The short interval between successive outbursts of RS Oph strongly suggests that it has a high mass white dwarf accreting at a high rate. This, in turn, suggests the possibility of prominent X-ray emission from RS Oph in quiescence. However, archival quiescent X-ray observations of RS Oph show it to be a modest soft X-ray source but not a strong 2-10 keV X-ray source. In this aspect, RS Oph differs markedly from T CrB. We speculate on the possible mechanisms that could significantly suppress the 2-10 keV X-ray emission in RS Oph.
V2051 Oph is an eclipsing dwarf novae with an orbital period of 90 min. This system belongs to a small group of ultrashort period eclipsing dwarf nova together with Z Cha, OY Car and HT Cas. We report a study of the spectra and structure of the accretion disc of the V2051 Oph while the star was in an unusual, faint brightness state during 1996. The analysis is based on high-speed ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy secured with the Hubble Space Telescope.
The light curve of the 1998 outburst of V2487 Ophiuchi (Nova Oph 1998) shows a very rapid decline (t_3 ~ 9 day) and a mid-plateau phase from 10 to 30 days after the optical maximum, which are characteristics common to the U Sco subclass of the recurrent novae. We have numerically reproduced light curves of the 1998 outburst based on a thermonuclear runaway model with optically thick winds. The results show that the mass of the white dwarf (WD) is as massive as 1.35 \pm 0.01 M_\sun; the envelope mass of the WD at the optical maximum is ~ 6 x 10^{-6} M_\sun; the hydrogen content of the WD envelo…
We present the analysis of a 35 ksec long Chandra observation of the neutron star soft X-ray transient (SXT) SAX J1810.8-2609. We detect three sources in the field of view. The position of one of them is consistent with the location of the ROSAT error circle of SAX J1810.8-2609. The accurate Chandra position of that source coincides with the position of the proposed optical counterpart, strengthening the identification as the counterpart. We detected the neutron star SXT system in quiescence at an unabsorbed luminosity of ~1x10^32 erg s^-1 (assuming a distance of 4.9 kpc). This luminosity is a…
Current evolutionary models imply that most Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) have P_orb<2 hours and are Dwarf Nova (DN) systems that are quiescent most of the time. Observations of nearby quiescent DN find that the UV spectrum is dominated by the hot white dwarf (WD), indicating that it provides a significant fraction of the optical light in addition to the quiescent disk and main sequence companion. Hence, identifying a faint, quiescent CV in either the field or a globular cluster (GC) from broadband colors depends on our ability to predict the WD contribution in quiescence. We are undertaking a t…
We report the results of observations of the black hole binaries XTE J1550-564 and H 1743-322 in their quiescent state using the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Both sources are detected at their faintest level of X-ray emission ever observed with a 0.5-10 keV unabsorbed luminosity of 2 $\times$ 10$^{32}$ (d/5 kpc)$^2$ erg s$^{-1}$ for XTE J1550-564 and 9 $\times$ 10$^{31}$ (d/8 kpc)$^2$ erg s$^{-1}$ for H 1743-322. These luminosities are in the upper range compared to the faintest levels observed in other black hole systems, possibly related to residual accretion for these sources with frequent ou…
We present results of an X-ray search from bona-fide and candidate brown dwarfs in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud cores with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The selected areas are two fields near the cloud center and are observed with the ACIS-I array of a 17'x17' size and a ~100 ks exposure. Among 18 bona-fide and candidate brown dwarfs listed by the infrared spectroscopy, we find X-ray emission from 7 sources above 99.9% confidence level. Therefore ~40% of the infrared-selected brown dwarfs in this cloud emit X-rays. For the brightest 4 sources, the X-ray spectra are made and are fitted with a thin-t…
We report a study of the spectra and structure of the accretion disk of the dwarf nova V2051 Ophiuchi while the star was in an unusual faint brightness state during 1996. The differences between the UV resonant lines and continuum disk surface brightness distributions indicate a vertically extended disk with the emission from these lines arising from the upper atmospheric layers. Distinct emission along the stream trajectory suggests the occurrence of gas stream overflow. Spatially resolved spectra show that the lines are in emission at all disk radii. The Balmer decrement becomes shallower wi…
