Spectral Energy Distribution of Markarian 501: Quiescent State vs. Extreme Outburst
The VERITAS Collaboration, V. A. Acciari, T. Arlen, T. Aune, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, M. Böttcher, D. Boltuch, S. M. Bradbury, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, A. Canno… 展开作者
The VERITAS Collaboration, V. A. Acciari, T. Arlen, T. Aune, M. Beilicke, W. Benbow, M. Böttcher, D. Boltuch, S. M. Bradbury, J. H. Buckley, V. Bugaev, A. Cannon, A. Cesarini, L. Ciupik, W. Cui, R. Dickherber, C. Duke, M. Errando, A. Falcone, J. P. Finley, G. Finnegan, L. Fortson, A. Furniss, N. Galante, D. Gall, S. Godambe, J. Grube, R. Guenette, G. Gyuk, D. Hanna, J. Holder, D. Huang, C. M. Hui, T. B. Humensky, A. Imran, P. Kaaret, N. Karlsson, M. Kertzman, D. Kieda, A. Konopelko, H. Krawczynski, F. Krennrich, A. S Madhavan, G. Maier, S. McArthur, A. McCann, P. Moriarty, R. A. Ong, A. N. Otte, D. Pandel, J. S. Perkins, A. Pichel, M. Pohl, J. Quinn, K. Ragan, L. C. Reyes, P. T. Reynolds, E. Roache, H. J. Rose, M. Schroedter, G. H. Sembroski, D. Steele, S. P. Swordy, M. Theiling, S. Thibadeau, A. Varlotta, V. V. Vassiliev, S. Vincent, S. P. Wakely, J. E. Ward, T. C. Weekes, A. Weinstein, T. Weisgarber, D. A. Williams, M. Wood, B. Zitzer, The MAGIC Collaboration, :, J. Aleksić, L. A. Antonelli, P. Antoranz, M. Backes, J. A. Barrio, D. Bastieri, J. Becerra González, W. Bednarek, A. Berdyugin, K. Berger, E. Bernardini, A. Biland, O. Blanch, R. K. Bock, A. Boller, G. Bonnoli, P. Bordas, D. Borla Tridon, V. Bosch-Ramon, D. Bose, I. Braun, T. Bretz, M. Camara, E. Carmona, A. Carosi, P. Colin, E. Colombo, J. L. Contreras, J. Cortina, S. Covino, F. Dazzi, A. De Angelis, E. De Cea del Pozo, B. De Lotto, M. De Maria, F. De Sabata, C. Delgado Mendez, A. Diago Ortega, M. Doert, A. Domínguez, D. Dominis Prester, D. Dorner, M. Doro, D. Elsaesser, M. Errando, D. Ferenc, M. V. Fonseca, L. Font, R. J. García López, M. Garczarczyk, M. Gaug, G. Giavitto, N. Godinović, D. Hadasch, A. Herrero, D. Hildebrand, D. Höhne-Mönch, J. Hose, D. Hrupec, T. Jogler, S. Klepser, T. Krähenbühl, D. Kranich, J. Krause, A. La Barbera, E. Leonardo, E. Lindfors, S. Lombardi, F. Longo, M. López, E. Lorenz, P. Majumdar, M. Makariev, G. Maneva, N. Mankuzhiyil, K. Mannheim, L. Maraschi, M. Mariotti, M. Martínez, D. Mazin, M. Meucci, J. M. Miranda, R. Mirzoyan, H. Miyamoto, J. Moldón, A. Moralejo, D. Nieto, K. Nilsson, R. Orito, I. Oya, R. Paoletti, J. M. Paredes, S. Partini, M. Pasanen, F. Pauss, R. G. Pegna, M. A. Perez-Torres, M. Persic, L. Peruzzo, J. Pochon, F. Prada, P. G. Prada Moroni, E. Prandini, N. Puchades, I. Puljak, I. Reichardt, R. Reinthal, W. Rhode, M. Ribó, J. Rico, M. Rissi, S. Rügamer, A. Saggion, K. Saito, T. Y. Saito, M. Salvati, M. Sánchez-Conde, K. Satalecka, V. Scalzotto, V. Scapin, C. Schultz, T. Schweizer, M. Shayduk, S. N. Shore, A. Sierpowska-Bartosik, A. Sillanpää, J. Sitarek, D. Sobczynska, F. Spanier, S. Spiro, A. Stamerra, B. Steinke, J. Storz, N. Strah, J. C. Struebig, T. Suric, L. Takalo, F. Tavecchio, P. Temnikov, T. Terzić, D. Tescaro, M. Teshima, D. F. Torres, H. Vankov, R. M. Wagner, Q. Weitzel, V. Zabalza, F. Zandanel, R. Zanin, D. Paneque, M. Hayashida
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Accepted for publication in ApJ, 25 pages, 6 figures, corresponding authors: Daniel Gall daniel-d-gall@uiowa.edu and Wei Cui cui@purdue.edu
The very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 has a well-studied history of extreme spectral variability and is an excellent laboratory for studying the physical processes within the jets of active galactic nuclei. However, there are few detailed multiwavelength studies of Markarian 501 during its quiescent state, due to its low luminosity. A short-term multiwavelength study of Markarian 501 was coordinated in March 2009, focusing around a multi-day observation with the Suzaku X-ray satellite and including γ-ray data from VERITAS, MAGIC, and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope with the goal of providing a well-sampled multiwavelength baseline measurement of Markarian 501 in the quiescent state. The results of these quiescent-state observations are compared to the historically extreme outburst of April 16, 1997, with the goal of examining variability of the spectral energy distribution between the two states. The derived broadband spectral energy distribution shows the characteristic double-peaked profile. We find that the X-ray peak shifts by over two orders of magnitude in photon energy between the two flux states while the VHE peak varies little. The limited shift in the VHE peak can be explained by the transition to the Klein-Nishina regime. Synchrotron self-Compton models are matched to the data and the implied Klein-Nishina effects are explored.
