Soft excess in the quiescent Be/X-ray pulsar RX J0812.4-3114

We report a 72 ks XMM-Newton observation of the Be/X-ray pulsar (BeXRP) RX J0812.4-3114 in quiescence (L-X approximate to 1.6 x 10(33) erg s(-1)). Intriguingly, we find a two-component spectrum, with a hard power-law (Gamma approximate to 1.5) and a soft blackbody-like excess below keV. The blackbody component is consistent in kT with a prior quiescent Chandra observation reported by Tsygankov et al. and has an inferred blackbody radius of;----10 km, consistent with emission from the entire neutron star (NS) surface. There is also mild evidence for an absorption line at approximate to and/or approximate to 1.4 keV. The hard component shows pulsations at P approximate to 31.908 s (pulsed fraction 0.84 +/- 0.10), agreeing with the pulse period seen previously in outbursts, but 110 pulsations were found in the soft excess (pulsed fraction less than or similar to 31 per cent). We conclude that the pulsed hard component suggests low-level accretion on to the NS poles, while the soft excess seems to originate from the entire NS surface. Wc speculate that, in quiescence, the source switches between a soft, thermal-dominated state (when the propeller effect is at work) and a relatively hard state with low-level accretion, and use the propeller cut-off to estimate the ma.gnetic field of the system to be less than or similar to 8.4 x 10(11)G. We compare the quiescent thermal L-X predicted by the standard deep crustal heating model to our observations and find that RX J0812.4-31.14 has a high thermal L-X, at or above the prediction for minimum cooling mechanisms. This suggests that RX J0812.4-3114 either contains a relatively low-mass NS with minimum cooling, or that the system may be young enough that the NS has not fully cooled from the supernova explosion

Cooling of Dark-Matter Admixed Neutron Stars with density-dependent Equation of State

We propose a dark-matter (DM) admixed density-dependent equation of state where the fermionic DM interacts with the nucleons via Higgs portal. Presence of DM can hardly influence the particle distribution inside neutron star (NS) but can significantly affect the structure as well as equation of state (EOS) of NS. Introduction of DM inside NS softens the equation of state. We explored the effect of variation of DM mass and DM Fermi momentum on the NS EOS. Moreover, DM-Higgs coupling is constrained using dark matter direct detection experiments. Then, we studied cooling of normal NSs using APR and DD2 EOSs and DM admixed NSs using dark-matter modified DD2 with varying DM mass and Fermi momentum. We have done our analysis by considering different NS masses. Also DM mass and DM Fermi momentum are varied for fixed NS mass and DM-Higgs coupling. We calculated the variations of luminosity and temperature of NS with time for all EOSs considered in our work and then compared our calculations with the observed astronomical cooling data of pulsars namely Cas A, RX J0822-43, 1E 1207-52, RX J0002+62, XMMU J17328, PSR B1706-44, Vela, PSR B2334+61, PSR B0656+14, Geminga, PSR B1055-52 and RX J0720.4-3125. It is found that APR EOS agrees well with the pulsar data for lighter and medium mass NSs but cooling is very fast for heavier NS. For DM admixed DD2 EOS, it is found that for all considered NS masses, all chosen DM masses and Fermi momenta agree well with the observational data of PSR B0656+14, Geminga, Vela, PSR B1706-44 and PSR B2334+61. Cooling becomes faster as compared to normal NSs in case of increasing DM mass and Fermi momenta. It is infered from the calculations that if low mass super cold NSs are observed in future that may support the fact that heavier WIMP can be present inside neutron stars.Comment: 24 Pages, 15 Figures and 2 Tables. Version accepted in The European Physical Journal

Disc reflection and a possible disc wind during a soft X-ray state in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058

