become very
complex. The original classification of the properties of these systems in a
series of static states sorted by mass accretion rate proved not to be able to
encompass the new picture. I outline here a summary of the current situation
and show that a coherent picture emerges when simple properties such as X-ray
spectral hardness and fractional variability are considered. In particular,
fast transition in the properties of the fast time variability appear to be
crucial to describe the evolution of black-hole transients. Based on this
picture, I present a state-classification which takes into account the observed
transitions. I show that, in addition to transients systems, other black-hole
binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei can be interpreted within this framework.
The association between these states and the physics of the accretion flow
around black holes will be possible only through modeling of the full time
evolution of galactic transient systems.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures, To appear in Belloni, T. (ed.): The Jet
Paradigm - From Microquasars to Quasars, Lect. Notes Phys. 794 (2009
An additional soft X-ray component in the dim low/hard state of black hole binaries
We test the truncated disc models using multiwavelength (optical/UV/X-ray)
data from the 2005 hard state outburst of the black hole SWIFT J1753.5-0127.
This system is both fairly bright and has fairly low interstellar absorption,
so gives one of the best datasets to study the weak, cool disc emission in this
state. We fit these data using models of an X-ray illuminated disc to constrain
the inner disc radius throughout the outburst. Close to the peak, the observed
soft X-ray component is consistent with being produced by the inner disc, with
its intrinsic emission enhanced in temperature and luminosity by reprocessing
of hard X-ray illumination in an overlap region between the disc and corona.
This disc emission provides the seed photons for Compton scattering to produce
the hard X-ray spectrum, and these hard X-rays also illuminate the outer disc,
producing the optical emission by reprocessing.
However, the situation is very different as the outburst declines. The
optical is probably cyclo-synchrotron radiation, self-generated by the flow,
rather than tracing the outer disc. Similarly, limits from reprocessing make it
unlikely that the soft X-rays are directly tracing the inner disc radius. This
is seen more clearly in a similarly dim low/hard state spectrum from XTE
J1118+480. The very small emitting area implied by the relatively high
temperature soft X-ray component is completely inconsistent with the much
larger, cooler, UV component which is well fit by a truncated disc. We
speculate on the origin of this component, but its existence as a clearly
separate spectral component from the truncated disc in XTE J1118+480 shows that
it does not simply trace the inner disc radius, so cannot constrain the
truncated disc models.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, submitted to MNRA
Relations between x-ray timing features and spectral parameters of galactic black hole x-ray binaries
We present a study of correlations between spectral and timing parameters for a sample of black hole X-ray binary candidates. Data are taken from GX
339-4, H 1743-322, and XTE J1650-500, as the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
(RXTE) observed complete outbursts of these sources. In our study we investigate outbursts that happened before the end of 2009 to make use of the high-energy coverage of the HEXTE detector and select observations that
show a certain type of quasi-periodic oscillations (type-C QPOs). The spectral parameters are derived using the empirical convolution model simpl to model the Comptonized component of the emission together with a disc blackbody for the emission of the accretion disc. Additional spectral features, namely a reflection component, a high-energy cut-off, and excess emission at 6.4 keV, are taken into account. Our investigations confirm the known positive
correlation between photon index and centroid frequency of the QPOs and reveal an anti-correlation between the fraction of up-scattered photons and the QPO frequency. We show that both correlations behave as expected in the “sombrero”
geometry. Furthermore, we find that during outburst decay the correlation between photon index and QPO frequency follow a general track, independent of individual outbursts
The Ubiquity of the rms-flux relation in Black Hole X-ray Binaries
We have investigated the short term linear relation between the rms
variability and the flux in 1,961 observations of 9 black hole X-ray binaries.
The rms-flux relation for the 1-10 Hz range is ubiquitously observed in any
observation with good variability signal to noise (> 3 % 1-10 Hz fractional
rms). This concurs with results from a previous study of Cygnus X-1 (Gleissner
et. al. 2004), and extends detection of the rms-flux relation to a wider range
of states. We find a strong dependence of the flux intercept of the rms-flux
relation on source state; as the source transitions from the hard state into
the hard intermediate state the intercept becomes strongly positive. We find
little evidence for flux dependence of the broad-band noise within the PSD
shape, excepting a small subset of observations from one object in an anomalous
soft-state. We speculate that the ubiquitous linear rms-flux relation in the
broad band noise of this sample, representing a range of different states and
objects, indicates that its formation mechanism is an essential property of the
luminous accretion flow around black holes.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
The quasar PG 0844+349 in an X-ray weak state
In March 2009 the well-studied quasar, PG 0844+349, was discovered with Swift
to be in an X-ray weak state. A follow-up XMM-Newton observation several weeks
later generated a good quality spectrum of the source, showing substantial
curvature and spectral hardening. In combination with archival data at two
previous epochs when the source was in a bright state, we examine the long-term
spectral and timing properties of PG 0844+349 spanning nearly ten years and a
factor of ten in brightness. Partial covering and blurred reflection models are
compared to the data at each flux state while attempting to maintain
consistency between the various epochs. In terms of the blurred reflection
model, PG 0844+349 is in a reflection dominated state during the 2009 X-ray
weak observations, which can be understood in terms of light bending. Moreover,
the light bending scenario can also account for the short-term (i.e. ~1000s)
spectral variability in the source. Other models cannot be decisively ruled
out, but we note distinguishing features of the models that can be explored for
in higher signal-to-noise data from current and future observatories.Comment: 11 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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