1,061 research outputs found
XMM-Newton observations of SNR 1987A. II. The still increasing X-ray light curve and the properties of Fe K lines
Aims. We report on the recent observations of the supernova remnant SNR 1987A
in the Large Magellanic Cloud with XMM-Newton. Carefully monitoring the
evolution of the X-ray light curve allows to probe the complex circumstellar
medium structure observed around the supernova progenitor star.
Methods. We analyse all XMM-Newton observations of SNR 1987A from January
2007 to December 2011, using data from the EPIC-pn camera. Spectra from all
epochs are extracted and analysed in a homogeneous way. Using a multi-shock
model to fit the spectra across the 0.2-10 keV band we measure soft and hard
X-ray fluxes with high accuracy. In the hard X-ray band we examine the presence
and properties of Fe K ines. Our findings are interpreted in the framework of a
hydrodynamics-based model.
Results. The soft X-ray flux of SNR 1987A continuously increased in the
recent years. Although the light curve shows a mild flattening, there is no
sudden break as reported in an earlier work, a picture echoed by a revision of
the Chandra light curve. We therefore conclude that material in the equatorial
ring and out-of-plane HII regions are still being swept-up. We estimate the
thickness of the equatorial ring to be at least 4.5x10^16 cm (0.0146 pc). This
lower limit will increase as long as the soft X-ray flux has not reached a
turn-over. We detect a broad Fe K line in all spectra from 2007 to 2011. The
widths and centroid energies of the lines indicate the presence of a collection
of iron ionisation stages. Thermal emission from the hydrodynamic model does
not reproduce the low-energy part of the line (6.4-6.5 keV), suggesting that
fluorescence from neutral and/or low ionisation Fe might be present.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysic
M 33 X-7: ChASeM33 reveals the first eclipsing black hole X-ray binary
The first observations conducted as part of the Chandra ACIS survey of M 33
(ChASeM33) sampled the eclipsing X-ray binary M 33 X-7 over a large part of the
3.45 d orbital period and have resolved eclipse ingress and egress for the
first time. The occurrence of the X-ray eclipse allows us to determine an
improved ephemeris of mid-eclipse and binary period as HJD (2453639.119+-0.005)
+- N x (3.453014+-0.000020) and constrain the eclipse half angle to (26.5+-1.1)
degree. There are indications for a shortening of the orbital period. The X-ray
spectrum is best described by a disk blackbody spectrum typical for black hole
X-ray binaries in the Galaxy. We find a flat power density spectrum and no
significant regular pulsations were found in the frequency range of 10^{-4} to
0.15 Hz. HST WFPC2 images resolve the optical counterpart, which can be
identified as an O6III star with the help of extinction and colour corrections
derived from the X-ray absorption. Based on the optical light curve, the mass
of the compact object in the system most likely exceeds 9 M_sun. This mass, the
shape of the X-ray spectrum and the short term X-ray time variability identify
M 33 X-7 as the first eclipsing black hole high mass X-ray binary.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, ApJ accepte
An Improved Heat Kernel Expansion from Worldline Path Integrals
The one--loop effective action for the case of a massive scalar loop in the
background of both a scalar potential and an abelian or non--abelian gauge
field is written in a one--dimensional path integral representation. From this
the inverse mass expansion is obtained by Wick contractions using a suitable
Green function, which allows the computation of higher order coefficients. For
the scalar case, explicit results are presented up to order O(T**8) in the
proper time expansion. The relation to previous work is clarified.Comment: 13 pages, Plain TEX, no figure
A ROSAT PSPC X-Ray Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud
We present the results of a systematic search for point-like and moderately
extended soft (0.1-2.4 keV) X-ray sources in a raster of nine pointings
covering a field of 8.95 deg^2 and performed with the ROSAT PSPC between
October 1991 and October 1993 in the direction of the Small Magellanic Cloud.