1RXS J180408.9–342058 is a transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary that exhibited a bright accretion outburst in 2015. We present $\textit{NuSTAR}$, $\textit{Swift}$, and $\textit{Chandra}$ observations obtained around the peak brightness of this outburst. The source was in a soft X-ray spectral state and displayed an X-ray luminosity of $L_\text{X}$ $\simeq$ (2–3) × 10$^{37}$($D$/5.8 kpc)$^2$ erg s$^{−1}$ (0.5–10 keV). The $\textit{NuSTAR}$ data reveal a broad Fe–K emission line that we model as relativistically broadened reflection to constrain the accretion geometry. We found that the accretion disc is viewed at an inclination of $i$ $\simeq$ 27$^{\circ}$–35$^{\circ}$ and extended close to the neutron star, down to $R_\text{in}$ $\simeq$ 5–7.5 gravitational radii ($\simeq$11–17 km). This inner disc radius suggests that the neutron star magnetic field strength is $B$ $\lesssim$ 2 × 10$^8$ G. We find a narrow absorption line in the $\textit{Chandra}$/HEG data at an energy of $\simeq$7.64 keV with a significance of $\simeq$4.8$\sigma$. This feature could correspond to blueshifted Fe $\small \text{XXVI}$ and arise from an accretion disc wind, which would imply an outflow velocity of $v_\text{out}$ $\simeq$0.086$c$ ($\simeq$25 800 km s$^{−1}$). However, this would be extreme for an X-ray binary and it is unclear if a disc wind should be visible at the low inclination angle that we infer from our reflection analysis. Finally, we discuss how the X-ray and optical properties of 1RXS J180408.9–342058 are consistent with a relatively small ($P_\text{orb}$ $\lesssim$ 3 h) binary orbit.ND is supported by an NWO/Vidi grant and an EU Marie Curie Intra-European fellowship under contract no. FP-PEOPLE-2013-IEF-627148. DA acknowledges support from the Royal Society. JCAMJ is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT140101082) and an ARC Discovery Grant (DP120102393). RW and AP are supported by an NWO/TOP grant, module 1, awarded to RW. COH is supported by an NSERC Discovery Grant. ATD is supported by an NWO/Veni grant. JWTH is supported by NWO/Vidi and ERC/starting (337062) grants

Radio pulsar populations

The goal of this article is to summarize the current state of play in the field of radio pulsar statistics. Simply put, from the observed sample of objects from a variety of surveys with different telescopes, we wish to infer the properties of the underlying sample and to connect these with other astrophysical populations (for example supernova remnants or X-ray binaries). The main problem we need to tackle is the fact that, like many areas of science, the observed populations are often heavily biased by a variety of selection effects. After a review of the main effects relevant to radio pulsars, I discuss techniques to correct for them and summarize some of the most recent results. Perhaps the main point I would like to make in this article is that current models to describe the population are far from complete and often suffer from strong covariances between input parameters. That said, there are a number of very interesting conclusions that can be made concerning the evolution of neutron stars based on current data. While the focus of this review will be on the population of isolated Galactic pulsars, I will also briefly comment on millisecond and binary pulsars as well as the pulsar content of globular clusters and the Magellanic Clouds.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Proceedings of ICREA Workshop on The High-Energy Emission from Pulsars and their Systems, Sant Cugat, Spain, 2010 April 12-16 (Springer

Ultradeep ATCA imaging of 47 Tucanae reveals a central compact radio source

We present the results of an ultra-deep radio continuum survey, containing ~ 480 hours of observations, of the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. This comprehensive coverage of the cluster allows us to reach RMS noise levels of 1.19 uJY beam -1 at 5.5 GHz, 940 nJy beam-1 at 9 GHz, and 790 nJybeam-1 in a stacked 7.25 GHz image. This is the deepest radio image of a globular cluster, and the deepest image ever made with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We identify ATCA J002405.702-720452.361, a faint (6.3+1.2uJy at 5.5 GHz, 5.4+0.9uJy at 9 GHz), flat-spectrum (a=-0.31+0.54) radio source that is positionally coincident with the cluster centre and potentially associated with a faint X-ray source. No convincing optical counterpart was identified. We use radio, X-ray, optical, and UV data to show that explanations involving a background active galactic nucleus, a chromospherically active binary, or a binary involving a white dwarf are unlikely. The most plausible explanations are that the source is an undiscovered millisecond pulsar or a weakly accreting black hole. If the X-ray source is associated with the radio source, the fundamental plane of black hole activity suggests a black hole mass of ~54-6000M⊙, indicating an intermediate-mass black hole or a heavy stellar-mass black hole

Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars

Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars (AMXPs) are astrophysical laboratories without parallel in the study of extreme physics. In this chapter we review the past fifteen years of discoveries in the field. We summarize the observations of the fifteen known AMXPs, with a particular emphasis on the multi-wavelength observations that have been carried out since the discovery of the first AMXP in 1998. We review accretion torque theory, the pulse formation process, and how AMXP observations have changed our view on the interaction of plasma and magnetic fields in strong gravity. We also explain how the AMXPs have deepened our understanding of the thermonuclear burst process, in particular the phenomenon of burst oscillations. We conclude with a discussion of the open problems that remain to be addressed in the future.Comment: Review to appear in "Timing neutron stars: pulsations, oscillations and explosions", T. Belloni, M. Mendez, C.M. Zhang Eds., ASSL, Springer; [revision with literature updated, several typos removed, 1 new AMXP added

The MAVERIC Survey: The first radio and X-ray limits on the detached black holes in NGC 3201

The Galactic globular cluster (GC) NGC 3201 is the first Galactic GC observed to host dynamically confirmed stellar-mass black holes (BHs), containing two confirmed and one candidate BH. This result indicates that GCs can retain BHs, which has important implications for GC evolution. NGC 3201 has been observed as part of the MAVERIC survey of Galactic GCs. We use these data to confirm that there is no radio or X-ray detection of the three BHs, and present the first radio and X-ray limits on these sources. These limits indicate that any accretion present is at an extremely low rate and may be extremely inefficient. In particular, for the system ACS ID #21859, by assuming the system is tidally locked and any accretion is through the capture of the companion’s winds, we constrain the radiative efficiency of any accretion to ≲ 1.5 × 10−5. We also combine the radio and X-ray source catalogues from the MAVERIC survey with the existing MUSE spectroscopic surveys and the HUGS catalogue of NGC 3201 to provide a catalogue of 42 multiwavelength sources in this cluster. We identify a new red straggler source with X-ray emission, and investigate the multiwavelength properties of the sub-subgiant population in the cluster

Reaction rates and transport in neutron stars

Understanding signals from neutron stars requires knowledge about the transport inside the star. We review the transport properties and the underlying reaction rates of dense hadronic and quark matter in the crust and the core of neutron stars and point out open problems and future directions.Comment: 74 pages; commissioned for the book "Physics and Astrophysics of Neutron Stars", NewCompStar COST Action MP1304; version 3: minor changes, references updated, overview graphic added in the introduction, improvements in Sec IV.A.

The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems

We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure

Relativistic Binaries in Globular Clusters

Galactic globular clusters are old, dense star systems typically containing 10\super{4}--10\super{7} stars. As an old population of stars, globular clusters contain many collapsed and degenerate objects. As a dense population of stars, globular clusters are the scene of many interesting close dynamical interactions between stars. These dynamical interactions can alter the evolution of individual stars and can produce tight binary systems containing one or two compact objects. In this review, we discuss theoretical models of globular cluster evolution and binary evolution, techniques for simulating this evolution that leads to relativistic binaries, and current and possible future observational evidence for this population. Our discussion of globular cluster evolution will focus on the processes that boost the production of hard binary systems and the subsequent interaction of these binaries that can alter the properties of both bodies and can lead to exotic objects. Direct {\it N}-body integrations and Fokker--Planck simulations of the evolution of globular clusters that incorporate tidal interactions and lead to predictions of relativistic binary populations are also discussed. We discuss the current observational evidence for cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars, and low-mass X-ray binaries as well as possible future detection of relativistic binaries with gravitational radiation.Comment: 88 pages, 13 figures. Submitted update of Living Reviews articl