Broad band X-ray telescope (BBXRT)

An approach along with corroborating measurements for significantly enhancing the potential of Si(Li) spectrophotometry in X-ray astronomy is presented. The key new element is an unconventional X-ray mirror that meets qualifications of low cost, light weight, and large throughput over a broad energy band at moderate angular resolution. The potential for other applications is also discussed

Diffuse X-rays from the galactic disk

An anisotropic feature of the diffuse hard X-ray background that tracks the concentration of interstellar hydrogen in the plane of the galaxy is reported. This feature supports a model of galactic X-ray emission by subrelativistic cosmic rays via a bremsstrahlung process. The measurement was carried out on August 9, 1971, using two multianode multilayer gas proportional counters onboard Aerobee 170 flight 13.08. A schematic diagram of the detectors is shown. This type of construction and the appropriate utilization of the signals from the many anodes result in a low detector background, a perequisite before undertaking a measurement of possible small variations in the brightness of the X-ray sky

X-ray spectra of the Crab pulsar and nebula

The spectrum of the Crab pulsar was measued from 2 to 50 keV as a function of pulse phase and a progressive hardening and subsequent softening of the spectrum across the pulse was found. The fraction of the pulsed flux which exhibits spectral variability is 0.14 and is concentrated solely in the region between the two peaks. A model is suggested in which the pulsed X-ray emission from the Crab pulsar consists of two components: one which has no spectral dependence with pulse phase and which is physically related to the double peaked gama ray pulse and, perhaps, the radio and optical pulses; and another component which exhibits spectral variability with pulse phase is confined to and comprises the interpeak emission, and which is only seen at X-ray energies. These results and studies of the binary X-ray pulsar Hercules X-1 suggest a phenomonological similarity. If the spectrally varying component in the Crab pulsar arises from a hot, magnetized plasma near the neutron star surface then higher energy spectral observations of this phase region might reveal spectral features which can be used to determine the surface field strength

X-ray observations of a flare in NGC4151 from OSO-8

The 2-60 keV flux from NGC4151 changed by a factor of two on a timescale of 1.5 days. No fluctuations were detected in excess of a factor of three on timescales less than four hours. During a total observation of approximately 11 days there were no statistically significant changes in spectral shape. The spectrum was fitted by a power law with photon index alpha approximately 1.42 + or - 0.06 and column density N sub H approximately 7.5 + or - 0.5 x 10 to the 22d power at/cu cm. A 2 sigma residual to this fit implies fluorescent Fe line emission with E. W. approximately 240 eV. Both synchrotron self-Compton and thermal Compton models are consistent with the X-ray data

Iron line emission from X-ray sources

Iron line emission from X ray source

OSO-8 X-ray spectra of clusters of galaxies. 2: Discussion

X-ray spectral parameters obtained from 2 to 20 keV OSO-8 data on X-ray clusters and optical cluster properties were examined to obtain information for restricting models for hot intracluster gas structures. Topics discussed include the radius of the X-ray core in relation to the galaxy core radius, the viral mass of hotter clusters, and galaxy density and optical central cluster properties. A population of cool, dim X-ray clusters which have not been observed is predicted. The iron abundance determinations recently quoted for intracluster gas are uncertain by 50 to greater than 100 percent from this nonstatistical cause alone

Iron K Features in the Quasar E 1821+643: Evidence for Gravitationally Redshifted Absorption?

We report a Chandra high-energy grating detection of a narrow, redshifted absorption line superimposed on the red wing of a broad Fe K line in the $z=0.297$ quasar E1821+643. The absorption line is detected at a confidence level, estimated by two different methods, in the range ~2-3 sigma. Although the detection significance is not high enough to exclude a non-astrophysical origin, accounting for the absorption feature when modeling the X-ray spectrum implies that the Fe-K emission line is broad, and consistent with an origin in a relativistic accretion disk. Ignoring the apparent absorption feature leads to the conclusion that the Fe-K emission line is narrower, and also affects the inferred peak energy of the line (and hence the inferred ionization state of Fe). If the absorption line (at ~6.2 keV in the quasar frame) is real, we argue that it could be due to gravitationally redshifted Fe XXV or Fe XXVI resonance absorption within ~10-20 gravitational radii of the putative central black hole. The absorption line is not detected in earlier low-energy grating observations, but is not unequivocally ruled out by these data. The Chandra high-energy grating Fe K emission line is consistent with an origin predominantly in Fe I-XVII or so. In a previous LEG observation the line was double-peaked, at ~6.4 keV and ~6.9 keV (H-like Fe). Such a wide range in ionization state of Fe is not ruled out by the HEG data and an earlier ASCA observation, and is suggestive of a complex structure for the line-emitter.Comment: To be published in the Astrophysical Journal, 20 April 2005. 18 pages, ten figures, five of them in color. Four tables. Abstract is abridged.Corrected typos in author affiliation superscript

Evidence for a 16d.6 period from Circinus X-1

Analysis of All-Sky Monitor observations of Cir X-1 (3U1516-56) over the period October 1975 - April 1976 revealed a well-defined modulation of the 3-6 keV flux at a period of 16.585 + or - 0.01. The light-curve is characterized by an abrupt drop in emission occurring on a timescale of 0.07, with epoch JD 2,442,877.181 + or - 0.07. No clear correspondingly sharp increase in emission is observed during the cycle, so that a noneclipse origin for this effect cannot be ruled out

What is special about Cygnus X-1?

The X-ray evidence from several experiments is reviewed, with special emphasis on those characteristics which appear to distinguish Cygnus X-1 from other compact X-ray emitting objects. Data are examined within the context of a model in which millisecond bursts are superposed upon shot-noise fluctuations arising from events of durations on the order of a second. Possible spectral-temporal correlations are investigated which provide additional evidence that Cygnus X-1 is very likely a black hole