951 research outputs found
Milli-second Oscillations in the Persistent and Bursting Flux of Aql X-1 During an Outburst
The Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observed the soft X-Ray transient Aql X-1
during its outburst in February and March 1997. We report the discovery of
quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in its persistent flux with frequencies in
the range of 740 to 830 Hz, Q-value of over 100, and a fractional RMS amplitude
of (6.8 +- 0.6)%, and nearly coherent oscillations (NCOs) during a Type-I burst
with a frequency of 549 Hz. The frequency of the QPOs in the persistent flux is
correlated with the mass accretion rate on time scale of hours, but not on time
scale of days. This is most likely the manifestation in a single source of the
kHz QPO puzzle observed among many sources, i.e., on the one hand, individual
sources show a correlation between the QPO frequency and the inferred mass
accretion rate, on the other hand, the dozen or so sources with luminosities
spanning two decades have essentially the same QPO frequencies. We propose that
this multi-valued QPO frequency and mass accretion rate correlation indicates
the existence of many similar regimes of the accretion disk. These regimes,
with a very similar energy spectrum and QPO frequency, are distinguished from
each other by the mass accretion rate or the total X-ray flux. The NCOs during
the burst can be made almost perfectly coherent by taking into account a large
frequency derivative. This strongly suggests that this frequency is related to
the neutron star spin frequency. The large frequency derivative is attributable
to the expansion or contraction of the neutron star photosphere during the
burst.Comment: 6 pages, LaTex (aas2pp4), Accepted for publication in ApJ Let
Long-Term X-ray Monitoring of 1E 1740.7-2942 and GRS 1758-258
We report on long-term observations of the Galactic-bulge black hole
candidates 1E 1740.7-2942 and GRS 1758-258 with the Rossi X-Ray Timing
Explorer. 1E 1740.7-2942 has been observed 77 times and GRS 1758-258 has been
observed 82 times over the past 1000 days. The flux of each object has varied
by no more than a factor of 2.5 during this period, and the indices of the
energy spectra have varied by no more than 0.4. The power spectra are similar
to other black-hole candidates: flat-topped noise, breaking to a power law.
Each object has exhibited a brightening that lasted for several months, and we
have a found a time lag between the photon power-law index and the count rate.
In both sources, the spectrum is softest during the decline from the
brightening. This behavior can be understood in the context of thin-disk and
advection-dominated accretion flows coexisting over a wide range of radii, with
the implication that both sources have low-mass companions and accrete via
Roche-lobe overflow.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Time-resolved optical photometry of the ultra-compact binary 4U0614+091
We present a detailed optical study of the ultra-compact X-ray binary
4U0614+091. We have used 63 hrs of time-resolved optical photometry taken with
three different telescopes (IAC80, NOT and SPM) to search for optical
modulations. The power spectra of each dataset reveals sinusoidal modulations
with different periods, which are not always present. The strongest modulation
has a period of 51.3 mins, a semi-amplitude of 4.6 mmags, and is present in the
IAC80 data. The SPM and NOT data show periods of 42 mins and 64 mins
respectively, but with much weaker amplitudes, 2.6 mags and 1.3 mmags
respectively. These modulations arise from either X-ray irradiation of the
inner face of the secondary star and/or a superhump modulation from the
accretion disc, or quasi-periodic modulations in the accretion disc. It is
unclear whether these periods/quasi-periodic modulations are related to the
orbital period, however, the strongest period of 51.3 mins is close to earlier
tentative orbital periods. Further observations taken over a long base-line are
encouraged.Comment: Accepted for publication in PAS
X-ray spectral and timing properties of the 2001 superburst of 4U 1636-536
Preliminary results are reported on the spectral and timing properties of the
spectacular 2001 superburst of 4U 1636-536 as seen by the RXTE/PCA. The
(broad-band) power-spectral and hardness properties during the superburst are
compared to those just before and after the superburst. Not all of the
superburst emission can be fitted by pure black-body radiation. We also
gathered BeppoSAX/WFC and RXTE/ASM data, as well as other RXTE/PCA data,
obtained days to months before and after the superburst to investigate the
normal X-ray burst behavior around the time of the superburst. The first normal
X-ray burst after the 2001 superburst was detected 23 days later. During
