Search results for "Astrofisica"
showing 10 items of 481 documents
The pulse profile and spin evolution of the accreting pulsar in Terzan 5, IGR J17480-2446, during its 2010 outburst
2012
(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…
Plasma heating and particle acceleration in collisionless shocks through astrophysical observations
2023
Supernova remnants (SNRs), the products of stellar explosions, are powerful astrophysical laboratories, which allow us to study the physics of collisionless shocks, thanks to their bright electromagnetic emission. Blast wave shocks generated by supernovae (SNe) provide us with an observational window to study extreme conditions, characterized by high Mach (and Alfvenic Mach) numbers, together with powerful nonthermal processes. In collisionless shocks, temperature equilibration between different species may not be reached at the shock front. In this framework, different particle species might be heated at different temperatures (depending on their mass) in the post-shock medium of SNRs. SNR…
Timing Analysis of the 2022 Outburst of the Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658: Hints of an Orbital Shrinking
2022
We present a pulse timing analysis of NICER observations of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4$-$3658 during the outburst that started on 2022 August 19. Similar to previous outbursts, after decaying from a peak luminosity of $\simeq 1\times10^{36} \, \mathrm{erg \, s^{-1}}$ in about a week, the pulsar entered in a $\sim 1$ month-long reflaring stage. Comparison of the average pulsar spin frequency during the outburst with those previously measured confirmed the long-term spin derivative of $\dot{\nu}_{\textrm{SD}}=-(1.15\pm0.06)\times 10^{-15} \, \mathrm{Hz\,s^{-1}}$, compatible with the spin-down torque of a $\approx 10^{26} \, \mathrm{G \, cm^3}$ rotating magnetic dipole.…
A transient ultraluminous X-ray source in NGC 55
2022
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are a class of accreting compact objects with X-ray luminosities above 10$^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The average number of ULXs per galaxy is still not well constrained, especially given the uncertainty on the fraction of ULX transients. Here, we report the identification of a new transient ULX in the galaxy NGC 55 (which we label as ULX-2), thanks to recent XMM-Newton and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory observations. This object was previously classified as a transient X-ray source with a luminosity around a few 10$^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in a 2010 XMM-Newton observation. Thanks to new and deeper observations ($\sim$ 130 ks each), we show that the source reaches…
The X-ray spectrum of the newly discovered accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J17511-3057
2010
We report on an XMM-Newton observation of the accreting millisecond pulsar, IGR J17511-3057. Pulsations at 244.8339512(1) Hz are observed with an RMS pulsed fraction of 14.4(3)%. A precise solution for the P_orb=12487.51(2)s binary system is derived. The measured mass function indicates a main sequence companion with a mass between 0.15 and 0.44 Msun. The XMM-Newton spectrum of the source can be modelled by at least three components, multicoloured disc emission, thermal emission from the NS surface and thermal Comptonization emission. Spectral fit of the XMM-Newton data and of the RXTE data, taken in a simultaneous temporal window, constrain the Comptonization parameters: the electron tempe…
Unveiling the disc structure in ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 55 ULX-1
2022
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are the most extreme among X-ray binaries in which the compact object, a neutron star or a black hole, accretes matter from the companion star, and exceeds a luminosity of 1039 ergs−1 in the X-ray energy band alone. Despite two decades of studies, it is still not clear whether ULX spectral transitions are due to stochastic variability in the wind or variations in the accretion rate or in the source geometry. The compact object is also unknown for most ULXs. In order to place constraints on to such scenarios and on the structure of the accretion disc, we studied the temporal evolution of the spectral components of the variable source NGC 55 ULX-1. Using rec…
Hydrodynamic simulations unravel the progenitor-supernova-remnant connection in SN 1987A
2019
(Abridged) We aim at linking the dynamical and radiative properties of the remnant of SN 1987A to the geometrical and physical characteristics of the parent aspherical SN explosion and to the internal structure of its progenitor star. We performed 3D hydrodynamic simulations which describe the long-term evolution of SN 1987A from the onset of the SN to the full-fledged remnant at the age of 50 years, accounting for the pre-SN structure of the progenitor star. The simulations include all physical processes relevant for the complex phases of SN evolution and for the interaction of the SNR with the highly inhomogeneous ambient environment around SN 1987A. From the simulations, we synthesize ob…
High-energy γ-ray detection of supernova remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
2022
We present the results of a cluster search in the gamma-ray sky images of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) region by means of the Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) and DBSCAN algorithms, at energies higher than 6 and 10 GeV, using 12 years of Fermi-LAT data. Several significant clusters were found, the majority of which associated with previously known gamma-ray sources. We confirm our previous detection of the Supernova Remnants N 49B and N 63A and found new significant clusters associated with the SNRs N 49, N 186D and N 44. These sources are among the brightest X-ray remnants in the LMC and corresponds to core-collapse supernovae interacting with dense HII regions, indicating that an hadronic …
MAXI J1957+032: a new accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar in an ultra-compact binary
2022
The detection of coherent X-ray pulsations at ~314 Hz (3.2 ms) classifies MAXI J1957+032 as a fast-rotating, accreting neutron star. We present the temporal and spectral analysis performed using NICER observations collected during the latest outburst of the source. Doppler modulation of the X-ray pulsation revealed the ultra-compact nature of the binary system characterised by an orbital period of ~1 hour and a projected semi-major axis of 14 lt-ms. The neutron star binary mass function suggests a minimum donor mass of 1.7e-2 Msun, assuming a neutron star mass of 1.4 Msun and a binary inclination angle lower than 60 degrees. This assumption is supported by the lack of eclipses or dips in th…
NuSTARandXMM–Newtonbroad-band spectrum of SAX J1808.4–3658 during its latest outburst in 2015
2018
The first discovered accreting millisecond pulsar, SAX J1808.4-3658, went into X-ray outburst in April 2015. We triggered a 100 ks XMM-Newton ToO, taken at the peak of the outburst, and a 55 ks NuSTAR ToO, performed four days apart. We report here the results of a detailed spectral analysis of both the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra. While the XMM-Newton spectrum appears much softer than in previous observations, the NuSTAR spectrum confirms the results obtained with XMM-Newton during the 2008 outburst. We find clear evidence of a broad iron line that we interpret as produced by reflection from the inner accretion disk. For the first time, we use a self-consistent reflection model to fit the…