22 research outputs found
Recent Progress on Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
I review recent observational progress on Anomalous X-ray Pulsars, with an
emphasis on timing, variability, and spectra. Highlighted results include the
recent timing and flux stabilization of the notoriously unstable AXP 1E
1048.1-5937, the remarkable glitches seen in two AXPs, the newly recognized
variety of AXP variability types, including outbursts, bursts, flares, and
pulse profile changes, as well as recent discoveries regarding AXP spectra,
including their surprising hard X-ray and far-infrared emission, as well as the
pulsed radio emission seen in one source. Much has been learned about these
enigmatic objects over the past few years, with the pace of discoveries
remaining steady. However additional work on both observational and theoretical
fronts is needed before we have a comprehensive understanding of AXPs and their
place in the zoo of manifestations of young neutron stars.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures; to appear in proceedings of the conference
"Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Interior to the Surface" eds. S. Zane, R.
Turolla, D. Page; Astrophysics & Space Science in pres
Years of RXTE Monitoring of Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 4U 0142+61: Long-Term Variability
We report on 10 years of monitoring of the 8.7-s Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 4U
0142+61 using the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). This pulsar exhibited
stable rotation from 2000 March until 2006 February: the RMS phase residual for
a spin-down model which includes nu, nudot, and nuddot is 2.3%. We report a
possible phase-coherent timing solution valid over a 10-yr span extending back
to March 1996. A glitch may have occured between 1998 and 2000, but is not
required by the existing timing data. The pulse profile has been evolving since
2000. In particular, the dip of emission between its two peaks got shallower
between 2002 and 2006, as if the profile were evolving back to its pre-2000
morphology, following an earlier event, which possibly also included the glitch
suggested by the timing data. These profile variations are seen in the 2-4 keV
band but not in 6-8 keV. We also detect a slow increase in the pulsed flux
between 2002 May and 2004 December, such that it has risen by 36+/-3% over 2.6
years in the 2-10 keV band. The pulsed flux variability and the narrow-band
pulse profile changes present interesting challenges to aspects of the magnetar
model.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Ap
The Variable X-ray and Near-IR Behavior of the Particularly Anomaloux X-ray Pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937
We present the results of X-ray and near-IR observations of the anomalous
X-ray pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937, believed to be a magnetar. This AXP underwent a
period of extreme variability during 2001-2004, but subsequently entered an
extended and unexpected quiescence in 2004-2006, during which we monitored it
with RXTE, CXO, and HST. Its timing properties were stable for >3 years
throughout the quiescent period. 1E 1048.1-5937 again went into outburst in
March 2007, which saw a factor of >7 total X-ray flux increase which was
anti-correlated with a pulsed fraction decrease, and correlated with spectral
hardening, among other effects. The near-IR counterpart also brightened
following the 2007 event. We discuss our findings in the context of the
magnetar and other models.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the proceedings of the "40 Years of
Pulsars: Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More" conference, held 12-17
August 2007, in Montreal QC (AIP, in press, eds: C. Bassa, Z. Wang, A.
Cumming, V. Kaspi
Anomalous X-ray Pulsars: Long-Term Monitoring and Soft-Gamma Repeater like X-ray Bursts
We report on long-term monitoring of anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) using the
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Using phase-coherent timing, we find a wide
variety of behaviors among the sources, ranging from high stability (in 1E
2259.1+586 in quiescence and 4U 0142+61), to instabilities so severe that
phase-coherent timing is not possible (in 1E 1048.1-5937). We note a
correlation in which timing stability in AXPs decreases with increasing
. The timing stability of soft gamma repeaters (SGRs) in quiescence
is consistent with this trend, which is similar to one seen in radio pulsars.
We find no significant pulse morphology variations in any AXP in quiescence. We
considered high signal-to-noise average pulse profiles for each AXP as a
function of energy. We show that, as in the timing properties, there is a
variety of different behaviors for the energy dependence. We also used the
monitoring and archival data to obtain pulsed flux time series for each source.
We have found no large changes in pulsed flux for any source in quiescence, and
have set upper limits on variations ~20-30% depending on the source.
