Aims. In light of recent discoveries of pulsating ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) and recently introduced theoretical schemes that propose neutron stars (NSs) as the central engines of ULXs, we ...revisit the spectra of eighteen well known ULXs, in search of indications that favour this newly emerging hypothesis. Methods. We examine the spectra from high-quality XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations. We use a combination of elementary black body and multicolour disk black body (MCD) models, to diagnose the predictions of classic and novel theoretical models of accretion onto NSs. We re-interpret the well established spectral characteristics of ULXs in terms of accretion onto lowly or highly magnetised NSs, and explore the resulting parameter space for consistency. Results. We confirm the previously noted presence of the low-energy (≲6 keV) spectral rollover and argue that it could be interpreted as due to thermal emission. The spectra are well described by a double thermal model consisting of a “hot” (≳1 keV) and a “cool” (≲0.7 keV) multicolour black body (MCB). Under the assumption that the “cool” MCD emission originates in a disk truncated at the neutron star magnetosphere, we find that all ULXs in our sample are consistent with accretion onto a highly magnetised (B ≳ 1012 G) neutron star. We note a strong correlation between the strength of the magnetic field, the temperature of the “hot” thermal component and the total unabsorbed luminosity. Examination of the NuSTAR data supports this interpretation and also confirms the presence of a weak, high-energy (≳15 keV) tail, most likely the result of modification of the MCB emission by inverse Compton scattering. We also note that the apparent high-energy tail, may simply be the result of mismodelling of MCB emission with an atypical temperature (T) versus radius (r) gradient, using a standard MCD model with a fixed gradient of T ~ r-0.75. Conclusions. We have offered a new and robust physical interpretation for the dual-thermal spectra of ULXs. We find that the best-fit derived parameters of our model, are in excellent agreement with recent theoretical predictions that favour super-critically accreting NSs as the engines of a large fraction of ULXs. Nevertheless, the considerable degeneracy between models and the lack of unequivocal evidence cannot rule out other equally plausible interpretations. Deeper broadband observations and time-resolved spectroscopy are warranted to further explore this newly emerging framework.
Here we study a 1-200 keV energy spectrum of the black hole binary Cygnus X-1 taken with NuSTAR and Suzaku. This is the first report of a NuSTAR observation of Cyg X-1 in the intermediate state, and ...the observation was taken during the part of the binary orbit where absorption due to the companion's stellar wind is minimal. The spectrum includes a multi-temperature thermal disk component, a cutoff power-law component, and relativistic and nonrelativistic reflection components. Our initial fits with publicly available constant density reflection models (relxill and reflionx) lead to extremely high iron abundances (>9.96 and times solar, respectively). Although supersolar iron abundances have been reported previously for Cyg X-1, our measurements are much higher and such variability is almost certainly unphysical. Using a new version of reflionx that we modified to make the electron density a free parameter, we obtain better fits to the spectrum even with solar iron abundances. We report on how the higher density ( cm−3) impacts other parameters such as the inner radius and inclination of the disk.
Ultraluminous X-ray sources are extragalactic objects located outside the nucleus of the host galaxy with bolometric luminosities exceeding 10(39) erg s(-1). These extreme luminosities-if the ...emission is isotropic and below the theoretical (Eddington) limit, where the radiation pressure is balanced by the gravitational pressure-imply the presence of an accreting black hole with a mass of approximately 10(2)-10(5) solar masses (Msymbol: see text). The existence of such intermediate-mass black holes is in dispute, and though many candidates have been proposed, none are widely accepted as definitive. Here we report the detection of a variable X-ray source with a maximum 0.2-10 keV luminosity of up to 1.1 x 10(42) erg s(-1) in the edge-on spiral galaxy ESO 243-49, with an implied conservative lower limit for the mass of the black hole of approximately 500Msymbol: see text.
