We introduce a new method for probing global properties of clump populations in giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the case where these act as X-ray reflection nebulae (XRNe), based on the study of the ...clumping’s overall effect on the reflected X-ray signal, in particular on the Fe K-α line’s shoulder. We consider the particular case of Sgr B2, one of the brightest and most massive XRN in the Galactic center (GC) region. We parametrise the gas distribution inside the cloud using a simple clumping model with theslope of the clump mass function (α), the minimum clump mass (mmin), the fraction of the cloud’s mass contained in clumps (fDGMF), and the mass-size relation of individual clumps as free parameters, and investigate how these affect the reflected X-ray spectrum. In the case of very dense clumps, similar to those presently observed in Sgr B2, these occupy a small volume of the cloud and present a small projected area to the incoming X-ray radiation. We find that these contribute negligibly to the scattered X-rays. Clump populations with volume-filling factors of >10-3 do leave observational signatures, that are sensitive to the clump model parameters, in the reflected spectrum and polarisation. Future high angular resolution X-ray observations could therefore complement the traditional optical and radio observations of these GMCs, and prove to be a powerful probe in the study of their internal structure. Clumps in GMCs should further be visible both as bright spots and regions of heavy absorption in high resolution X-ray observations. We therefore also study the time-evolution of the X-ray morphology, under illumination by a transient source, as a probe of the 3D distribution and column density of individual clumps by future X-ray observatories.
Abstract
The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) continues to successfully work in orbit after its launch in 2002. The mission provides the deepest ever survey of hard X-ray ...sources throughout the Galaxy at energies above 20 keV. We report on a catalogue of new hard X-ray source candidates based on the latest sky maps comprising 14 yr of data acquired with the IBIS telescope onboard INTEGRAL in the Galactic Plane (|b| < 17.5°). The current catalogue includes in total 72 hard X-ray sources detected at S/N > 4.7σ and not known to previous INTEGRAL surveys. Among them, 31 objects have also been detected in the on-going all-sky survey by the BAT telescope of the Swift observatory. For 26 sources on the list, we suggest possible identifications: 21 active galactic nuclei, two cataclysmic variables, two isolated pulsars or pulsar wind nebulae and one supernova remnant; 46 sources from the catalogue remain unclassified.
We predict a thin diffuse component of the Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE) arising from the scattering of the radiation of bright X-ray binaries (XBs) by the interstellar medium. This scattered ...component has the same scale height as that of the gaseous disk (~80 pc) and is therefore thinner than the GRXE of stellar origin (scale height ~130 pc). The morphology of the scattered component is furthermore expected to trace the clumpy molecular and HI clouds. We calculate this contribution to the GRXE from known Galactic XBs assuming that they are all persistent. The known XBs sample is incomplete, however, because it is flux limited and spans the lifetime of X-ray astronomy (~50 years), which is very short compared with the characteristic time of 1000−10 000 years that would have contributed to the diffuse emission observed today due to time delays. We therefore also use a simulated sample of sources, to estimate the diffuse emission we should expect in an optimistic case assuming that the X-ray luminosity of our Galaxy is on average similar to that of other galaxies. In the calculations we also take into account the enhancement of the total scattering cross-section due to coherence effects in the elastic scattering from multi-electron atoms and molecules. This scattered emission can be distinguished from the contribution of low X-ray luminosity stars by the presence of narrow fluorescent K-α lines of Fe, Si, and other abundant elements present in the interstellar medium and by directly resolving the contribution of low X-ray luminosity stars. We find that within 1° latitude of the Galactic plane the scattered emission contributes on average 10 − 30% of the GRXE flux in the case of known sources and over 50% in the case of simulated sources. In the latter case, the scattered component is found to even dominate the stellar emission in certain parts of the Galactic plane. X-rays with energies ≳1 keV from XBs should also penetrate deep inside the HI and molecular clouds, where they are absorbed and heat the interstellar medium. We find that this heating rate dominates the heating by cosmic rays (assuming a solar neighborhood energy density) in a considerable part of the Galaxy.
