The Fe K_αfluorescent line at 6.4 keV is a powerful probe of the space-time metric in the vicinity of accreting compact objects. We investigated here how some alternative theories of gravity, namely Scalar tensor Theories, that invoke the presence of a non-minimally coupled scalar field and predict the existence of strongly scalarized neutron stars, change the expected line shape with respect to General Relativity. By taking into account both deviations from the general relativistic orbital dynamics of the accreting disk, where the Fe line originates, and the changes in the light propagation around the neutron star, we computed line shapes for various inclinations of the disk with respect to the observer. We found that both the intensity of the low energy tails and the position of the high energy edge of the line change. Moreover we verified that even if those changes are in general of the order of a few percent, they are potentially observable with the next generation of X-ray satellites.
We consider a temporal response of relativistically broadened line spectrum of iron from black hole accretion irradiated by an X-ray echo under strong gravity. The physical condition of accreting gas is numerically calculated in the context of general relativistic hydrodynamics under steady-state, axisymmetry in Kerr geometry. With the onset of a point-like X-ray flare of a short finite duration just above the accretion surface, the gas is assumed to be ionized to produce a neutral iron fluorescent line. Using a fully relativistic ray-tracing approach, the response of line photons due to the X…
The profile of the fluorescent iron line from black hole accretion disks is a powerful diagnostic of black hole properties, such as spin and inclination. The state-of-the-art, however, considers an accretion disk whose angular momentum is aligned with that of the black hole; this is a very constraining assumption which is unlikely to apply to many or even most astrophysical systems. Here, we present the first simulation of the reflection spectrum from warped accretion disks using a realistic model of the reflected emission based on the xillver code. We present the effects that the radial locat…
We study the iron line shape expected in the reflection spectrum of accretion disks around black holes in asymptotically safe gravity. We compare the results of our simulations with the iron line shapes expected in the reflection spectrum of accretion disks around Kerr black holes to see if the technique of iron line spectroscopy can be used as a tool to test asymptotically safe gravity. Our analysis shows that current X-ray facilities are surely unable to distinguish black holes in asymptotically safe gravity from black holes in Einstein's gravity. In the case of the next generation of X-ray …
In most accreting black-hole systems the copious X-rays commonly observed from the inner-most regions are accompanied by a reflection spectrum. The latter is the signature of energetic photons reprocessed by the optically thick material of an accretion disk. Given their abundance and fluorescence yield, the iron K-shell lines are the most prominent features in the X-ray reflected spectrum. Their line profiles can be grossly broadened and skewed by Doppler effects and gravitational redshift. Consequently, modeling the reflection spectrum provides one of the best methods to measure, among other …
We consider spherically symmetric accretion onto a small, possibly primordial, black hole residing at the center of a neutron star governed by a cold nuclear equation of state (EOS). We generalize the relativistic Bondi solution for such EOSs, approximated by piecewise polytropes, and thereby obtain analytical expressions for the steady-state matter profiles and accretion rates. We compare these rates with those found by time-dependent, general relativistic hydrodynamical simulations upon relaxation and find excellent agreement. We consider several different candidate EOSs, neutron star masses…
We report the first discovery of pulse phase modulating optical depths at the iron K-edge in accretion-powered X-ray pulsars, from Suzaku observations. A significant modulating optical depth of the iron K-edge is detected for Vela X-1 and GX 1+4. Similar trends are seen in GX 301-2 and OAO 1657-415, though with poor statistical significance. The observed iron K-edge exhibits a maximum optical depth, when the X-ray continuum dims, and there is no significant pulse phase variation in the ionization state of iron. The revealed changes in the optical depth with pulse phase can be explained as bein…
