3,952 research outputs found
A change in the quiescent X-ray spectrum of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary MXB 1659-29
The quasi-persistent neutron star low-mass X-ray binary MXB 1659-29 went into
quiescence in 2001, and we have followed its quiescent X-ray evolution since.
Observations over the first 4 years showed a rapid drop in flux and temperature
of the neutron star atmosphere, interpreted as cooling of the neutron star
crust which had been heated during the 2.5 year outburst. However, observations
taken approximately 1400 and 2400 days into quiescence were consistent with
each other, suggesting the crust had reached thermal equilibrium with the core.
Here we present a new Chandra observation of MXB 1659-29 taken 11 years into
quiescence and 4 years since the last Chandra observation. This new observation
shows an unexpected factor of ~3 drop in count rate and change in spectral
shape since the last observation, which cannot be explained simply by continued
cooling. Two possible scenarios are that either the neutron star temperature
has remained unchanged and there has been an increase in the column density,
or, alternatively the neutron star temperature has dropped precipitously and
the spectrum is now dominated by a power-law component. The first scenario may
be possible given that MXB 1659-29 is a near edge-on system, and an increase in
column density could be due to build-up of material in, and a thickening of, a
truncated accretion disk during quiescence. But, a large change in disk height
may not be plausible if standard accretion disk theory holds during quiescence.
Alternatively, the disk may be precessing, leading to a higher column density
during this latest observation.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Dynamic acoustic field activated cell separation (DAFACS)
Advances in diagnostics, cell and stem cell technologies drive the development of application-specific tools
for cell and particle separation. Acoustic micro-particle separation offers a promising avenue for highthroughput,
label-free, high recovery, cell and particle separation and isolation in regenerative medicine.
Here, we demonstrate a novel approach utilizing a dynamic acoustic field that is capable of separating an
arbitrary size range of cells. We first demonstrate the method for the separation of particles with different
diameters between 6 and 45 μm and secondly particles of different densities in a heterogeneous medium.
The dynamic acoustic field is then used to separate dorsal root ganglion cells. The shearless, label-free and
low damage characteristics make this method of manipulation particularly suited for biological applications.
Advantages of using a dynamic acoustic field for the separation of cells include its inherent safety and
biocompatibility, the possibility to operate over large distances (centimetres), high purity (ratio of particle
population, up to 100%), and high efficiency (ratio of separated particles over total number of particles to
separate, up to 100%)
SN 1987A's Circumstellar Envelope, II: Kinematics of the Three Rings and the Diffuse Nebula
We present several different measurements of the velocities of structures
within the circumstellar envelope of SN 1987A, including the inner, equatorial
ring (ER), outer rings (ORs), and the diffuse nebulosity at radii < 5 pc, based
on CTIO 4m and HST data. A comparison of STIS and WFPC2 [N II]6583 loci for the
rings show that the ER is expanding in radius at 10.5+-0.3 km/s, with the
northern OR expanding along the line of sight at about 26 km/s, and for the
southern OR, about 23 km/s. Similar results are found with CTIO 4m data.
Accounting for inclination, the best fit to all data show both ORs with an
expansion from the SN of 26 km/s. The ratio of the ER to OR velocities is
nearly equal to the ratio of ER to OR radii, so the rings are roughly
homologous, all having kinematic ages corresponding to about 20,000 yr before
the SN explosion. This makes previously reported, large compositional
differences between the ER and ORs difficult to understand. Additionally, a
grid of longslit 4m/echelle spectra centered on the SN shows two velocity
components over a region roughly coextensive with the outer circumstellar
envelope extending about 5 pc (20 arcsec) from the SN. One component is
blueshifted and the other redshifted from the SN centroid by about 10 km/s
each. These features may represent a bipolar flow expanding from the SN, in
which the ORs are propelled 10-15 km/s faster than that of the surrounding
envelope into which they propogate. The kinematic timescale for the entire
nebula is at least about 350,000 yr. The kinematics of these various structures
constrain possible models for the evolution of the progenitor and its formation
of a mass loss nebula.Comment: 25 pages AASTeX text plus 12 figures. ApJ, in pres
Superbursts at near-Eddington mass accretion rates
Models for superbursts from neutron stars involving carbon shell flashes
predict that the mass accretion rate should be anywhere in excess of one tenth
of the Eddington limit. Yet, superbursts have so far only been detected in
systems for which the accretion rate is limited between 0.1 and 0.25 times that
limit. The question arises whether this is a selection effect or an intrinsic
property. Therefore, we have undertaken a systematic study of data from the
BeppoSAX Wide Field Cameras on the luminous source GX 17+2, comprising 10 Msec
of effective observing time on superbursts. GX 17+2 contains a neutron star
with regular Type-I X-ray bursts and accretes matter within a few tens of
percents of the Eddington limit. We find four hours-long flares which
reasonably match superburst characteristics. Two show a sudden rise (i.e.,
faster than 10 s), and two show a smooth decay combined with spectral
softening. The implied superburst recurrence time, carbon ignition column and
quenching time for ordinary bursts are close to the predicted values. However,
the flare decay time, fluence and the implied energy production of (2-4) x
10^17 erg/g are larger than expected from current theory.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
The cooling rate of neutron stars after thermonuclear shell flashes
Thermonuclear shell flashes on neutron stars are detected as bright X-ray
bursts. Traditionally, their decay is modeled with an exponential function.
However, this is not what theory predicts. The expected functional form for
luminosities below the Eddington limit, at times when there is no significant
nuclear burning, is a power law. We tested the exponential and power-law
functional forms against the best data available: bursts measured with the
high-throughput Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on board the Rossi X-ray
Timing Explorer. We selected a sample of 35 'clean' and ordinary (i.e., shorter
than a few minutes) bursts from 14 different neutron stars that 1) show a large
dynamic range in luminosity, 2) are the least affected by disturbances by the
accretion disk and 3) lack prolonged nuclear burning through the rp-process. We
find indeed that for every burst a power law is a better description than an
exponential function. We also find that the decay index is steep, 1.8 on
average, and different for every burst. This may be explained by contributions
from degenerate electrons and photons to the specific heat capacity of the
ignited layer and by deviations from the Stefan-Boltzmann law due to changes in
the opacity with density and temperature. Detailed verification of this
explanation yields inconclusive results. While the values for the decay index
are consistent, changes of it with the burst time scale, as a proxy of ignition
depth, and with time are not supported by model calculations.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, recommended for publication in A&
Probing the Crust of the Neutron Star in EXO 0748-676
X-ray observations of quiescent X-ray binaries have the potential to provide
insight into the structure and the composition of neutron stars. EXO 0748-676
had been actively accreting for over 24 yr before its outburst ceased in late
2008. Subsequent X-ray monitoring revealed a gradual decay of the quiescent
thermal emission that can be attributed to cooling of the accretion-heated
neutron star crust. In this work, we report on new Chandra and Swift
observations that extend the quiescent monitoring to ~5 yr post-outburst. We
find that the neutron star temperature remained at ~117 eV between 2009 and
2011, but had decreased to ~110 eV in 2013. This suggests that the crust has
not fully cooled yet, which is supported by the lower temperature of ~95 eV
that was measured ~4 yr prior to the accretion phase in 1980. Comparing the
data to thermal evolution simulations reveals that the apparent lack of cooling
between 2009 and 2011 could possibly be a signature of convection driven by
phase separation of light and heavy nuclei in the outer layers of the neutron
star.Comment: 9 pages, 4 tables, 3 figures. Minor revisions according to referee
report. Accepted to Ap
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