We present results of a deep survey of three extragalactic fields, M81 (exposure of 9.7 Ms), Large Magellanic Cloud (6.8 Ms) and 3C 273/Coma (9.3 Ms), in the hard X-ray (17–60 keV) energy band with ...the IBIS telescope onboard the INTEGRAL observatory, based on 12 years of observations (2003–2015). The combined survey reaches a 4σ peak sensitivity of 0.18 mCrab (2.6 × 10−12 erg s−1 cm−2) and sensitivity better than 0.25 and 0.87 mCrab over 10 per cent and 90 per cent of its full area of 4900 deg2, respectively. We have detected in total 147 sources at S/N > 4σ, including 37 sources observed in hard X-rays for the first time. The survey is dominated by extragalactic sources, mostly active galactic nuclei (AGN). The sample of identified sources contains 98 AGN (including 64 Seyfert galaxies, seven low-ionization nuclear emission-line region galaxies, three X-ray bright optically normal galaxies, 16 blazars and eight AGN of unclear optical class), two galaxy clusters (Coma and Abell 3266), 17 objects located in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (13 high- and two low-mass X-ray binaries and two X-ray pulsars), three Galactic cataclysmic variables, one ultraluminous X-ray source (M82 X-1) and one blended source (SWIFT J1105.7+5854). The nature of 25 sources remains unknown, so that the survey's identification is currently complete at 83 per cent. We have constructed AGN number–flux relations (log N–log S) and calculated AGN number densities in the local Universe for the entire survey and for each of the three extragalactic fields.
Abstract
The first X-ray pulsar, Cen X-3, was discovered 50 yr ago. Radiation from such objects is expected to be highly polarized due to birefringence of plasma and vacuum associated with ...propagation of photons in the presence of the strong magnetic field. Here we present results of the observations of Cen X-3 performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The source exhibited significant flux variability and was observed in two states different by a factor of ∼20 in flux. In the low-luminosity state, no significant polarization was found in either pulse phase-averaged (with a 3
σ
upper limit of 12%) or phase-resolved (the 3
σ
upper limits are 20%–30%) data. In the bright state, the polarization degree of 5.8% ± 0.3% and polarization angle of 49.°6 ± 1.°5 with a significance of about 20
σ
were measured from the spectropolarimetric analysis of the phase-averaged data. The phase-resolved analysis showed a significant anticorrelation between the flux and the polarization degree, as well as strong variations of the polarization angle. The fit with the rotating vector model indicates a position angle of the pulsar spin axis of about 49° and a magnetic obliquity of 17°. The detected relatively low polarization can be explained if the upper layers of the neutron star surface are overheated by the accreted matter and the conversion of the polarization modes occurs within the transition region between the upper hot layer and a cooler underlying atmosphere. A fraction of polarization signal can also be produced by reflection of radiation from the neutron star surface and the accretion curtain.
X-ray polarimetry, sometimes alone, and sometimes coupled to spectral and temporal variability measurements and to imaging, allows a wealth of physical phenomena in astrophysics to be studied. X-ray ...polarimetry investigates the acceleration process, for example, including those typical of magnetic reconnection in solar flares, but also emission in the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars and white dwarfs. It detects scattering in asymmetric structures such as accretion disks and columns, and in the so-called molecular torus and ionization cones. In addition, it allows fundamental physics in regimes of gravity and of magnetic field intensity not accessible to experiments on the Earth to be probed. Finally, models that describe fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity and the extension of the Standard Model) can be tested. We describe in this paper the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE), proposed in June 2012 to the first ESA call for a small mission with a launch in 2017. The proposal was, unfortunately, not selected. To be compliant with this schedule, we designed the payload mostly with existing items. The XIPE proposal takes advantage of the completed phase A of POLARIX for an ASI small mission program that was cancelled, but is different in many aspects: the detectors, the presence of a solar flare polarimeter and photometer and the use of a light platform derived by a mass production for a cluster of satellites. XIPE is composed of two out of the three existing JET-X telescopes with two Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) filled with a He-DME mixture at their focus. Two additional GPDs filled with a 3-bar Ar-DME mixture always face the Sun to detect polarization from solar flares. The Minimum Detectable Polarization of a 1 mCrab source reaches 14 in the 210 keV band in 105 s for pointed observations, and 0.6 for an X10 class solar flare in the 1535 keV energy band. The imaging capability is 24 arcsec Half Energy Width (HEW) in a Field of View of 14.7 arcmin 14.7 arcmin. The spectral resolution is 20 at 6 keV and the time resolution is 8 s. The imaging capabilities of the JET-X optics and of the GPD have been demonstrated by a recent calibration campaign at PANTER X-ray test facility of the Max-Planck-Institut fr extraterrestrische Physik (MPE, Germany). XIPE takes advantage of a low-earth equatorial orbit with Malindi as down-link station and of a Mission Operation Center (MOC) at INPE (Brazil). The data policy is organized with a Core Program that comprises three months of Science Verification Phase and 25 of net observing time in the following 2 years. A competitive Guest Observer program covers the remaining 75 of the net observing time.
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