The soft X-ray transient GU Mus has been detected by XMM-Newton in the quiescent state. The source is very faint, with a 0.5-10.0 keV unabsorbed flux of $\simeq 1.1 \times 10^{-14}$ ergs cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The spectra is well fit by an absorbed powerlaw with a photon index of $ α= 1.6 \pm 0.4$, close to the value seen when the source was in the low/hard state in Aug. 1991. From our observed luminosity, it seems unlikely that the quiescent state emission is dominated by coronal X-rays from the secondary. The flux also appears to be in agreement with the ADAF model of BH-transients in quiescenc…
We report on BeppoSAX observations of five transient black hole candidates during their quiescent phase. We confirm these sources are X-ray faint, improving on and complementing existing upper limits. We derive 1-10 keV upper limits for GRO J0422+32, GRS 1009-45, 4U 1630-47 and XTE J1748-288, which range from 2x10^32 erg/s to 5x10^34 erg/s. We positively detect GS 2023+338. Its X-ray spectrum can be fit by a power law (photon index Gamma=1.9) or a thermal bremsstrahlung (with kT= 7$ keV), converting in both cases to a 1-10 keV unabsorbed luminosity of ~10^33 erg/s. These values are comparable …
The Galactic black hole X-ray binary XTE J1650-500 entered a quiescent regime following the decline from the 2001-2002 outburst that led to its discovery. Here we report on the first detection of its quiescent counterpart in a 36 ks observation taken in 2007 July with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The inferred 0.5-10 keV unabsorbed flux is in the range 2.5-5.0x1e-15 erg/s/cm^2. Notwithstanding large distance uncertainties, the measured luminosity is comparable to that of the faintest detected black hole X-ray binaries, all having orbital periods close to the expected bifurcation period betwee…
We present optical and near-IR observations of QX Nor, the counterpart to the recurrent soft X-ray transient X1608-52, after its reappearance following the X-ray outburst in February 1996. The object has been seen only once before, during an X-ray outburst in 1977. Data from 3-5 months after the outburst show the counterpart at a mean magnitude of R=20.2 and variable on timescales of days. A comparison with identical observations in 1995 implies that the object has brightened by at least 1.8 mag in R following the X-ray outburst. We also detected QX Nor in the IR in both quiescence and outburs…
The optical counterpart of the binary millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 during quiescence was detected at V = 21.5 mag by Homer et al. (2001). This star shows a 6% semi-amplitude sinusoidal modulation of its flux at the orbital period of the system. It was proposed that the modulation arises from X-ray irradiation of the intrinsically faint companion by a remnant accretion disk, and that the bulk of the optical emission arises from viscous dissipation in the disk. The serious difficulty in this scenario lies in the estimate of the irradiating luminosity required to match the observatio…
We summarize the quiescent X-ray observations of transient low-mass X-ray binaries. These observations show that, in quiescence, binaries containing black holes are fainter than those containing neutron stars. This has triggered a number of theoretical ideas about what causes the quiescent X-ray emission. For black hole binaries, the options are accretion onto the black hole or coronal emission from the rapidly rotating stellar companion. There are more possibilities for the neutron stars: accretion, thermal emission from the surface or non-thermal emission from a ``turned-on'' radio pulsar. W…
We fit hydrogen atmosphere models to the X-ray data for four neutron stars (three from a previous paper, plus 4U 2129+47) and six black hole candidates (A0620-00, GS 2000+25, GS 1124-68, GS 2023+33, GRO J1655-40, and GRO J0422+32). While the neutron stars are similar in their intrinsic X-ray spectra (similar effective temperatures and emission area radii ~10 km), the spectra of two black hole candidates are significantly different, and the spectra of the remaining four are consistent with a very large parameter space that includes the neutron stars. The spectral differences between the neutron…
The rho Oph molecular cloud is undergoing intermediate-mass star formation. UV radiation from its hottest young stars heats and dissociates exposed layers, but does not ionize hydrogen. Only faint radiation from the Rayleigh-Jeans tail of ~10-100K dust is expected at wavelengths longwards of 3mm. Yet Cosmic Background Imager (CBI) observations reveal that the rho Oph W photo-dissociation region (PDR) is surprisingly bright at centimetre wavelengths. We searched for interpretations consistent with the WMAP radio spectrum, new ISO-LWS parallel mode images and archival Spitzer data. Dust-related …
We report on the eclipse mapping analysis of an ensemble of light curves of the dwarf nova V2051 Oph with the aim to study the spatial distribution of its steady-light and flickering sources. The data are combined to derive the orbital dependency of the steady-light and the flickering components at two different brightness levels, named the 'faint' and 'bright' states. The differences in brightness are caused by long-term variations in the mass transfer rate from the secondary star. Eclipse maps of the steady-light show enhanced emission along the ballistic stream trajectory, in a clear eviden…