inspection of all the RXTE/ASM data we found a third superburst. This
superburst took place on June 26, 1999, which is ~2.9 yrs after the 1996
superburst and ~1.75 yrs before the 2001 superburst. The above findings are the
strongest constraints observed so far on the duration of the cessation of
normal X-ray bursts after a superburst and the superburst recurrence times.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures,to appear in the proceedings of "X-Ray Timing
2003: Rossi and Beyond", eds. P. Kaaret, F.K. Lamb, & J.H. Swank (Melville,
NY: AIP
Methodological Bias in Estimates of Strain Composition and Straying of HatcheryâProduced Steelhead in Lake Michigan Tributaries
Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss were first introduced into the Great Lakes in the late 1800s. Subsequently, natural recruitment of steelhead from spawning runs in streams across the basin has been regularly supplemented by hatchery production of strains derived from widely dispersed locales within the speciesâ native range. Estimates of hatchery contributions to the spawning runs of naturalized populations may be underrepresented by observations of marked fish, as not all hatchery fish are marked prior to release. To assess the potential bias in estimates of the hatchery contribution to steelhead spawning runs in four major rivers in Michigan, we used scale pattern analysis (SPA) to identify nonmarked hatchery fish and multilocus genotypes to estimate the proportional contributions of each hatchery strain to spawning runs. The four hatchery strains currently stocked are significantly genetically distinct (mean FST = 0.077), making it possible to identify specific strains by use of likelihoodâbased assignment tests. The differences between direct (mark observations) and indirect (SPA and genetic analysis) estimates of hatchery contribution were mainly due to variations in the percentage of hatchery fish marked by states prior to release and the potential for confusion between certain marks and injuries. By combining direct and indirect assessment methodologies, we estimated that the percentage of hatchery fish returning to the four rivers ranged from 13% to 31% of total spawning runs. The large contribution of hatchery fish to nonstocked rivers differed significantly from expectations of strainâspecific stocking rates across the Lake Michigan basin and for individual streams, indicating high amounts of straying into Michigan streams.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141020/1/nafm1288.pd
The Discovery of a Neutron Star with a Spin Frequency of 530 Hz in A1744-361
We report the detection with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE)
Proportional Counter Array (PCA) of 530 Hz burst oscillations in a
thermonuclear (type I) burst from the transient X-ray source A1744-361. This is
only the second burst ever observed from this source, and the first to be seen
in any detail. Our results confirm that A1744-361 is a low mass X-ray binary
(LMXB) system harboring a rapidly rotating neutron star. The oscillations are
first detected along the rising edge of the burst, and they show evidence for
frequency evolution of a magnitude similar to that seen in other burst sources.
The modulation amplitude and its increase with photon energy are also typical
of burst oscillations. The lack of any strong indication of photospheric radius
expansion during the burst suggests a 9 kpc upper limit of the source distance.
We also find energy dependent dips, establishing A1744-361 as a high
inclination, dipping LMXB. The timescale between the two episodes of observed
dips suggests an orbital period of ~ 97 minutes. We have also detected a 2 - 4
Hz quasi-periodic-oscillation (QPO) for the first time from this source. This
QPO appears consistent with ~ 1 Hz QPOs seen from other high-inclination
systems. We searched for kilohertz QPOs, and found a suggestive 2.3 sigma
feature at 800 Hz in one observation. The frequency, strength, and quality
factor are consistent with that of a lower frequency kilohertz QPO, but the
relatively low significance argues for caution, so we consider this a tentative
detection requiring confirmation.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, published in ApJ Letter
Timing Noise in SGR 1806-20
We have phase connected a sequence of RXTE PCA observations of SGR 1806-20
covering 178 days. We find a simple secular spin-down model does not adequately
fit the data. The period derivative varies gradually during the observations
between 8.1 and 11.7 * 10^-11 s/s (at its highest, ~40% larger than the long
term trend), while the average burst rate as seen with BATSE drops throughout
the time interval. The phase residuals give no compelling evidence for
periodicity, but more closely resemble timing noise as seen in radio pulsars.
