ABSTRACT
In MeerKAT observations pointed at a Galactic X-ray binary located on the Galactic plane, we serendipitously discovered a radio nebula with cometary-like morphology. The feature, which we ...named ‘the Mini Mouse’ based on its similarity with the previously discovered ‘Mouse’ nebula, points back towards the previously unidentified candidate supernova remnant G45.24+0.18. We observed the location of the Mini Mouse with MeerKAT in two different observations, and we localized with arcsecond precision the 138-ms radio pulsar PSR J1914+1054g, recently discovered by the FAST telescope, to a position consistent with the head of the nebula. We confirm a dispersion measure of about 418 pc cm−3 corresponding to a distance between 7.8 and 8.8 kpc based on models of the electron distribution. Using our accurate localization and two period measurements spaced 90 d apart, we calculate a period derivative of (2.7 ± 0.3) × 10 −14 s s−1. We derive a characteristic age of approximately 82 kyr and a spin-down luminosity of 4 × 1035 erg s−1. For a pulsar age comparable with the characteristic age, we find that the projected velocity of the neutron star is between 320 and 360 km s−1 if it was born at the location of the supernova remnant. The size of the proposed remnant appears small if compared with the pulsar characteristic age; however, the relatively high density of the environment near the Galactic plane could explain a suppressed expansion rate and thus a smaller remnant.
ABSTRACT
The black hole transient GRS 1716−249 was monitored from the radio to the γ-ray band during its 2016–2017 outburst. This paper focuses on the spectral energy distribution (SED) obtained in ...2017 February–March, when GRS 1716−249 was in a bright hard spectral state. The soft γ-ray data collected with the INTEGRAL/SPI telescope show the presence of a spectral component that is in excess of the thermal Comptonization emission. This component is usually interpreted as inverse Compton emission from a tiny fraction of non-thermal electrons in the X-ray corona. We find that hybrid thermal/non-thermal Comptonization models provide a good fit to the X-/γ-ray spectrum of GRS 1716−249. The best-fitting parameters are typical of the bright hard state spectra observed in other black hole X-ray binaries. Moreover, the magnetized hybrid Comptonization model belm provides an upper limit on the intensity of the coronal magnetic field of about 106 G. Alternatively, this soft γ-ray emission could originate from synchrotron emission in the radio jet. In order to test this hypothesis, we fit the SED with the irradiated disc plus Comptonization model combined with the jet internal shock emission model ishem. We found that a jet with an electron distribution of p ≃ 2.1 can reproduce the soft γ-ray emission of GRS 1716−249. However, if we introduce the expected cooling break around 10 keV, the jet model can no longer explain the observed soft γ-ray emission, unless the index of the electron energy distribution is significantly harder (p < 2).
Abstract
We analysed the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data from a sample of bright accreting neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). With the aim of studying the quasi-periodic variability ...as a function of the accretion regime, we carried out a systematic search of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the X-ray time series of these systems, using the integrated fractional variability as a tracker for the accretion states. We found that the three QPO types originally identified in the 1980s for the brightest LMXBs, the so-called Z sources, i.e. horizontal, normal and flaring branch oscillations (HBOs, NBOs and FBOs, respectively), are also identified in the slightly less bright NS LMXBs, the so-called atoll sources, where we see QPOs with a behaviour consistent with the HBOs and FBOs. We compared the quasi-periodic variability properties of our NS sample with those of a sample of black hole (BH) LMXBs. We confirm the association between HBOs, NBOs and FBOs observed in Z sources, with the type-C, type-B and type-A QPOs, respectively, observed in BH systems, and we extended the comparison to the HBO-like and FBO-like QPOs seen in atoll sources. We conclude that the variability properties of BH and weakly magnetized NS LMXBs show strong similarities, with QPOs only weakly sensitive to the nature of the central compact object in both classes of systems. We find that the historical association between kHz QPOs and high-frequency QPOs, seen around NSs and BHs, respectively, is not obvious when comparing similar accretion states in the two kinds of systems.
ABSTRACT
The transient X-ray source MAXI J1810−222 was discovered in 2018 and has been active ever since. A long combined radio and X-ray monitoring campaign was performed with Australia Telescope ...Compact Array and Swift, respectively. It has been proposed that MAXI J1810−222 is a relatively distant black hole X-ray binary, albeit showing a very peculiar outburst behaviour. Here, we report on the spectral study of this source making use of a large sample of NICER observations performed between 2019 February and 2020 September. We detected a strong spectral absorption feature at ∼1 keV, which we have characterized with a physical photoionization model. Via a deep scan of the parameters space, we obtained evidence for a spectral-state dependent outflow, with mildly relativistic speeds. In particular, the soft and intermediate states point to a hot plasma outflowing at 0.05–0.15c. This speeds rule-out thermal winds and hence, they suggest that such outflows could be radiation pressure or (most likely) magnetically driven winds. Our results are crucial to test current theoretical models of wind formation in X-ray binaries.
Abstract
We studied five XMM–Newton observations of the neutron star binary 4U 1728–34 covering the hard, intermediate and soft spectral states. By jointly fitting the spectra with several reflection ...models, we obtained an inclination angle of 25º–53º and an iron abundance up to 10 times the solar. From the fits with reflection models, we found that the fluxes of the reflection and the Comptonized components vary inconsistently; since the latter is assumed to be the illuminating source, this result possibly indicates the contribution of the neutron star surface/boundary layer to the disc reflection. As the source evolved from the relatively soft to the intermediate state, the disc inner radius decreased, opposite to the prediction of the standard accretion disc model. We also explore the possible reasons why the supersolar iron abundance is required by the data and found that this high value is probably caused by the absence of the hard photons in the XMM–Newton data.