We present Chandra observations of black hole X-ray novae V404 Cyg, A0620-00, GRO J1655-40 and XTE J1550-564 in quiescence. Their quiescent spectra can be well fitted by a power-law model with slope $α\sim 2$. While a coronal (Raymond-Smith) model is also a statistically acceptable representation of the spectra, the best fit temperatures of these models is $\sim 5$ times higher than that seen in active stellar coronae. These four spectra of quiescent X-ray novae are all consistent with that expected for accretion via an advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) and inconsistent with that expec…
We have studied the optical counterparts of X1755-338 and X1658-298 in their X-ray "off" states. The first observations of X1755-338 in quiescence show that the counterpart, V4134 Sgr, has faded by more than 3.5 mag in V. If the mass donor in the system is an M0V star as implied by the period, our upper limits on the brightness of the counterpart suggest that it is more distant than 4 kpc. We observed V2134 Oph, the optical counterpart of X1658-298, on several occasions in April/May 1997 and found the source only about 1 mag fainter than when it is X-ray bright. Contemporaneous X-ray data conf…
We have observed the millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 on three occasions during its 2000 outburst with the BeppoSAX satellite. The source was highly variable and erratic during this outburst, and by coincidence we obtained data only during times when the source had very low luminosities. During our observations, we detected four faint sources. The source closest to the position of SAX J1808.4-3658 is still ~1.6' away. This source can only be identified with SAX J1808.4-3658 if we assume that the BeppoSAX positional reconstruction is not completely understood. We also reanalyzed a Bepp…
In this Paper we report on our analysis of a ~25 ksec. Chandra X-ray observation of the neutron star soft X-ray transient (SXT) 1H1905+000 in quiescence. Furthermore, we discuss our findings of the analysis of optical photometric observations which we obtained using the Magellan telescope and photometric and spectroscopic observations which we obtained using the Very Large Telescope at Paranal. The X-ray counterpart of 1H1905+000 was not detected in our Chandra data, with a 95 per cent confidence limit to the source count rate of 1.2x10^-4 counts s^-1. For different spectral models this yields…
We report results of Chandra X-ray and VLA radio observations of the Galactic accreting black hole V404 Cyg (GS 2023+338) in its quiescent state. V404 Cyg is detected at its faintest level of radio and X-ray emission with a 0.5-10 keV unabsorbed luminosity of 8.3 x 10^32 (d/3.5 kpc)^2 erg/s. The X-ray spectrum fit with an absorbed power-law model yields a photon index of 2.17 +/- 0.13. Contrary to previous findings, this clearly indicates that V404 Cyg undergoes - like most black holes in quiescence - a softening of its X-ray spectrum at very low luminosity compared to the standard hard state.…
We present our analysis of Chandra observations obtained when the soft X-ray transient RX J170930.2-263927 (XTE J1709-267) returned to quiescence after an outburst. Using the type I burst peak luminosity found by Cocchi et al. (1998) and the value of N_H we derived from our spectral fits, the distance to RX J170930.2-263927 can be constrained to 2.5-10 kpc. RX J170930.2-263927 is probably associated with the low-metalicity Globular Cluster NGC 6293, which has a tidal radius of 14.2 arcminutes, since the projected distance to the centre of the cluster is approximately 25 parsec (9-10 arcminutes…
We consider the X-ray luminosity difference between neutron star and black hole soft X-ray transients (NS and BH SXTs) in quiescence. The current observational data suggest that BH SXTs are significantly fainter than NS SXTs. The luminosities of quiescent BH SXTs are consistent with the predictions of binary evolution models for the mass transfer rate if (1) accretion occurs via an ADAF in these systems and (2) the accreting compact objects have event horizons. The luminosities of quiescent NS SXTs are not consistent with the predictions of ADAF models when combined with binary evolution model…
SAX J1808.4-3658 is a unique source being the first Low Mass X-ray Binary showing coherent pulsations at a spin period comparable to that of millisecond radio pulsars. Here we present an XMM-Newton observation of SAX J1808.4-3658 in quiescence, the first which assessed its quiescent luminosity and spectrum with good signal to noise. XMM-Newton did not reveal other sources in the vicinity of SAX J1808.4-3658 likely indicating that the source was also detected by previous BeppoSAX and ASCA observations, even if with large positional and flux uncertainties. We derive a 0.5-10 keV unabsorbed lumin…