We calculated carbon emissions associated with air travel of 4,834 participants at the 2019 annual conference of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). Together, participants ...traveled a total of 27.7 million miles or 44.6 million kilometers. This equates to 58 return trips to the moon. Estimated carbon dioxide equivalent (CO
e) emissions were 8,646 metric tons or the total weekly carbon footprint of approximately 9,366 average American households. These emissions contribute to climate change and thus may exacerbate many of the global diseases that conference attendees seek to combat. Options to reduce conference travel-associated emissions include 1) alternating in-person and online conferences, 2) offering a hybrid in-person/online conference, and 3) decentralizing the conference with multiple conference venues. Decentralized ASTMH conferences may allow for up to 64% reduction in travel distance and 58% reduction in CO
e emissions. Given the urgency of the climate crisis and the clear association between global warming and global health, ways to reduce carbon emissions should be considered.
Relativistic jets are streams of plasma moving at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. They have been observed from stellar-mass black holes (∼3 to 20 solar masses, M ⊙ ) as well as ...supermassive black holes (∼10 6 to 10 9 M⊙) found in the centers of most galaxies. Jets should also be produced by intermediate-mass black holes (∼10 2 to 10 5 M ⊙ ), although evidence for this third class of black hole has, until recently, been weak. We report the detection of transient radio emission at the location of the intermediate-mass black hole candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1, which is consistent with a discrete jet ejection event. These observations also allow us to refine the mass estimate of the black hole to be between ∼9 × 10 3 M ⊙ and ∼9 × 10 4 M ⊙ .
We recently discovered the X-ray/optical outbursting source 3XMM J215022.4−055108. It was best explained as the tidal disruption of a star by an intermediate-mass black hole of mass of a few tens of ...thousand solar masses in a massive star cluster at the outskirts of a large barred lenticular galaxy at DL = 247 Mpc. However, we could not completely rule out a Galactic cooling neutron star as an alternative explanation for the source. In order to further pin down the nature of the source, we have obtained new multiwavelength observations by XMM-Newton and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The optical counterpart to the source in the new HST image is marginally resolved, which rules out the Galactic cooling neutron star explanation for the source and suggests a star cluster of half-light radius ∼27 pc. The new XMM-Newton observation indicates that the luminosity was decaying as expected for a tidal disruption event and that the disk was still in the thermal state with a supersoft X-ray spectrum. Therefore, the new observations confirm the source as one of the best intermediate-mass black hole candidates.
The properties (temperature, density, chemical composition, velocity) of hot astrophysical plasma and the physical processes affecting them (heating/cooling, turbulence, shocks, acceleration) can be ...probed by high‐resolution X‐ray spectroscopy, to be complemented by high‐spatial‐resolution imaging. The paper presents the status of the European Space Agency's Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (Athena) mission, particularly focusing on the science performance of its two focal‐plane instruments for studies of extended X‐ray sources: the wide‐field imager and the X‐ray integral field unit. This paper then provides a brief summary of the breakthroughs expected with Athena on the astrophysics of hot plasma, building on the vast heritage of the discoveries and revolutionary results obtained by Chandra and XMM‐Newton in this field. As of November 12, 2019, Athena successfully concluded its feasibility study, and has since then moved into the definition phase, with a launch date scheduled in the early 2030s.
Timing Calibration of the NuSTAR X-Ray Telescope Bachetti, Matteo; Markwardt, Craig B.; Grefenstette, Brian W. ...
Astrophysical journal/The Astrophysical journal,
02/2021, Volume:
908, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission is the first focusing X-ray telescope in the hard X-ray (3-79 keV) band. Among the phenomena that can be studied in this energy band, some ...require high time resolution and stability: rotation-powered and accreting millisecond pulsars, fast variability from black holes and neutron stars, X-ray bursts, and more. Moreover, a good alignment of the timestamps of X-ray photons to UTC is key for multi-instrument studies of fast astrophysical processes. In this paper, we describe the timing calibration of the NuSTAR mission. In particular, we present a method to correct the temperature-dependent frequency response of the on-board temperature-compensated crystal oscillator. Together with measurements of the spacecraft clock offsets obtained during downlinks passes, this allows a precise characterization of the behavior of the oscillator. The calibrated NuSTAR event timestamps for a typical observation are shown to be accurate to a precision of ∼65 s.
PDF