We report on the results of two coordinated multiwavelength campaigns that focused on the blazar Markarian 421 during its 2006 and 2008 outbursts. These campaigns obtained UV and X-ray data using the XMM-Newton satellite, while the gamma-ray data were obtained utilizing three imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescopes, the Whipple 10m telescope and VERITAS, both based in Arizona, as well as the MAGIC telescope, based on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The coordinated effort between the gamma-ray groups allowed for truly simultaneous data in UV/X-ray/gamma-ray wavelengths during a significant port…
We study the variation of the broad-band spectral energy distribution (SED) of the BL Lac object Mrk 501 as a function of source activity, from quiescent to flaring. Through chi-square-minimization we model eight simultaneous SED datasets with a one-zone Synchrotron-Self-Compton (SSC) model, and examine how model parameters vary with source activity. The emerging variability pattern of Mrk 501 is complex, with the Compton component arising from gamma-electron scatterings that sometimes are (mostly) Thomson and sometimes (mostly) extreme Klein-Nishina. This can be seen from the variation of the…
The TeV blazar Markarian 421 underwent multi-TeV flaring during April 2004 and simultaneously observed in x-ray and TeV energies. It was observed that the TeV outbursts had no counterparts in the lower energies, which implies that this might be an orphan flare. In the context of hadronic model, we have shown that this multi-TeV flaring can be produced due to the interaction of Fermi-accelerated protons of energy $\lesssim 168$ TeV with the background photons in the low energy tail of the synchrotron self-Compton spectrum of the blazar jet. We fit very well the flaring spectrum with this model.…
Very high energy (VHE: >100 GeV) gamma rays coming from AGN can pair-produce on the intergalactic background light generating an electromagnetic cascade. If the Intergalactic Magnetic Field (IGMF) is sufficiently strong, this cascade may result in an extended isotropic emission of photons around the source, or halo. Using VERITAS observations of the blazar Markarian 421, we search for extended emission by comparing the source angular distribution ($θ^2$) from a quiescent period with one coming from a flare period, which can be considered as halo-free. $χ^2$ test showed no significant statistic…
Markarian 501 is a high-peaked BL Lacertae object and has undergone many major outburst since its discovery in 1996. As a part of the multiwavelength campaign, in the year 2009 this blazar was observed for 4.5 months from March 9 to August 1 and during the period April 17 to May 5 it was observed by both space and ground based observatories covering the entire electromagnetic spectrum. A very strong high energy $γ$-ray flare was observed on May 1 by Whipple telescope in the energy range 317 GeV to 5 TeV and the flux was about 10 times higher than the baseline flux. We use the photohadronic mod…
Markarian 421 is a high-peaked BL Lac object and it has undergone many strong outbursts since its discovery as a TeV source in 1992. Markarian 421 has been stud- ied intensively and was observed by various Cherenkov tele- scope arrays ever since. The outbursts of April 2004 observed by the Whipple telescope and of February 2010 by the HESS telescopes are explained well in this work by using the photohadronic model. To account for the attenuation of these high- energy gamma-rays by the extragalactic background light (EBL), we use template EBL models. The intrinsic spectrum of each epoch is diff…
We present the results of extensive modeling of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the closest blazar (z=0.031) Markarian 421 (Mrk 421) during a giant outburst in February 2010. The source underwent rapid flux variations in both X-rays and very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays as it evolved from a low-flux state on 2010 February 13-15 to a high-flux state on 2010 February 17. During this period, the source exhibited significant spectral hardening from X-rays to VHE gamma-rays while exhibiting a "harder when brighter" behavior in these energy bands. We reproduce the broadband SED using a t…