We present further results from a high speed photometric survey of faint cataclysmic variables. We find that V842 Cen (Nova Cen 1986 No. 2) is highly active, but with no evident orbital modulation. BY Cir (Nova Cir 1995) is an eclipsing system with an orbital period P(orb) of 6.76 h. TV Crv, an SU UMa type dwarf nova, is found to have P(orb) = 1.509 h from photometry at quiescence. DD Cir (Nova Cir 1999) is an eclipsing system with P(orb) = 2.339 h, a possible secondary eclipse, and a ~670 s photometric modulation. V655 CrA is highly active but shows no orbital modulation. The identification o…
We have identified an X-ray transient (hereafter M15 X-3) in the globular cluster M15 from an archival Chandra grating observation. M15 X-3 appears at an X-ray luminosity of 6*10^{33} ergs/s with a spectrum consistent with an absorbed power law of photon index 1.51+-0.14. The object is identifiable in archival Chandra HRC-I observations with an X-ray luminosity of 2-6*10^{31} ergs/s and apparently soft colors, suggesting a neutron star low-mass X-ray binary in quiescence. We also observe it in outburst in a 2007 Chandra HRC-I observation, and in archival 1994-1995 ROSAT HRI observations. We id…
The first results of a photometric survey of faint Cataclysmic Variables are presented. V359 Cen is an SU UMa star with a period of 112 min. Even though observed at quiescence, the mass transfer rate in this old nova may be sufficiently high that in such a short period system (with its implied small mass ratio) the disc may be excited into an elliptical shape with the result that the observed brightness modulation gives a superhump period rather than an orbital period. XZ Eri is an eclipsing dwarf nova with an orbital period (P(orb)) of 88.1 min. HY Lup has only slight variability. V351 Pup, t…
Observations of soft X-ray transients (SXTs) in quiescence have found that the binaries harboring black holes are fainter than those that contain a neutron star. Narayan and collaborators postulated that the faint X-ray emission from black hole binaries was powered by an advection dominated accretion flow (ADAF). We explore an alternative explanation for the quiescent X-ray emission from the black hole systems: coronal emission from the rapidly rotating optical companion. This is commonly observed and well studied in other tidally locked binaries, such as the RS CVns. We show that two of the t…
(Abridged) We report on new and archival X-ray and near-infrared observations of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937 performed between 2001-2007 with RXTE, CXO, Swift, HST, and VLT. During its ~2001-2004 active period, 1E 1048.-5937 exhibited two large, long-term X-ray pulsed-flux flares as well as short bursts, and large (>10x) torque changes. Monitoring with RXTE revealed that the source entered a phase of timing stability in 2004; at the same time, a series of four simultaneous observations with CXO and HST in 2006 showed that its X-ray flux and spectrum and near-IR flux, all variable…
Short time scale photometric properties of eight faint Cataclysmic Variable (CV) stars are presented. Nova Carinae 1895 (RS Car) has a photometric modulation at 1.977 h which could be either an orbital or a superhump period. Nova Carinae 1948 (V365 Car) shows flickering, but any orbital modulation has a period in excess of 6 h. The nova-like variable and X-ray source V436 Car has an orbital modulation at P(orb) = 4.207 h, no detectable period near 2.67 h (which had previously given it a possible intermediate polar classification), and Dwarf Nova Oscillations (DNOs) at ~40 s. Nova Crucis 1936 (…
We present results from high speed photometry of a further thirteen faint cataclysmic variables. V356 Aql (Nova Aql 1936) shows flare-like outbursts with recurrence time scales ~ 3000 s, but no coherent periodicities. Aqr1 is an intermediate polar with a spin period of 6.7284 min and a probable orbital period P(orb) = 3.226 h derived from orbital sidebands. Its orbital sideband frequencies show very variable amplitudes. The published spectroscopic period of 2.0 h suggests that Aqr1 is similar to GW Lib and FS Aur in having an additional periodicity of unknown origin. FIRST J1023+0038 has P(orb…
We present the results of Chandra X-ray Observatory observations of the transient anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) candidate AX J1845.0-0258 in apparent quiescence. Within the source's error circle, we find a point source and possible counterpart, which we designate CXOU J184454.6-025653. No coherent pulsations are detected, and no extended emission is seen. The source's spectrum is equally well described by a blackbody model of temperature kT~2.0 keV or a power law model with photon index Gamma~1.0. This is considerably harder than was seen for AX J1845.0-0258 during its period of brightening in …
