Search results for "Neutron star"

New insights on the puzzling LMXB 1RXS J180408.9-342058: the intermediate state, the clocked type-I X-ray bursts and much more

2019

1RXS J180408.9--342058 is a low mass X-ray binary hosting a neutron star, which shows X-ray activity at very different mass-accretion regimes, from very faint to almost the Eddington luminosity. In this work, we present a comprehensive X-ray study of this source using data from the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, NuSTAR and INTEGRAL/JEM-X. In order to follow the spectral evolution, we analysed the 2015 outburst using Swift data and three Nustar observations. Besides the canonical hard and soft spectral states, we identified the rarely observed intermediate state. This was witnessed by the appeareance of the accretion disk emission in the spectrum (at $kT_{\rm disk}$ $\sim$0.7 keV) and the s…

Long-term optical variability of high-mass X-ray binaries. II. Spectroscopy

2016

We present the results of our monitoring program to study the long-term variability of the Halpha line in high-mass X-ray binaries. We have carried out the most complete optical spectroscopic study of the global properties of high-mass X-ray binaries so far with the analysis of more than 1100 spectra of 20 sources. Our aim is to characterise the optical variability timescales and study the interaction between the neutron star and the accreting material. Our results can be summarised as follows: i) we find that Be/X-ray binaries with narrow orbits are more variable than systems with long orbital periods, ii) we show that a Keplerian distribution of the gas particles provides a good descripti…

Activity from the Be/X-ray binary system V0332+53 during its intermediate-luminosity outburst in 2008

2015

Aims: We present a study of the Be/X-ray binary system V 0332+53 with the main goal of characterizing its behavior mainly during the intermediate-luminosity X-ray event on 2008. In addition, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the global behavior of the donor companion by including optical data from our dedicated campaign starting on 2006. Methods: V 0332+53 was observed by RXTE and Swift during the decay of the intermediate-luminosity X-ray outburst of 2008, as well as with Suzaku before the rising of the third normal outburst of the 2010 series. In addition, we present recent data from the Spanish ground-based astronomical observatories of El Teide (Tenerife), Roque de los Muchac…

Excision technique in constrained formulations of Einstein equations: collapse scenario

2015

We present a new excision technique used in constrained formulations of Einstein equations to deal with black hole in numerical simulations. We show the applicability of this scheme in several scenarios. In particular, we present the dynamical evolution of the collapse of a neutron star to a black hole, using the CoCoNuT code and this excision technique.

Can gravity perturbations explain QPOs?

2007

We show the results of some numerical simulations trying to reproduce the QPO behavior in black hole and neutron star sources. Our simulations are based on the idea that a nearly periodic luminosity oscillation can be obtained from a perturbation of the source gravitational field with a sinusoidal time behavior. We find that some specific features of the QPO phenomenon can be described by this simple model, but the required amplitude of the gravity perturbation is more than 1% of the unperturbed gravitational field. If the hypothesis is formed that such a perturbation is due to a density fluctuation (of the accretion disk or the source itself, in the case of the neutron star) going around t…

General Relativistic Hydrodynamics and Magnetohydrodynamics: Hyperbolic Systems in Relativistic Astrophysics

2008

Search for Gravitational-wave Signals Associated with Gamma-Ray Bursts during the Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

2019

We present the results of targeted searches for gravitational-wave transients associated with gamma-ray bursts during the second observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo, which took place from 2016 November to 2017 August. We have analyzed 98 gamma-ray bursts using an unmodeled search method that searches for generic transient gravitational waves and 42 with a modeled search method that targets compact-binary mergers as progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. Both methods clearly detect the previously reported binary merger signal GW170817, with p-values of <9.38 10-6 (modeled) and 3.1 10-4 (unmodeled). We do not find any significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associate…

Black hole-neutron star coalescence: effects of the neutron star spin on jet launching and dynamical ejecta mass

2020

Black hole-neutron star (BHNS) mergers are thought to be sources of gravitational waves (GWs) with coincident electromagnetic (EM) counterparts. To further probe whether these systems are viable progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) and kilonovae, and how one may use (the lack of) EM counterparts associated with LIGO/Virgo candidate BHNS GW events to sharpen parameter estimation, we study the impact of neutron star spin in BHNS mergers. Using dynamical spacetime magnetohydrodynamic simulations of BHNSs initially on a quasicircular orbit, we survey configurations that differ in the BH spin ($a_{\rm BH}/M_{\rm BH}=0$ and $0.75$), the NS spin ($a_{\rm NS}/M_{\rm NS}=-0.17,\,0,\,0.23$ a…

Convective instability in proto-neutron stars

2000

The linear hydrodynamic stability of proto-neutron stars (PNSs) is considered taking into account dissipative processes such as neutrino transport and viscosity. We obtain the general instability criteria which differ essentially from the well-known Ledoux criterion used in previous studies. We apply the criteria to evolutive models of PNSs that, in general, can be subject to the various known regimes such as neutron fingers and convective instabilities. Our results indicate that the fingers instability arises in a more extended region of the stellar volume and lasts a longer time than expected.

THE MISSING LINK: MERGING NEUTRON STARS NATURALLY PRODUCE JET-LIKE STRUCTURES AND CAN POWER SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

2011

Short Gamma-Ray Bursts (SGRBs) are among the most luminous explosions in the universe, releasing in less than one second the energy emitted by our Galaxy over one year. Despite decades of observations, the nature of their "central-engine" remains unknown. Considering a binary of magnetized neutron stars and solving Einstein equations, we show that their merger results in a rapidly spinning black hole surrounded by a hot and highly magnetized torus. Lasting over 35 ms and much longer than previous simulations, our study reveals that magnetohydrodynamical instabilities amplify an initially turbulent magnetic field of ~ 10^{12} G to produce an ordered poloidal field of ~ 10^{15} G along the bl…