We report on the quiescent state of the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 0501+4516 observed by XMM-Newton on 2009 August 30. The source exhibits an absorbed flux ~75 times lower than that measured at the peak of the 2008 outburst, and a rather soft spectrum, with the same value of the blackbody temperature observed with ROSAT back in 1992. This new observation is put into the context of all existing X-ray data since its discovery in August 2008, allowing us to complete the study of the timing and spectral evolution of the source from outburst until its quiescent state. The set of deep XMM-Newton observ…
The very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray blazar Markarian 501 has a history of extreme spectral variability and is an excellent laboratory for studying the physical processes within the jets of active galactic nuclei. A short term multi-wavelength study of Markarian 501 was coordinated in March 2009 using the Suzaku X-ray satellite as well as the VERITAS and MAGIC experiments to cover the critical X-ray and VHE gamma-ray bands. The results of the quiescent-state observations with VERITAS and Suzaku are combined with public data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and compared to …
Markarian 421 is the nearest high-energy peaked blazar and also is the first extragalactic source to be detected in multi-TeV $γ$-rays. It has been observed in multiwavelength for exceptionally long period of time with dense monitoring and several major outbursts have been detected from this source. In March 2010, the source was in a high state of activity and was observed in multiwavelength by various telescopes for 13 consecutive days. During this period the position of the synchrotron peak was found to be above $10^{17}$ Hz and also the position of the second peak was shifted towards higher…
The very high energy (VHE; E $>$ 100 GeV) blazar Markarian 501 was observed between April 17 and May 5 (MJD 54938--54956), 2009, as part of an extensive multi-wavelength campaign from radio to VHE. Strong VHE $γ$-ray activity was detected on May 1st with Whipple and VERITAS, when the flux (E $>$ 400 GeV) increased to 10 times the pre-flare baseline flux ($3.9{\times 10^{-11}}~{\rm ph~cm^{-2}~s^{-1}}$), reaching five times the flux of the Crab Nebula. This coincided with a decrease in the optical polarization and a rotation of the polarization angle by 15$^{\circ}$. This VHE flare showed a fast…
We report on NuSTAR observations of the Intermediate Polar GK Persei which also behaves as a Dwarf Nova. It exhibited a Dwarf Nova outburst in 2015 March-April. The object was observed in 3-79 keV X-rays with NuSTAR, once at the outburst peak, and again in 2015 September during quiescence. The 5-50 keV flux during the outburst was 26 times higher than that during the quiescence. With a multi-temperature emission model and a reflection model, we derived the post-shock temperature as 19.2 +/- 0.7 keV in the outburst, and 38.5 +4.1/-3.6 keV in the quiescence. This temperature difference is consid…
We monitored the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary SAX J1750.8-2900 after the end of its 2015/2016 outburst using the X-ray Telescope (XRT) aboard Swift to detect possible post-outburst 'rebrightenings', similar to those seen after its 2008 outburst. We did not detect any rebrightening behaviour, suggesting that the physical mechanism behind the rebrightening events is not always active after each outburst of the source. Any model attempting to explain these rebrightenings should thus be able to reproduce the different outburst profiles of the source at different times. Surprisingly, our Swif…
For the high-frequency peaked BL Lac object Mrk 421 we study the variation of the spectral energy distribution (SED) as a function of source activity, from quiescent to active. We use a fully automatized chi-squared minimization procedure, instead of the "eyeball" procedure more commonly used in the literature, to model nine SED datasets with a one-zone Synchrotron-Self-Compton (SSC) model and examine how the model parameters vary with source activity. The latter issue can finally be addressed now, because simultaneous broad-band SEDs (spanning from optical to VHE photon energies) have finally…
We present the X-ray light curves of the last two outbursts --2014 & 2016-- of the well known accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar (AMXP) Aquila X-1 using the monitor of all sky X-ray image (MAXI) observations in the $2-20$ keV band. After calibrating the (MAXI) count rates to the all-sky monitor (ASM) level, we report that the 2016 outburst is the most energetic event of Aql X-1, ever observed from this source. We show that 2016 outburst is a member of the long-high class according to the classification presented by Güngör et al. with $\sim68$ cnt/s maximum flux and $\sim60$ days duration time …