We detect 248 objects which we include in the first version of our SMC
catalogue of soft X-ray sources. We set up seven source classes defined by
selections in the count rate, hardness ratio and source extent. We find five
high luminosity super-soft sources (1E 0035.4-7230, 1E 0056.8-7146, RX
J0048.4-7332, RX J0058.6-7146 and RX J0103-7254), one low-luminosity super-soft
source RX J0059.6-7138 correlating with the planetary nebula L357, 51 candidate
hard X-ray binaries including eight bright hard X-ray binary candidates, 19
supernova remnants, 19 candidate foreground stars and 53 candidate background
active galactic nuclei (and quasars). We give a likely classification for ~60%
of the catalogued sources. The total count rate of the detected point-like and
moderately extended sources in our catalogue is 6.9+/-0.3 s^-1, comparable to
the background subtracted total rate from the integrated field of ~6.1+/-0.1
s^-1.Comment: Accepted by A&AS, 13 pages, 2 Postscript figure
Two long-period X-ray pulsars detected in the SMC field around XTE J0055-727
An XMM-Newton target of opportunity observation of the field around the
transient 18.37 s pulsar XTE J0055-727 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)
revealed two bright, long-period X-ray pulsars in the EPIC data. A new pulsar,
XMMU J005517.9-723853, with a pulse period of 701.7 +/- 0.8 s was discovered
and 500.0 +/- 0.2 s pulsations were detected from XMMU J005455.4-724512 (= CXOU
J005455.6-724510), confirming the period found in Chandra data. We derive X-ray
positions of RA = 00h5455.88s, Dec = -72d45m10.5s and RA = 00h55m18.44s, Dec =
-72d38m51.8s (J2000.0) with an uncertainty of 0.2'' utilizing optical
identification with OGLE stars. For both objects, the optical brightness and
colours and the X-ray spectra are consistent with Be/X-ray binary systems in
the SMC.Comment: A&A Letters, in pres
The eclipsing bursting X-ray binary EXO 0748-676 revisited by XMM-Newton
The bright eclipsing and bursting low-mass X-ray binary EXO 0748-676 has been
observed at several occasions by XMM-Newton during the initial calibration and
performance verification (CAL/PV) phase. We present here the results obtained
from observations with the EPIC cameras. Apart from several type-I X-ray
bursts, the source shows a high degree of variability with the presence of soft
flares. The wide energy coverage and high sensitivity of XMM-Newton allows for
the first time a detailed description of the spectral variability.
The source is found to be the superposition of a central (~2 10^8 cm)
Comptonized emission, most probably a corona surrounding the inner edge of an
accretion disk, associated with a more extended (~3 10^10 cm) thermal halo at a
typical temperature of ~0.6 keV with an indication of non-solar abundances.
Most of the variations of the source can be accounted for by a variable
absorption affecting only the central comptonized component and reaching up to
NH ~1.3 10^23 cm^{-2}. The characteristics of the surrounding halo are found
compatible with an irradiated atmosphere of an accretion disc which intercepts
the central emission due to the system high inclination.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letters, XMM
special issu
A Probable Optical Counterpart for the Isolated Neutron Star RX J1308.6+2127
Using a very deep observation with HST/STIS, we have searched for an optical
counterpart to the nearby radio-quiet isolated neutron star RX J1308.6+2127
(RBS 1223). We have identified a single object in the 90% Chandra error circle
that we believe to be the optical counterpart. This object has
mag, which translates approximately to an unabsorbed
flux of ergs/s/cm^2/A at 5150 A or an
X-ray-to-optical flux ratio of . This flux is a factor of
above the extrapolation of the black-body fit to the X-ray
spectrum, consistent with the optical spectra of other isolated neutron stars.
Without color information we cannot conclude that this source is indeed the
counterpart of RX J1308.6+2127. If not, then the counterpart must have
mag, corresponding to a flux that is barely consistent with
the extrapolation of the black-body fit to the X-ray spectrum.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Uses emulateapj5.sty, onecolfloat5.sty. Accepted
by ApJ Letter
Spectroscopy of the brightest optical counterparts of X-ray sources in the direction of M~31 and M~33
Recent surveys of the Local Group spiral Galaxies M31 and M33 with XMM-Newton
yielded a large number of X-ray sources. As part of the effort to identify and
classify the objects responsible for this X-ray emission, we have obtained
optical spectra of the brightest optical counterparts of the identified X-ray
sources, using the 1.3m Skinakas Telescope. Most of these objects are
foreground star candidates. The purpose of the present study is to confirm this
identification and to explore the compatibility between the optical spectral
classification and the observed X-ray properties of the sources. We have
obtained optical spectra for the 14 brightest optical counterparts of X-ray
sources identified by XMM-Newton in the direction of M31 and for 21 optical
counterparts in the direction of M33, using the 1.3m Skinakas telescope in
Crete, Greece. All of the M31 sources and all but one of the M33 sources were
confirmed to be foreground stars, of spectral types between A and M. One of the
stars is a late M dwarf with H-alpha emission, a flare star, also displaying
strong X-ray variability. One of the M~33 sources (lying within the D25
ellipse) corresponds to a previously known background galaxy, LEDA 5899.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, accepted in A&
The continued spectral and temporal evolution of RX J0720.4-3125
RX J0720.4-3125 is the most peculiar object among a group of seven isolated
X-ray pulsars (the so-called "Magnificent Seven"), since it shows long-term
variations of its spectral and temporal properties on time scales of years.
This behaviour was explained by different authors either by free precession
(with a seven or fourteen years period) or possibly a glitch that occurred
around .
We analysed our most recent XMM-Newton and Chandra observations in order to
further monitor the behaviour of this neutron star. With the new data sets, the
timing behaviour of RX J0720.4-3125 suggests a single (sudden) event (e.g. a
glitch) rather than a cyclic pattern as expected by free precession. The
spectral parameters changed significantly around the proposed glitch time, but
more gradual variations occurred already before the (putative) event. Since
the spectra indicate a very slow cooling by
2 eV over 7 years.Comment: seven pages, three figures, three tables; accepted by MNRA
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