Search results for "Accretion"
showing 10 items of 385 documents
Neutron Star Radius-to-mass Ratio from Partial Accretion Disk Occultation as Measured through Fe Kα Line Profiles
2020
We present a new method to measure the radius-to-mass ratio (R/M) of weakly magnetic, disc-accreting neutron stars by exploiting the occultation of parts of the inner disc by the star itself. This occultation imprints characteristic features on the X-ray line profile that are unique and are expected to be present in low mass X-ray binary systems seen under inclinations higher than ~65 degrees. We analyse a NuSTAR observation of a good candidate system, 4U 1636-53, and find that X-ray spectra from current instrumentation are unlikely to single out the occultation features owing to insufficient signal-to-noise. Based on an extensive set of simulations we show that large-area X-ray detectors o…
Role of local absorption on the X-ray emission from MHD accretion shocks in classical T Tauri stars
2014
Accretion processes onto classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) are believed to generate shocks at the stellar surface due to the impact of supersonic downflowing plasma. Although current models of accretion streams provide a plausible global picture of this process, several aspects are still unclear. For example, the observed X-ray luminosity in accretion shocks is, in general, well below the predicted value. A possible explanation discussed in the literature is in terms of significant absorption of the emission due to the thick surrounding medium. Here we consider a 2D MHD model describing an accretion stream propagating through the atmosphere of a CTTS and impacting onto its chromosphere. The m…
Hard X-ray Emission from Low Mass X-ray Binaries
2003
In this paper we review our current knowledge of the hard X-ray emission properties of old accreting neutron stars in low mass X-ray binaries, with particular attention to recent results obtained for the brightest sources of this class, the so-called Z sources. While less luminous low mass X-ray binaries often show quite hard spectra, sometimes extending up to energies g 100 keV, the spectra of Z sources are always very soft, dominated by thermal components with characteristic temperatures ∼ 3-6 keV. However, recent broad band observations revealed the presence of a weak hard (power-law) component that is sometimes present in the spectra of these sources. These observations have strengthene…
Multi-wavelength diagnostics of accretion in an X-ray selected sample of CTTSs
2010
High resolution X-ray spectroscopy has revealed soft X-rays from high density plasma in Classical T-Tauri stars (CTTSs), probably arising from the accretion shock region. However, the mass accretion rates derived from the X-ray observations are consistently lower than those derived from UV/optical/NIR studies. We aim to test the hypothesis that the high density soft X-ray emission is from accretion by analysing optical accretion tracers from an X-ray selected sample of CTTSs in a homogeneous manner. We analyse optical spectra of a sample of CTTSs and calculate the accretion rates based on measuring optical emission lines. These are then compared to the accretion rates derived from the X-ray…
Accretion-ejection connection in the young brown dwarf candidate ISO-ChaI 217*
2014
As the number of observed brown dwarf outflows is growing it is important to investigate how these outflows compare to the well-studied jets from young stellar objects. A key point of comparison is the relationship between outflow and accretion activity and in particular the ratio between the mass outflow and accretion rates (Ṁout/Ṁacc). The brown dwarf candidate ISO-ChaI 217 was discovered by our group, as part of a spectro-astrometric study of brown dwarfs, to be driving an asymmetric outflow with the blue-shifted lobe having a position angle of ~20°. The aim here is to further investigate the properties of ISO-ChaI 217, the morphology and kinematics of its outflow, and to better constrai…
The iron K-shell features of MXB 1728-34 from a simultaneous Chandra-RXTE observation
2005
We report on a simultaneous Chandra and RossiXTE observation of the low-mass X-ray binary atoll bursting source MXB 1728-34 performed on 2002 March 3-5. We fit the 1.2-35 keV continuum spectrum with a blackbody plus a Comptonized component. Large residuals at 6-10 keV can be fitted by a broad (FWHM ~ 2 keV) Gaussian emission line or, alternatively, by two absorption edges associated with lowly ionized iron and Fe XXV/XXVI at ~7.1 keV and ~9 keV, respectively. In this interpretation, we find no evidence of broad, or narrow, emission lines between 6 and 7 keV. We test our alternative modelling of the iron K shell region by reanalysing a previous BeppoSAX observation of MXB 1728-34, finding a …
Outbursts Large and Small from EXO 2030+375
2008
During the summer of 2006, the accreting X-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 underwent its first giant outburst since its discovery in 1985. Our observations include the first ever of the rise of a giant outburst of EXO 2030+375. EXO 2030+375 was monitored daily with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) from 2006 June through 2007 May. During the giant outburst, we discovered evidence for a cyclotron feature at ~11 keV. This feature was confidently detected for about 90 days, during the brighter portion of the outburst. Daily observations of the next five EXO 2030+375 orbits detected pulsations at all orbital phases and normal outbursts shifted to a later orbital phase than before the giant outburs…
A Decade in the Life of EXO 2030+375: A Multiwavelength Study of an Accreting X‐Ray Pulsar
2002
Using BATSE and RXTE observations from 1991 April to 2001 August we have detected 71 outbursts from 82 periastron passages of EXO 2030+375, a 42-second transient X-ray pulsar with a Be star companion, including several outbursts from 1993 August to 1996 April when the source was previously believed to be quiescent. Combining BATSE, RXTE, and EXOSAT data we have derived an improved orbital solution. Applying this solution results in a smooth profile for the spin-up rate during the giant outburst and results in evidence for a correlation between the spin-up rate and observed flux in the brighter BATSE outbursts. Infrared and Halpha measurements show a decline in the density of the circumstell…
Simulations with Smoothed Particles Confirm Stationary Shocks in Accretion Flows onto Black Holes
1994
We present the results of time dependent numerical simulations of the accretion of gas onto Schartzschild black holes. We find that stable shocks are a common feature for flows of inviscid gas accreting with small angular momentum per unit mass. We used the Smoothed Particles Hydrodynamics tecnique, expressed into cylindrical coordinates to exploit the axial symmetry of the problem. For the case of 1-Dimensional axis-symmetric simulations we find that the shock location is exactly at the position predicted by the stationary analysis developed by Chakrabarti. We solve also the ambiguity related to the two possible shock positions: only the outer shock is stable. The case of 2-Dimensional axi…
Numerical Relativistic Hydrodynamics
2008
High Resolution Shock Capturing (HRSC) techniques achieve highly accurate numerical approximations (formally second order or better) in smooth regions of the flow, and capture the motion of unresolved steep gradients without creating spurious oscillations. I will show how these techniques have been extended to relativistic hydrodynamics, making it possible to explore some challenging astrophysical scenarios. I will review recent literature concerning the main properties of different special relativistic Riemann solvers, and discuss several test problems which are commonly used to evaluate the performance of numerical methods in relativistic hydrodynamics. In the second part, I will illustra…