The Galactic black hole candidate (BHC) 4U~1630-472 has gone through several outbursts (13 to be particular) in the last two and a half decades starting from the RXTE era till date. Like the outbursts of other transient BHCs, the outbursts of this source show variations in duration, peak numbers, highest peak flux, etc. However, unlike any other soft X-ray transients, this source showed outbursts of two types, such as normal and super. The normal outbursts of duration $\sim 100-200$~days are observed quasi periodically at an average recurrence/quiescence period of $\sim 500$~days. The super ou…
A neutrino outburst between September 2014 and March 2015 was discovered from the blazar TXS 0506+056 by an investigation of $9.5$ years of IceCube data, while the blazar was in a quiescent state during the outburst with a gamma-ray flux only about one-fifth of the neutrino flux. In this work, we give a possible interpretation of the abnormal feature by proposing that the neutrino outburst originates from the interaction between a relativistic jet and a dense gas cloud formed via the tidally disrupted envelope of a red giant being blown apart by the impact of the jet. Gamma-ray photons and ele…
We report on time-resolved optical imaging of the X-ray binary SAX J1808.4-3658 during its quiescent state and 2008 outburst. The binary, containing an accretion-powered millisecond pulsar, has a large sinusoidal-like modulation in its quiescent optical emission. We employ a Markov chain Monte Carlo technique to fit our multi-band light curve data in quiescence with an irradiated star model, and derive a tight constraint of $50^{+6}_{-5}$ deg on the inclination angle $i$ of the binary system. The pulsar and its companion are constrained to have masses of $0.97^{+0.31}_{-0.22} M_{\sun}$ and $0.…
We present six years of optical monitoring of the black hole candidate X-ray binary Swift J1357.2-0933, during and since its discovery outburst in 2011. On these long timescales, the quiescent light curve is dominated by high amplitude, short term (seconds-days) variability spanning ~ 2 magnitudes, with an increasing trend of the mean flux from 2012 to 2017 that is steeper than in any other X-ray binary found to date (0.17 mag/yr). We detected the initial optical rise of the 2017 outburst of Swift J1357.2-0933, and we report that the outburst began between April 1 and 6, 2017. Such a steep opt…
We studied the transient neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary GRS 1747-312, located in the globular cluster Terzan 6, in its quiescent state after its outburst in August 2004, using an archival XMM-Newton observation. A source was detected in this cluster and its X-ray spectrum can be fitted with the combination of a soft, neutron-star atmosphere model and a hard, power-law model. Both contributed roughly equally to the observed 0.5-10 keV luminosity (~4.8X10^33 erg/s). This type of X-ray spectrum is typically observed for quiescent neutron-star X-ray transients that are perhaps accreting in qui…
We report on two new quiescent {\it XMM-Newton} observations (in addition to the earlier {\it Swift}/XRT and {\it XMM-Newton} coverage) of the cooling neutron star crust in the low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9$-$342058. Its crust was heated during the $\sim$4.5 month accretion outburst of the source. From our quiescent observations, fitting the spectra with a neutron star atmosphere model, we found that the crust had cooled from $\sim$ 100 eV to $\sim$73 eV from $\sim$8 days to $\sim$479 days after the end of its outburst. However, during the most recent observation, taken $\sim$860 days a…
With two consecutive outbursts recorded in four months (October 2008 and January 2009), and a possible third outburst in 2007, 1E 1547.0-5408 is one of the most active transient anomalous X-ray pulsars known so far. Thanks to extensive X-ray observations, obtained both in the quiescent and active states, 1E 1547.0-5408 represents a very promising laboratory to get insights into the outburst properties and magnetar emission mechanisms. We performed a detailed timing and spectral analysis of four Chandra, three INTEGRAL, and one XMM observations collected over a two week interval after the outbu…