The magnitude of the timing noise, however, is large relative to the noise
level typically found in radio pulsars. Combining these results with the noise
levels measured for some AXPs, we find all magnetar candidates have \Delta_8
values larger than those expected from a simple extrapolation of the
correlation found in radio pulsars. We find that the timing noise in SGR
1806-20 is greater than or equal to the levels found in some accreting systems
(e.g., Vela X-1, 4U 1538-52 and 4U 1626-67), but the spin-down of SGR 1806-20
has thus far maintained coherence over 6 years. Alternatively, an orbital model
with a period P_orb = 733 days provides a statistically acceptable fit to the
data. If the phase residuals are created by Doppler shifts from a
gravitationally bound companion, then the allowed parameter space for the mass
function (small) and orbital separation (large) rule out the possibility of
accretion from the companion sufficient to power the persistent emission from
the SGR.Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
IGR J17254-3257, a new bursting neutron star
The study of the observational properties of uncommonly long bursts from low
luminosity sources with extended decay times up to several tens of minutes is
important when investigating the transition from a hydrogen-rich bursting
regime to a pure helium regime and from helium burning to carbon burning as
predicted by current burst theories. IGR J17254-3257 is a recently discovered
X-ray burster of which only two bursts have been recorded: an ordinary short
type I X-ray burst, and a 15 min long burst. An upper limit to its distance is
estimated to about 14.5 kpc. The broad-band spectrum of the persistent emission
in the 0.3-100 keV energy band obtained using contemporaneous INTEGRAL and
XMM-Newton data indicates a bolometric flux of 1.1x10^-10 erg/cm2/s
corresponding, at the canonical distance of 8 kpc, to a luminosity about
8.4x10^35 erg/s between 0.1-100 keV, which translates to a mean accretion rate
of about 7x10^-11 solar masses per year. The low X-ray persistent luminosity of
IGR J17254-3257 seems to indicate the source may be in a state of low accretion
rate usually associated with a hard spectrum in the X-ray range. The nuclear
burning regime may be intermediate between pure He and mixed H/He burning. The
long burst is the result of the accumulation of a thick He layer, while the
short one is a prematurate H-triggered He burning burst at a slightly lower
accretion rate.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in A&A Letters.
1 reference (Cooper & Narayan, 2007) correcte
Frustrated trimer chain model and Cu3Cl6(H2O)2 2H8C4SO2 in a magnetic field
Recent magnetization and susceptibility measurements on Cu3Cl6(H2O)2 2H8C4SO2
by Ishii et.al. [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 69, 340 (2000)] have demonstrated the
existence of a spin gap. In order to explain the opening of a spin gap in this
copper-trimer system, Ishii et.al. have proposed a frustrated trimer chain
model. Since the exchange constants for this model have not yet been
determined, we develop a twelfth-order high-temperature series for the magnetic
susceptibility and fit it to the experimentally measured one. We find that some
of the coupling constants are likely to be ferromagnetic. The combination of
several arguments does not provide any evidence for a spin gap in the parameter
region with ferromagnetic coupling constants, but further results e.g. for the
magnetization process are in qualitative agreement with the experimental
observations.Comment: 9 pages REVTeX, 4 PostScript figures included using psfig.sty; for
series and supplementary material see http://www.tu-bs.de/~honecker/3mer/ or
http://www.itp.phys.ethz.ch/staff/laeuchli/3mer ; substantial reorganization
including shifting part of the discussion to WWW pages with "supplementary
material"; new appendix shows that antiferromagnetic J_i > 0 are not
compatible with the experimental data for the magnetic susceptibilit
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