Neutron stars (NSs) powered by accretion, which are known as accretion-powered NSs, always locate in binary systems and manifest themselves as X-ray sources. Physical process during accreting material from their companions is a challenging and appealing topic, because of the strong magnetic field of NSs. In this article, we review the physical process of accretion onto magnetized NS in X-ray binary systems. We, firstly, give an introduction to accretion-powered NSs and review the accretion mechanism in X-ray binaries. This review will be mostly focused on accretion-induced evolution of NSs. Fi…
The Effects of Complex Accretion Disk Geometry on Broadened Iron K$α$ Lines
University of California, Santa Barbara（加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校）；Stanford University（斯坦福大学）；Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics & Cosmology (KIPAC), Stanford University（斯坦福大学卡弗里粒子天体物理与宇宙学研究所）；The Ohio State University（俄亥俄州立大学）
Nucleosynthetic Fe isotopic anomalies in meteorites may be used to reconstruct the early dynamical evolution of the solar system and to identify the origin and nature of the material that built planets. Using high-precision iron isotopic data of 23 iron meteorites from nine major chemical groups we show that all iron meteorites show the same fundamental dichotomy between non-carbonaceous (NC) and a carbonaceous (CC) meteorites previously observed for other elements. The Fe isotopic anomalies are predominantly produced by variation in 54Fe, where all CC iron meteorites are characterized by an e…
We report on one of the brightest flux levels of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2992 ever observed in X-rays, on May 2019. The source has been monitored every few days from March 26, 2019 to December 14, 2019 by Swift-XRT, and simultaneous XMM-Newton (250 ks) and NuSTAR (120 ks) observations were triggered on May 6, 2019. The high count rate of the source (its 2-10 keV flux ranged between 0.7 and $1.0\times10^{-10}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$) allows us to perform a time-resolved spectroscopy, probing spatial scales of tens of gravitational radii from the central black hole. By constructing a map of the…
We revisit the system consisting of a neutron star that harbors a small, possibly primordial, black hole at its center, focusing on a nonspinning black hole embedded in a nonrotating neutron star. Extending earlier treatments, we provide an analytical treatment describing the rate of secular accretion of the neutron star matter onto the black hole, adopting the relativistic Bondi accretion formalism for stiff equations of state that we presented elsewhere. We use these accretion rates to sketch the evolution of the system analytically until the neutron star is completely consumed. We also perf…
The Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2992 has been monitored eight times by XMM-Newton in 2010 and then observed again in 2013, while in 2015 it was simultaneously targeted by Swift and NuSTAR. XMM-Newton always caught the source in a faint state (2-10 keV fluxes ranging from 0.3 to 1.6$\times10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$) but NuSTAR showed an increase in the 2-10 keV flux up to 6$\times10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. We find possible evidence of an Ultra Fast Outflow with velocity $v_1=0.21\pm0.01c$ (detected at about 99% confidence level) in such a flux state. The UFO in NGC 2992 is consistent with…
Broad iron emission lines in Seyfert Galaxies - re-condensation of gas onto an inner disk below the ADAF
最近用Chandra、XMM-Newton和Suzaku对Seyfert 1活动星系核进行的观测显示出宽的铁K_α发射线，有些相对论性地模糊了。对于银河系黑洞的X射线双星XMM-牛顿光谱在硬态也揭示了相对论铁发射线和热分量的存在下，解释为一个弱的内部冷吸积盘热日冕下的指示。这些热成分被发现后，从软到硬的光谱状态的过渡，可以理解为持续的气体从对流为主的流（ADAF）到磁盘上的再冷凝。鉴于恒星质量和超大质量黑洞周围吸积流的相似性，我们讨论了Seyfert 1活动星系核中的宽铁发射线是否可以理解为来自类似的吸积流几何。在Miller（2007）和Nandra et al.（2007）的样本中，我们推导了具有强线的Seyfert星系的Eddington标度吸积率。在评估中，我们使用了观测到的X射线光度，热辐射校正和文献中的黑洞质量，大多数值来自Fabian和Vasudevan（2009）。超过一半的来源得出的速率小于爱丁顿速率的0.1。对于塞弗特1活动星系核中10^7到10^8个太阳质量的黑洞来说，这个极限相当于每年0.01到0.2个太阳质量。我们的研究表明，对于相当多的Seyfert活动星系核在硬谱态铁的发射线可以产生于一个内部弱盘周围的ADAF的再凝聚模型预测。一些具有较高吸积率的剩余源可能处于与LMXB的“非常高”状态相当的光谱状态。（节略）