We investigate MeV-GeV $γ$-ray outbursts in 3C 273 in the frame of a time-dependent one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model. In this model, electrons are accelerated to extra-relativistic energy through the stochastic particle acceleration and evolve with the time, nonthermal photons are produced by both synchrotron and inverse Compton scattering of synchrotron photons. Moreover, nonthermal photons during a quiescent are produced by the relativistic electrons in the steady state and those during a outburst are produced by the electrons whose injection rate is changed at some time interva…
Aql X-1 is the most prolific low mass X-ray binary transient hosting a neutron star. In this paper we focus on the return to quiescence following the 2010 outburst of the source. This decay was monitored thanks to 11 pointed observations taken with XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift. The decay from outburst to quiescence is very fast, with an exponential decay characteristic time scale of ~2 d. Once in quiescence the X-ray flux of Aql X-1 remained constant, with no further signs of variability or decay. The comparison with the only other well-monitored outburst from Aql X-1 (1997) is tail-telling. …
We present near-infrared and optical imaging of fifteen candidate black hole X-ray binaries. In addition to quiescent observations for all sources, we also observed two of these sources (IGR J17451-3022 and XTE J1818-245) in outburst. We detect the quiescent counterpart for twelve out of fifteen sources, and for the remaining three we report limiting magnitudes. The magnitudes of the detected counterparts range between $K_s$ = 17.59 and $K_s$ = 22.29 mag. We provide (limits on) the absolute magnitudes and finding charts of all sources. Of these twelve detections in quiescence, seven represent …
The presence of some X-ray sources in the Galactic Centre region which show variability, but do not show outbursts in over a decade of monitoring has been used to argue for the presence of a large population of stellar mass black holes in this region. A core element of the arguments that these objects are accreting black holes is the claim that neutron stars (NSs) in low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) do not have long transient recurrence times. We demonstrate in this paper that about half of the known transient LMXBs with clear signatures for NS primaries have recurrence times in excess of a dec…
We present the result of a Suzaku X-ray spectroscopic observation of the dwarf nova Z Camelopardalis, which was conducted by chance at the onset of an optical outburst. We used the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (a 38 ks exposure) and the Hard X-ray Detector (34 ks) to obtain a 0.35-40 keV spectrum simultaneously. Spectral characteristics suggest that the source was in the X-ray quiescent state despite being in the rising phase of an outburst in the optical band. The spectrum shows a clear signature of circumstellar absorption in excess of interstellar absorption and the reprocessed emission featu…
After two major outbursts in 2006 and 2011, on 2017 May 16 the magnetar CXOU J164710.2-455216, hosted within the massive star cluster Westerlund I, emitted a short (20 ms) burst, which marked the onset of a new active phase. We started a long-term monitoring campaign with Swift (45 observations), Chandra (5 observations) and NuSTAR (4 observations) from the activation until 2018 April. During the campaign, Swift BAT registered the occurrence of multiple bursts, accompanied by two other enhancements of the X-ray persistent flux. The long time span covered by our observations allowed us to study…
X-ray behavior of the dwarf novae (DNe) outside the quiescent state has not been fully understood. We thus assembled 21 data sets of the 15 DNe observed by the Suzaku satellite by the end of 2013, which include spectra taken during not only the quiescence, but also the transitional, outburst, and super-outburst states. Starting with the traditional cooling flow model to explain the X-ray emission from the boundary layer, we made several modifications to account for the observed spectra. As a result, we found that the best-fit spectral model depends strongly on the state of the DNe with only a …
On 2015 June 15 the burst alert telescope (BAT) on board {\em Swift} detected an X-ray outburst from the black hole transient V404 Cyg. We monitored V404 Cyg for the last 10 years with the 2-m Faulkes Telescope North in three optical bands (V, R, and i$^{'}$). We found that, one week prior to this outburst, the optical flux was 0.1--0.3 mag brighter than the quiescent orbital modulation, implying an optical precursor to the X-ray outburst. There is also a hint of a gradual optical decay (years) followed by a rise lasting two months prior to the outburst. We fortuitously obtained an optical spe…
