1,966 research outputs found
Wide band observations of the X-ray burster GS 1826-238
GS 1826-238 is a well-studied X-ray bursting neutron star in a low mass
binary system. Thermal Comptonisation by a hot electron cloud is a widely
accepted mechanism accounting for its high energy emission, while the nature of
most of its soft X-ray output is not completely understood. A further low
energy component is typically needed to model the observed spectra: pure
blackbody and Comptonisation-modified blackbody radiation by a lower
temperature (a few keV) electron plasma were suggested to explain the low
energy data. We studied the steady emission of GS 1826-238 by means of broad
band (X to soft Gamma-rays) measurements obtained by the INTEGRAL observatory
in 2003 and 2006. The newly developed, up-to-date Comptonisation model CompTB
is applied for the first time to study effectively the low-hard state
variability of a low-luminosity neutron star in a low-mass X-ray binary system.
We confirm that the 3-200 keV emission of \GS is characterised by
Comptonisation of soft seed photons by a hot electron plasma. A single spectral
component is sufficient to model the observed spectra. At lower energies, no
direct blackbody emission is observed and there is no need to postulate a low
temperature Compton region. Compared to the 2003 measurements, the plasma
temperature decreased from 20 to 14 keV in 2006, together with the seed photons
temperature. The source intensity was also found to be 30% lower in 2006,
whilst the average recurrence frequency of the X-ray bursts significantly
increased. Possible explanations for this apparent deviation from the typical
limit-cycle behaviour of this burster are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Ultrafast charge transfer and vibronic coupling in a laser-excited hybrid inorganic/organic interface
Hybrid interfaces formed by inorganic semiconductors and organic molecules are intriguing materials for opto-electronics. Interfacial charge transfer is primarily responsible for their peculiar electronic structure and optical response. Hence, it is essential to gain insight into this fundamental process also beyond the static picture. Ab initio methods based on real-time time-dependent density-functional theory coupled to the Ehrenfest molecular dynamics scheme are ideally suited for this problem. We investigate a laser-excited hybrid inorganic/organic interface formed by the electron acceptor molecule 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyano-quinodimethane (F4TCNQ) physisorbed on a hydrogenated silicon cluster, and we discuss the fundamental mechanisms of charge transfer in the ultrashort time window following the impulsive excitation. The considered interface is p-doped and exhibits charge transfer in the ground state. When it is excited by a resonant laser pulse, the charge transfer across the interface is additionally increased, but contrary to previous observations in all-organic donor/acceptor complexes, it is not further promoted by vibronic coupling. In the considered time window of 100 fs, the molecular vibrations are coupled to the electron dynamics and enhance intramolecular charge transfer. Our results highlight the complexity of the physics involved and demonstrate the ability of the adopted formalism to achieve a comprehensive understanding of ultrafast charge transfer in hybrid materials
INTEGRAL high energy behaviour of 4U 1812-12
The low mass X-ray binary system 4U 1812-12 was monitored with the INTEGRAL
observatory in the period 2003-2004 and with BeppoSAX on April 20, 2000. We
report here on the spectral and temporal analysis of both persistent and burst
emission. The full data set confirms the persistent nature of this burster, and
reveals the presence of emission up to 200 keV. The persistent spectrum is well
described by a comptonization (CompTT) model plus a soft blackbody component.
The source was observed in a hard spectral state with a 1-200 keV luminosity of
2*10^(36) ergs/s and L/LEdd~1% and no meaningful flux variation has been
revealed, as also confirmed by a 2004 RXTE observation. We have also detected 4
bursts showing double peaked profiles and blackbody spectra with temperatures
ranging from 1.9 to 3.1 keV.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication by A&
The failed state transition of the ATOLL source GRS 1724-308
The 2004-2012 X-ray time history of the NS LMXB GRS 1724-308 shows, along
with the episodic brightenings associated to the low-high state transitions
typical of the ATOLL sources, a peculiar, long lasting (about 300 d) flaring
event, observed in 2008. This rare episode, characterised by a high-flux hard
state, has never been observed before for GRS 1724-308 , and in any case is not
common among ATOLL sources. We discuss here different hypotheses on the origin
of this peculiar event that displayed the spectral signatures of a failed
transition, similar in shape and duration to those rarely observed in Black
Hole binaries. We also suggest the possibility that the atypical flare occurred
in coincidence with a new rising phase of the 12-years super-orbital modulation
that has been previously reported by other authors. The analysed data also
confirm for GRS 1724-308 the already reported orbital period of about 90 d.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRA
Bright X-ray bursts from 1E 1724-3045 in Terzan 2
During about 3 years wide field monitoring of the Galactic Center region by
the WFC telescopes on board the BeppoSAX satellite, a total of 14 type-I X-ray
bursts were detected from the burster 1E 1724-3045 located in the globular
cluster Terzan 2. All the observed events showed evidence for photospheric
radius expansion due to Eddington-limit burst luminosity, thus leading to an
estimate of the source distance (~7.2 kpc). Preliminary results of the analysis
of the bursts are presented.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Proc. 5th Compton Symp., Portsmouth 199
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