Cosmic metals are widely believed to be produced by supernovae (SNe) and compact object mergers. Here, we discuss the nucleosynthesis of neutrino-dominated accretion flows (NDAFs) with outflows in the core-collapse SNe (CCSNe), and show that the outflows from NDAFs can have a significant contribution to the $^{56}$Ni abundance in the faint explosions if the masses of the progenitor stars are within about $25-50$ $M_\odot$. Less massive progenitor stars can produce more $^{56}$Ni than their more massive counterparts in the NDAF outflow nucleosynthesis channel. Therefore, we find that the total …
The illumination of the accretion disc in a neutron star X-ray binary by X-rays emitted from (or close to) the neutron star surface is explored through general relativistic ray tracing simulations. The applicability of the canonical suite of relativistically broadened emission line models (developed for black holes) to discs around neutron stars is evaluated. These models were found to describe well emission lines from neutron star accretion discs unless the neutron star radius is larger than the innermost stable orbit of the accretion disc at 6rg or the disc is viewed at high inclination, abo…
Iron K$α$ signatures from accretion disks around fermionic dark matter cores
Fac. de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, UNLP（拉普拉塔国立大学天文与地球物理学院）；Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía, CONICET-CICPBA-UNLP（阿根廷射电天文研究所，阿根廷国家科学研究委员会、布宜诺斯艾利斯省研究促进委员会及拉普拉塔国立大学）；ICRANet（国际相对论天体物理中心网络）；ICRA, Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma（罗马智慧大学物理系国际相对论天体物理中心）；ICRANet-Ferrara, Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, UNIFE（费拉拉大学地球与物理科学系国际相对论天体物理中心费拉拉分部）
A compact accretion disk may be formed in the merger of two neutron stars or of a neutron star and a stellar-mass black hole. Outflows from such accretion disks have been identified as a major site of rapid neutron-capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis and as the source of 'red' kilonova emission following the first observed neutron-star merger GW170817. We present long-term general-relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a typical post-merger accretion disk at initial accretion rates of $\dot{M}\sim 1\,M_\odot\,\text{s}^{-1}$ over 400ms post-merger. We include neutrino radiati…
In accreting neutron star X-ray transients, the neutron star crust can be substantially heated out of thermal equilibrium with the core during an accretion outburst. The observed subsequent cooling in quiescence (when accretion has halted) offers a unique opportunity to study the structure and thermal properties of the crust. Initially crust cooling modelling studies focussed on transient X-ray binaries with prolonged accretion outbursts (> 1 year) such that the crust would be significantly heated for the cooling to be detectable. Here we present the results of applying a theoretical model to …
A clean broad iron line in GS 1354--64 as seen by XRISM
Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität Tübingen（蒂宾根大学天文与天体物理研究所）；Nankai University（南开大学）；Cahill Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院卡希尔天文与天体物理学中心）；University of Warwick（华威大学）；Fudan University（复旦大学）；New Uzbekistan University（新乌兹别克斯坦大学）；Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学天文学研究所）；Newcastle University（纽卡斯尔大学）；MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院卡弗里天体物理学与空间研究研究所）；Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛-史密森尼天体物理中心）；Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院高能物理研究所粒子天体物理重点实验室）；University of Hertfordshire（赫特福德大学）；Institute of Space Sciences (ICE, CSIC)（空间科学研究所（加泰罗尼亚高等研究院））
Recent X-ray observations have revealed the complexity and diversity of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). This diversity challenges a classical understanding of the accretion process onto the compact objects. In this study, we reinforce the conventional concept of the nature of wind-fed accretion onto a neutron star considering the geometrical effect of radiatively accelerated wind, and re-evaluate the transported angular momentum by using a simple wind model. Our results suggest that even in an OB-type HMXB fed by stellar wind, a large amount of angular momentum could be transported to form a…