Magnetars are neutron stars having extreme magnetic field strengths. Study of their emission properties in quiescent state can help understand effects of a strong magnetic field on neutron stars. SGR 0501+4516 is a magnetar that was discovered in 2008 during an outburst, which has recently returned to quiescence. We report its spectral and timing properties measured with new and archival observations from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku. We found that the quiescent spectrum is best fit by a power-law plus two blackbody model, with temperatures of kT_low~0.26 keV and kT_hi…
We present high time-resolution ULTRACAM optical and NOTCam infrared observations of the edge-on black hole X-ray transient Swift J1357.2-0933. Our data taken in 2012 and 2013 show the system to be at its pre-outburst magnitude and so the system is in quiescence. In contrast to other X-ray transients, the quiescent light curves of Swift J1357.2-0933 do not show the secondary star's ellipsoidal modulation. The optical light curve is dominated by variability with an optical fractional rms of ~35 per cent, a factor of >3 larger than what is observed in other systems at similar time-resolution. Op…
Since its discovery, 1E 1048.1$-$5937 has been one of the most active magnetars, both in terms of radiative outbursts, and changes to its spin properties. Here we report on a continuing monitoring campaign with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory X-ray Telescope in which we observe two new outbursts from this source. The first outburst occurred in 2016 July, and the second in 2017 December, reaching peak 0.5-10 keV absorbed fluxes of $3.2^{+0.2}_{-0.3}\times 10^{-11}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $2.2^{+0.2}_{-0.2}\times10^{-11}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, respectively, factors of $\sim$5 and $\sim …
In 2018, we reported our discovery of a dozen quiescent X-ray binaries in the central parsec (pc) of the Galaxy (Hailey et al. 2018). In a recent follow-up paper (Mori et al. 2021), we published an extended analysis of these sources and other X-ray binaries (XRBs) in the central pc and beyond, showing that most if not all of the 12 non-thermal sources are likely black hole low-mass X-ray binary (BH-LMXB) candidates. In response, Maccarone et al. 2022 (TM22 hereafter) argued, primarily on the claim that neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (NS-LMXBs) often do not have short outburst recurrence …
In this Paper we report on radio (VLA and ATCA) and X-ray (RXTE, Chandra and Swift) observations of the outburst decay of the transient black hole candidate H1743-322 in early 2008. We find that the X-ray light curve followed an exponential decay, leveling off towards its quiescent level. The exponential decay timescale is ~4 days and the quiescent flux corresponds to a luminosity of 3x10^32 (d/7.5 kpc)^2 erg/s. This together with the relation between quiescent X-ray luminosity and orbital period reported in the literature suggests that H1743-322 has an orbital period longer than ~10 hours. Bo…
We report on the gamma-ray activity of the high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacertae object Mrk 421 during the first 1.5 years of Fermi operation, from 2008 August 5 to 2010 March 12. We find that the Large Area Telescope (LAT) gamma-ray spectrum above 0.3 GeV can be well-described by a power-law function with photon index Gamma=1.78 +/- 0.02 and average photon flux F(>0.3 GeV)=(7.23 +/- 0.16) x 10^{-8} ph cm^{-2} s^{-1}. Over this time period, the Fermi-LAT spectrum above 0.3 GeV was evaluated on 7-day-long time intervals, showing significant variations in the photon flux (up to a factor ~3 from th…
In the work we present the results of two deep broad-band observations of the poorly studied X-ray pulsar IGR J19294+1816 obtained with the NuSTAR observatory. The source was observed during Type I outburst and in the quiescent state. In the bright state a cyclotron absorption line in the energy spectrum was discovered at $E_{\rm cyc}=42.8\pm0.7$ keV. Spectral and timing analysis prove the ongoing accretion also during the quiescent state of the source. Based on the long-term flux evolution, particularly on the transition of the source to the bright quiescent state with luminosity around $10^{…
X-ray and radio observations of the AMXP MAXI J1957+032 covering the 2022-2025 outbursts
