Studying the variability of fluorescence emission and the presence of clumpy wind in HMXB GX 301−-2 using XMM-Newton

We present the results from an analysis of data from an \textit{XMM-Newton} observation of the accreting high mass X-ray binary pulsar GX 301$-$2. Spectral analysis in the non-flaring segment of the observation revealed that the equivalent width of the iron fluorescence emission is correlated with the observed absorption column density and the ratio of the iron K$\beta$ and K$\alpha$ line strength varied with the flux of the source. Coherent pulsations were detected with the spin period of the pulsar of 687.9$\pm$0.1 s, and a secondary pulsation was also detected with a period of 671.8$\pm$0.2 s, most prominent in the energy band of the iron line. At the spin period of the neutron star, the pulsation of the iron line has a low amplitude and the profile is different from the continuum. Pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy also revealed pulsations of the iron emission line during the non-flaring segment of the light curve. At the secondary period, both the iron line and the continuum have nearly identical pulse fraction and pulse profile. The additional periodicity can be attributed to the beat frequency between the spin of the neutron star and the Keplerian frequency of a stellar wind clump in retrograde motion around the neutron star. Reprocessed X-ray emissions originating from the clump can produce the observed secondary pulsations both in the continuum and the iron fluorescence line. The clump rotating around the neutron star is estimated to be approximately five lt-s away from the neutron star.Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures, Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

An investigation of the "10 keV feature" in the spectra of Accretion Powered X-ray Pulsars with NuSTAR

Some of the accreting X-ray pulsars are reported to exhibit a peculiar spectral feature at $\sim$10 keV, known as the "10 keV feature". The feature has been characterized as either an emission line or an absorption line, and its origin is unknown. It has been found in multiple observations of the same source by different observatories, but not all the observations of any particular source consistently showed the presence of it. In this work, we have carried out a systematic investigation for the presence of the "10 keV feature" using data from NuSTAR, a low background spectroscopic observatory having uninterrupted wide band coverage on either side of 10 keV. We performed a systematic spectral analysis on 58 archival NuSTAR observations of 30 bright X-ray pulsars. The 3$-$79 keV spectral continua of these selected sources were fitted with a model chosen on the basis of its fitting quality in 3$-$15 keV and model simplicity, and then inspected for the presence of the "10 keV feature". Our analysis indicates the presence of such a feature in 16 out of 58 the NuSTAR observations of 11 different sources and is fitted with a Gaussian absorption model centered around 10 keV. Our analysis also suggests that such a feature could be wrongly detected if flare data is not analyzed separately from persistent emission.Comment: 28 pages, 32 figures, Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

Science with the Daksha High Energy Transients Mission

We present the science case for the proposed Daksha high energy transients mission. Daksha will comprise of two satellites covering the entire sky from 1~keV to $>1$~MeV. The primary objectives of the mission are to discover and characterize electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave source; and to study Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Daksha is a versatile all-sky monitor that can address a wide variety of science cases. With its broadband spectral response, high sensitivity, and continuous all-sky coverage, it will discover fainter and rarer sources than any other existing or proposed mission. Daksha can make key strides in GRB research with polarization studies, prompt soft spectroscopy, and fine time-resolved spectral studies. Daksha will provide continuous monitoring of X-ray pulsars. It will detect magnetar outbursts and high energy counterparts to Fast Radio Bursts. Using Earth occultation to measure source fluxes, the two satellites together will obtain daily flux measurements of bright hard X-ray sources including active galactic nuclei, X-ray binaries, and slow transients like Novae. Correlation studies between the two satellites can be used to probe primordial black holes through lensing. Daksha will have a set of detectors continuously pointing towards the Sun, providing excellent hard X-ray monitoring data. Closer to home, the high sensitivity and time resolution of Daksha can be leveraged for the characterization of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. Submitted to ApJ. More details about the mission at https://www.dakshasat.in