We have recently discovered bursts from the direction of two AXPs: 1E
1048.1-5937 the most SGR-like AXP, and 1E 2259.1+586 the most rotationally
stable AXP. We compare the temporal, spectral and flux properties of these
events to those of SGR bursts, and show that the two phenomena are very
similar. These results imply a close relationship between AXPs and SGRs, with
both being magnetars.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 34th Cospar
Scientific Assembl
On Hoyle-Narlikar-Wheeler mechanism of vibration energy powered magneto-dipole emission of neutron stars
We revisit the well-known Hoyle-Narlikar-Wheeler proposition that neutron
star emerging in the magnetic-flux-conserving process of core-collapse
supernova can convert the stored energy of Alfven vibrations into power of
magneto-dipole radiation. We show that the necessary requirement for the energy
conversion is the decay of internal magnetic field. In this case the loss of
vibration energy of the star causes its vibration period, equal to period of
pulsating emission, to lengthen at a rate proportional to the rate of magnetic
field decay. These prediction of the model of vibration powered neutron star
are discussed in juxtaposition with data on pulsating emission of magnetars
whose radiative activity is generally associated with the decay of ultra strong
magnetic field.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc
Magnetar outbursts: an observational review
Transient outbursts from magnetars have shown to be a key property of their
emission, and one of the main way to discover new sources of this class. From
the discovery of the first transient event around 2003, we now count about a
dozen of outbursts, which increased the number of these strongly magnetic
neutron stars by a third in six years. Magnetar outbursts might involve their
multi-band emission resulting in an increased activity from radio to hard
X-ray, usually with a soft X-ray flux increasing by a factor of 10-1000 with
respect to the quiescent level. A connected X-ray spectral evolution is also
often observed, with a spectral softening during the outburst decay. The flux
decay times vary a lot from source to source, ranging from a few weeks to
several years, as also the decay law which can be exponential-like, a power-law
or even multiple power-laws can be required to model the flux decrease. We
review here on the latest observational results on the multi-band emission of
magnetars, and summarize one by one all the transient events which could be
studied to date from these sources.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures. Chapter of the Springer Book ASSP 7395
"High-energy emission from pulsars and their systems", proceeding of the Sant
Cugat Forum on Astrophysics (12-16 April 2010). Review updated to January
201
Evidence for a Binary Companion to the Central Compact Object 1E 1207.4-5209
Unique among neutron stars, 1E 1207.4-5209 is an X-ray pulsar with a spin
period of 424 ms that contains at least two strong absorption features in its
energy spectrum. This neutron star has been identified as a member of the
radio-quiet compact central objects in supernova remnants. It has been found
that 1E 1207.4-5209 is not spinning down monotonically suggesting that this
neutron star undergoes strong, frequent glitches, contains a fall-back disk, or
possess a binary companion. Here, we report on a sequence of seven XMM-Newton
observations of 1E 1207.4-5209 performed during a 40 day window in June/July
2005. Due to unanticipated variance in the phase measurements beyond the
statistical uncertainties, we could not identify a unique phase-coherent timing
solution. The three most probable timing solutions give frequency time
derivatives of +0.9, -2.6, and +1.6 X 10^(-12) Hz/s (listed in descending order
of significance). We conclude that the local frequency derivative during our
XMM-Newton observing campaign differs from the long-term spin-down rate by more
than an order of magnitude, effectively ruling out glitch models for 1E
1207.4-5209. If the long-term spin frequency variations are caused by timing
noise, the strength of the timing noise in 1E 1207.4-5209 is much stronger than
in other pulsars with similar period derivatives. Therefore, it is highly
unlikely that the spin variations are caused by the same physical process that
causes timing noise in other isolated pulsars. The most plausible scenario for
the observed spin irregularities is the presence of a binary companion to 1E
1207.4-5209. We identified a family of orbital solutions that are consistent
with our phase-connected timing solution, archival frequency measurements, and
constraints on the companions mass imposed by deep IR and optical observations.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. To be published in the proceedings of "Isolated
Neutron Stars: from the Interior to the Surface" (April 24-28, 2006) - eds.
D. Page, R. Turolla & S. Zan
QED can explain the non-thermal emission from SGRs and AXPs : Variability
Owing to effects arising from quantum electrodynamics (QED),
magnetohydrodynamical fast modes of sufficient strength will break down to form
electron-positron pairs while traversing the magnetospheres of strongly
magnetised neutron stars. The bulk of the energy of the fast mode fuels the
development of an electron-positron fireball. However, a small, but potentially
observable, fraction of the energy ( ergs) can generate a
non-thermal distribution of electrons and positrons far from the star. This
paper examines the cooling and radiative output of these particles. Small-scale
waves may produce only the non-thermal emission. The properties of this
non-thermal emission in the absence of a fireball match those of the quiescent,
non-thermal radiation recently observed non-thermal emission from several
anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft-gamma repeaters. Initial estimates of the
emission as a function of angle indicate that the non-thermal emission should
be beamed and therefore one would expect this emission to be pulsed as well.
According to this model the pulsation of the non-thermal emission should be
between 90 and 180 degrees out of phase from the thermal emission from the
stellar surface.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference
"Isolated Neutron Stars: from the Interior to the Surface" (April 2006,
London), eds. D. Page, R. Turolla, & S. Zane, Astrophysics & Space Scienc
Gravitational radiation from gamma-ray bursts as observational opportunities for LIGO and VIRGO
Gamma-ray bursts are believed to originate in core-collapse of massive stars.
This produces an active nucleus containing a rapidly rotating Kerr black hole
surrounded by a uniformly magnetized torus represented by two counter-oriented
current rings. We quantify black hole spin-interactions with the torus and
charged particles along open magnetic flux-tubes subtended by the event
horizon. A major output of Egw=4e53 erg is radiated in gravitational waves of
frequency fgw=500 Hz by a quadrupole mass-moment in the torus. Consistent with
GRB-SNe, we find (i) Ts=90s (tens of s, Kouveliotou et al. 1993), (ii)
aspherical SNe of kinetic energy Esn=2e51 erg (2e51 erg in SN1998bw, Hoeflich
et al. 1999) and (iii) GRB-energies Egamma=2e50 erg (3e50erg in Frail et al.
2001). GRB-SNe occur perhaps about once a year within D=100Mpc. Correlating
LIGO/Virgo detectors enables searches for nearby events and their spectral
closure density 6e-9 around 250Hz in the stochastic background radiation in
gravitational waves. At current sensitivity, LIGO-Hanford may place an upper
bound around 150MSolar in GRB030329. Detection of Egw thus provides a method
for identifying Kerr black holes by calorimetry.Comment: to appear in PRD, 49