Qingdao University of Technology（青岛理工大学）；SRON - Space Research Organisation Netherlands（荷兰空间研究所）；Peking University（北京大学）；Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院高能物理研究所）；Nanjing Normal University（南京师范大学）；Xiangtan University（湘潭大学）
The Be/X-ray transient GRO J1750-27 exhibited a type-II (giant) outburst in 2015. After the source transited to quiescence, we triggered our multi-year Chandra monitoring programme to study its quiescent behaviour. The programme was designed to follow the cooling of a potentially heated neutron-star crust due to accretion of matter during the preceding outburst, similar to what we potentially have observed before in two other Be/X-ray transients, namely 4U 0115+63 and V 0332+53. However, unlike for these other two systems, we do not find any strong evidence that the neutron-star crust in GRO J…
We present Large Binocular Telescope difference imaging data for the final years of four Type II-P/L supernovae progenitors. For all four, we find no significant evidence for stochastic or steady variability in the U, B, V, or R-bands. Our limits constrain variability to no more than roughly 5-10% of the expected R-band luminosities of the progenitors. These limits are comparable to the observed variability of red supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds. Based on these four events, the probability of a Type II-P/L progenitor having an extended outburst after Oxygen ignition is <37% at 90% confide…
MASTER OT 075353.88+174907.6 was a blue optical transient reported by the MASTER-Net project on 2017 Oct 31. This source was previously detected by {\it GALEX} in its NUV band but not by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (in the optical). We carried out multiwavelength follow-up observations of this source during its 2017 outburst using {\it Swift} and RATIR. The source was found to be $\gtrsim$4.4 mag above its quiescent level during the peak of the outburst and the outburst lasted $\gtrsim$19 days. Our observations suggest that it was a superoutburst of a long orbital period U Geminorum type dwar…
Temporary EHBL-like behavior of Markarian 501 during July 2014 VHE flaring
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学）；Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN（IPN高级研究中心）；California State University（加州州立大学）；Universitat Politècnica de València（瓦伦西亚理工大学）
Aql X-1 is a prolific transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary that exhibits an accretion outburst approximately once every year. Whether the thermal X-rays detected in intervening quiescent episodes are the result of cooling of the neutron star or due to continued low-level accretion remains unclear. In this work we use Swift data obtained after the long and bright 2011 and 2013 outbursts, as well as the short and faint 2015 outburst, to investigate the hypothesis that cooling of the accretion-heated neutron star crust dominates the quiescent thermal emission in Aql X-1. We demonstrate th…
We model the pulse profiles and the phase resolved spectra of the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1048.1-5937 obtained with XMM-Newton to map its surface temperature distribution during an active and a quiescent epoch. We develop and apply a model that takes into account the relevant physical and geometrical effects on the neutron star surface, magnetosphere, and spacetime. Using this model, we determine the observables at infinity as a function of pulse phase for different numbers and sizes of hot spots on the surface. We show that the pulse profiles extracted from both observations can be modeled …
We show that the X-ray outburst light curves of four transient anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), namely XTE J1810-197, SGR 0501+4516, SGR 1627-41 and CXOU J164710.2-455216, can be produced by the fallback disk model that was also applied to the outburst light curves of persistent AXPs and SGRs in our earlier work. The model solves the diffusion equation for the relaxation of a disk which has been pushed back by a soft gamma-ray burst. The sets of main disk parameters used for these transient sources are very similar to each other and to those employed in our e…
Centaurus X-4 (Cen X-4) is a relatively nearby neutron star low-mass X-ray binary that showed outbursts in 1969 and 1979, but has not shown a full outburst since. Due to its proximity and sustained period of quiescence, it is a prime target to study the coupling between accretion and jet ejection in quiescent neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. Here, we present four MeerKAT radio observations at 1.3 GHz of Cen X-4, combined with NICER and Swift X-ray monitoring. During the first and most sensitive observation, Cen X-4 was in a fully quiescent X-ray state. The three later and shorter observat…
