0000000000529879
AUTHOR
Tomaso Belloni
Accretion in strong field gravity with eXTP
In this paper we describe the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies related to accretion flows in the strong field gravity regime around both stellar-mass and supermassive black-holes. eXTP has the unique capability of using advanced 'spectral-timing-polarimetry' techniques to analyze the rapid variations with three orthogonal diagnostics of the flow and its geometry, yielding unprecedented insight into the inner accreting regions, the effects of strong field gravity on the material within them and the powerful outflows which are driven by the accretion process.
Does GRS 1915+105 exhibit "canonical" black-hole states?
We have analysed RXTE data of the superluminal source GRS 1915+105 in order to investigate if, despite its extreme variability, it also exhibits the canonical source states that characterise other black-hole candidates. The phenomenology of GRS 1915+105 has been described in terms of three states (named A, B and C) based on their hardness ratios and position in the colour-colour diagram. We have investigated the connection between these states and the canonical behaviour and found that the shape of the power spectral continuum and the values of the best-fit model parameters to the noise components in all three states indicate that the source shows properties similar to the canonical very hi…
The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing
The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final down-selection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supra-nuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m 2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1 deg collimated field of view) and a WideFi…
Observatory science with eXTP
Disponible preprint en: arXiv:1812.04023v1 [astro-ph.HE] [v1] Mon, 10 Dec 2018 19:00:52 UTC (4,376 KB)
Subarcsecond Location of IGR J17480-2446 with Rossi XTE
On 2010 October 13, the X-ray astronomical satellite Rossi XTE, during the observation of the newly discovered accretion powered X-ray pulsar IGR J17480--2446, detected a lunar occultation of the source. From knowledge of lunar topography and Earth, Moon, and spacecraft ephemeris at the epoch of the event, we determined the source position with an accuracy of 40 mas (1{\sigma} c.l.), which is interesting, given the very poor imaging capabilities of RXTE (\sim 1\circ). For the first time, using a non-imaging X-ray observatory, the position of an X-ray source with a subarcsecond accuracy is derived, demonstrating the neat capabilities of a technique that can be fruitfully applied to current a…
The pulse profile and spin evolution of the accreting pulsar in Terzan 5, IGR J17480−2446, during its 2010 outburst
(abridged) We analyse the spectral and pulse properties of the 11 Hz transient accreting pulsar, IGR J17480-2446, in the globular cluster Terzan 5, considering all the available RXTE, Swift and INTEGRAL observations performed between October and November, 2010. By measuring the pulse phase evolution we conclude that the NS spun up at an average rate of =1.48(2)E-12 Hz/s, compatible with the accretion of the Keplerian angular momentum of matter at the inner disc boundary. Similar to other accreting pulsars, the stability of the pulse phases determined by using the second harmonic component is higher than that of the phases based on the fundamental frequency. Under the assumption that the sec…