We report on BeppoSAX and Chandra observations of three Hard X-Ray Transients in quiescence containing fast spinning (P<5 s) neutron stars: A 0538-66, 4U 0115+63 and V 0332+53. These observations allowed us to study these transients at the faintest flux levels thus far. Spectra are remarkably different from the ones obtained at luminosities a factor >10 higher, testifying that the quiescent emission mechanism is different. Pulsations were not detected in any of the sources, indicating that accretion of matter down to the neutron star surface has ceased. We conclude that the quiescent emission …
The population of clearly identified anomalous X-ray pulsars has recently grown to seven, however, one candidate anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) still eludes re-confirmation. Here, we present a set of seven Chandra ACIS-S observations of the transient pulsar AX J1845.0-0258, obtained during 2003. Our observations reveal a faint X-ray point source within the ASCA error circle of AX J1845.0-0258's discovery, which we designate CXOU J184454.6-025653 and tentatively identify as the quiescent AXP. Its spectrum is well described by an absorbed single-component blackbody (kT~2.0 keV) or power law (Gamma…
During a BeppoSAX observation of the X-ray burst source X1732-304 located in the globular cluster Terzan 1 in 1999 April, the source was detected in an anomalously low-state with an X-ray luminosity of 1.4 x 10^33 erg/s$, about 300 times fainter than the lowest previously reported measure of the persistent flux. The spectral shape and intensity of this low-state emission is similar to that of a number of neutron star soft X-ray transients in quiescence, being well fit by a ~0.34 keV blackbody together with a power-law with a photon index of ~1.0. These similarities suggest that the same mechan…
We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of the multiple (hierarchical quadruple) weak-lined T Tauri star system HD 98800, obtained with the High Energy Transmission Gratings Spectrograph (HETGS) aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO). In the zeroth-order CXO/HETGS X-ray image, both principle binary components of HD 98800 (A and B, separation 0.8'') are detected; component A was observed to flare during the observation. The infrared excess (dust disk) component, HD 98800B, is a factor ~4 fainter in X-rays than the apparently ``diskless'' HD 98800A, in quiescence. The line ratios of He-like…
We report on X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray burster EXO 1747-214. This source is an X-ray transient, and its only known outburst was observed in 1984-1985 by the EXOSAT satellite. We re-analyzed the EXOSAT data to derive the source position, column density, and a distance upper limit using its peak X-ray burst flux. We observed the EXO 1747-214 field in 2003 July with the Chandra X-ray Observatory to search for the quiescent counterpart. We found one possible candidate just outside the EXOSAT error circle, but we cannot rule out the possibility that the source is unrelated to EXO …
Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs) are a new class of HMXBs discovered thanks to the monitoring of the Galactic plane performed with the INTEGRAL satellite in the last 5 years. These sources display short outbursts (significantly shorter than typical Be/X-ray binaries) with a peak luminosity of a few 1E36 erg/s. The quiescent level, measured only in a few sources, is around 1E32 erg/s. We are performing a monitoring campaign with Swift of four SFXTs (IGRJ16479-4514, XTEJ1739-302, IGRJ17544-2619 and AXJ1841.0-0536/IGRJ18410-0535). We report on the first four months of Swift observations, …
Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are a rare type of gamma-ray transient sources that are ocasionally detected as bursts in the high-energy sky. They are thought to be produced by magnetars, young neutron stars with very strong magnetic fields of the order of 10^(14-15) G. Only three such objects are known in our Galaxy, and a fourth one is associated with the supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. In none of these cases has an optical counterpart to either the gamma-ray flares or the quiescent source been identified. Here we present multi-wavelength observations of a puzzling sour…
We report here the results of the first Chandra X-Ray Observatory observations of the globular cluster M28 (NGC 6626). 46 X-ray sources are detected, of which 12 lie within one core radius of the center. We show that the apparently extended X-ray core emission seen with the ROSAT HRI is due to the superposition of multiple discrete sources for which we determine the X-ray luminosity function down to a limit of about 6xE30 erg/s. For the first time the unconfused phase-averaged X-ray spectrum of the 3.05-ms pulsar B1821--24 is measured and found to be best described by a power law with photon i…