The intermediate polar GK Per exhibited a dwarf nova outburst in March-April 2015. Suzaku X-ray telescope serendipitously captured the onset of the outburst during its pre-scheduled pointing observation spanning four days. In this paper, we present temporal and spectral analysis results of this outburst, together with those from archival data of quiescent obtained in 2009 and 2014. Our temporal analysis confirmed previously reported spin modulation of X-ray count rates in outburst with a WD spin period of P_WD=351.4+/-0.5 s. The modulation is also detected in the hard X-ray band (16-60 keV), a…
Aql X-1 is the prototypical low mass X-ray binary transient. The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All Sky Monitor provided a ~16 yr coverage revealing 20 outbursts. This is by far the most extensive legacy of outbursts from the same source. We investigated the outbursts characteristics in terms of energetics, peak luminosities, durations, decays and recurrence times. We found that bright outbursts (peak luminosity >10^{37} erg s^-1) equal in number dimmer outbursts (<10^{36.6} erg s^-1). The peak luminosity does not correlate with outburst energetics, durations or quiescent times. We analysed the l…
KS 1741-293 is a transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary that is located at an angular distance of ~20' from the Galactic center. We map out the historic activity of the source since its discovery in 1989, characterize its most recent X-ray outbursts observed with Swift (2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011), and discuss its quiescent X-ray properties using archival Chandra data. KS 1741-293 is frequently active, exhibiting outbursts that typically reach a 2-10 keV luminosity of Lx~1E36 (D/6.2 kpc)^2 erg/s and last for several weeks-months. However, Swift also captured a very short and weak accreti…
The ~800 yr-old pulsar J1846-0258 is a unique transition object between rotation-powered pulsars and magnetars: though behaving like a rotation-powered pulsar most of the time, in 2006 it exhibited a distinctly magnetar-like outburst accompanied by a large glitch. Here we present X-ray timing observations taken with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer over a 2.2-yr period after the X-ray outburst and glitch had recovered. We observe that the braking index of the pulsar, previously measured to be n=2.65+/-0.01, is now n=2.16+/-0.13, a decrease of 18+/-5%. We also note a persistent increase in the t…
Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) are High Mass X-ray Binaries displaying X-ray outbursts reaching peak luminosities of 10$^{38}$ erg/s and spend most of their life in more quiescent states with luminosities as low as 10$^{32}$-10$^{33}$ erg/s. The main goal of our comprehensive and uniform analysis of the SFXT Swift triggers is to provide tools to predict whether a transient which has no known X-ray counterpart may be an SFXT candidate. These tools can be exploited for the development of future missions exploring the variable X-ray sky through large FoV instruments. We examined all avai…
Spectral Analysis of the 2019 and 2022 Outbursts of SAX J1808.4-3658
Montana State University（蒙大拿州立大学）；Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo（东京大学宇宙学前沿研究机构（WPI））；RTX（RTX公司）
We report on a Chandra Director's Discretionary Time observation of the globular cluster Terzan 5, carried out ~7 weeks after the cessation of the 2010 outburst of the newly discovered transiently accreting 11 Hz X-ray pulsar. We detect a thermal spectrum that can be fitted with a neutron star atmosphere model with a temperature for an observer at infinity of kT~100 eV, and a quiescent thermal bolometric luminosity of Lq~2E33 erg/s for an assumed distance of 5.5 kpc. The thermal emission is elevated above the quiescent base level measured in 2003 and 2009, i.e., prior to the recent accretion o…
X-ray observations of quiescent X-ray binaries have the potential to provide insight into the structure and the composition of neutron stars. EXO 0748-676 had been actively accreting for over 24 yr before its outburst ceased in late 2008. Subsequent X-ray monitoring revealed a gradual decay of the quiescent thermal emission that can be attributed to cooling of the accretion-heated neutron star crust. In this work, we report on new Chandra and Swift observations that extend the quiescent monitoring to ~5 yr post-outburst. We find that the neutron star temperature remained at ~117 eV between 200…