ABSTRACT
The X-ray light curves of accreting black holes and neutron stars in binary systems show various types of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), the origin of which is still debated. The ...relativistic precession model identifies the QPO frequencies with fundamental time-scales from General Relativity, and has been proposed as a possible explanation of certain types of such oscillations. Under specific conditions (i.e. the detection of a particular QPOs triplet) such a model can be used to obtain self-consistent measurements of the mass and spin of the compact object. So far this has been possible only in the black hole binary GRO J1655-40. In the RXTE/PCA data from the 1999–2000 outburst of the black hole transient XTE J1859+226 we found a QPO triplet, and used the relativistic precession model to obtain high-precision measurements of the black hole mass and spin – M = (7.85 ± 0.46) M⊙, a* = 0.149 ± 0.005 – the former being consistent with the most recent dynamical mass determination from optical measurements. Similarly to what has been already observed in other black hole systems, the frequencies of the QPOs and broad-band noise components match the general relativistic frequencies of particle motion close to the compact object predicted by the model. Our findings confirm previous results and further support the validity of the relativistic precession model, which is the only electromagnetic-measurement-based method that so far has consistently yielded spins close to those from the gravitational waves produced by merging binary black holes.
We present a systematic analysis of the complete set of observations of the black hole (BH) binary XTE J1550-564 obtained by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. We study the fast time variability ...properties of the source and determine the spin of the BH through the relativistic precession model. Similarly to what is observed in the BH binary GRO J1655-40, the frequencies of the QPOs and broad-band noise components match the general relativistic frequencies of particle motion close to the compact object predicted by the relativistic precession model. The combination of two simultaneously observed quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) frequencies together with the dynamical BH mass from optical/infrared observations yields a spin equal to a = 0.34 ± 0.01, consistent with previous determinations from X-ray spectroscopy. Based on the derived BH parameters, the low-frequency QPO emission radii vary from ∼30 gravitational radii (R
g) to the innermost stable orbit for this spin (∼5 R
g), where they sharply disappear as observed for the case of GRO J1655-40.
We report on the results of X-ray observations of 4XMM J111816.0-324910, a transient ultraluminous X-ray source located in the galaxy NGC 3621. This system is characterized by a transient nature and ...marked variability with a characteristic timescale of 3500 s, in contract with other ultraluminous X-ray sources, which in the vast majority show limited intra-observation variability. Such a behavior is very reminiscent of the so-called heartbeats sometimes observed in the Galactic black hole binary GRS 1915+105, where the variability timescale is ∼10-1000 s. We study the spectral and timing properties of this object and find that overall, once the differences in the variability timescales are taken into account, they match quite closely those of both GRS 1915+105 and of a number of objects showing heartbeats in their light curves, including a confirmed neutron star and a supermassive black hole powering an active galactic nucleus. We investigate the nature of the compact object in 4XMM J111816.0-324910 by searching for typical neutron star signatures and by attempting a mass estimate based on different methods and assumptions. Based on the current available data, we are not able to unambiguously determine the nature of the accreting compact object responsible for the observed phenomenology.
Abstract
We report on late time radio and X-ray observations of the tidal disruption event candidate ASASSN-14li, covering the first 1000 d of the decay phase. For the first ∼200 d the radio and ...X-ray emission fade in concert. This phase is better fitted by an exponential decay at X-ray wavelengths, while the radio emission is well described by either an exponential or the canonical t−5/3 decay assumed for tidal disruption events. The correlation between radio and X-ray emission during this period can be fitted as $L_{\rm R}\propto L_{\rm X}^{1.9\pm 0.2}$. After 400 d the radio emission at 15.5 GHz has reached a plateau level of 244 ± 8 μJy which it maintains for at least the next 600 d, while the X-ray emission continues to fade exponentially. This steady level of radio emission is likely due to relic radio lobes from the weak AGN-like activity implied by historical radio observations. We note that while most existing models are based upon the evolution of ejecta which are decoupled from the central black hole, the radio–X-ray correlation during the declining phase is also consistent with core-jet emission coupled to a radiatively efficient accretion flow.
ABSTRACT
We present two contiguous nights of simultaneous time-resolved Gran Telescopio Canarias spectroscopy and William Herschel Telescope photometry of the black hole X-ray transient XTE ...J1859+226, obtained in 2017 July during quiescence. Cross-correlation of the individual spectra against a late K-type spectral template enabled us to constrain the orbital period to 0.276 ± 0.003 d and the radial velocity semi-amplitude of the donor star to K2 = 550 ± 59 km s−1. An ellipsoidal modulation is detected in the photometric r- and i-band light curves, although it is strongly contaminated by flickering activity. By exploiting correlations between the properties of the double-peaked H α emission-line profile and the binary parameters, we derived an orbital inclination of 66.6 ± 4.3 deg, a refined K2 = 562 ± 40 km s−1 and mass ratio q = M2/M1 = 0.07 ± 0.01. From these values, we obtained an updated black hole mass of M1 = 7.8 ± 1.9 M⊙. An independent mass estimate based on X-ray timing agrees well with our value, which gives further support for the outburst quasi-periodic oscillation triplet being explained by the relativistic precession model. We also obtained a companion star mass M2 = 0.55 ± 0.16 M⊙, which is consistent with its K5-K7 V spectral type.
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