Discovery of thermonuclear (Type I) X-ray bursts in the X-ray binary Swift J1858.6-0814 observed with NICER and NuSTAR
D. J. K. Buisson, D. Altamirano, P. Bult, G. C. Mancuso, T. Güver, G. K. Jaisawal, J. Hare, A. C. Albayati, Z. Arzoumanian, N. Castro Segura, D. Chakrabarty, P.… 展开作者
D. J. K. Buisson, D. Altamirano, P. Bult, G. C. Mancuso, T. Güver, G. K. Jaisawal, J. Hare, A. C. Albayati, Z. Arzoumanian, N. Castro Segura, D. Chakrabarty, P. Gandhi, S. Guillot, J. Homan, K. C. Gendreau, J. Jiang, C. Malacaria, J. M. Miller, M. Özbey Arabacı, R. Remillard, T. E. Strohmayer, F. Tombesi, J. A. Tomsick, F. M. Vincentelli, D. J. Walton
Swift J1858.6-0814 is a recently discovered X-ray binary notable for extremely strong variability (by factors $>100$ in soft X-rays) in its discovery state. We present the detection of five thermonuclear (Type I) X-ray bursts from Swift J1858.6-0814, implying that the compact object in the system is a neutron star. Some of the bursts show photospheric radius expansion, so their peak flux can be used to estimate the distance to the system. The peak luminosity, and hence distance, can depend on several system parameters; for the most likely values, a high inclination and a helium atmosphere, $D=12.8_{-0.6}^{+0.8}$ kpc, although systematic effects allow a conservative range of $9-18$ kpc. Before one burst, we detect a QPO at $9.6\pm0.5$ mHz with a fractional rms amplitude of $2.2\pm0.2$% ($0.5-10$ keV), likely due to marginally stable burning of helium; similar oscillations may be present before the other bursts but the light curves are not long enough to allow their detection. We also search for burst oscillations but do not detect any, with an upper limit in the best case of 15% fractional amplitude (over $1-8$ keV). Finally, we discuss the implications of the neutron star accretor and this distance on other inferences which have been made about the system. In particular, we find that Swift J1858.6-0814 was observed at super-Eddington luminosities at least during bright flares during the variable stage of its outburst.
MAXI J1803-298, a newly-discovered Galactic transient and black hole candidate, was first detected by \emph{MAXI}/GSC on May 1st, 2021. In this paper, we present a detailed spectral analysis of MAXI J1803-298. Utilizing the X-ray reflection fitting method, we perform a joint fit to the spectra of MAXI J1803-298, respectively, observed by \emph{NuSTAR} and \emph{NICER}/XTI on the same day over the energy range between 0.7-79.0 keV, and found its spin (and the inclination angle i) can be constrained to be close to an extreme value, 0.991 ($i\sim$ $70 ^{\circ}$), at 68\% confidence interval. The …
The millisecond pulsar MAXI J1816-195 was recently discovered in an outburst by MAXI in 2022 May. We study different properties of the pulsar using data from NuSTAR and NICER observations. The unstable burning of accreted material on the surface of neutron stars induces thermonuclear (Type-I) bursts. Several such thermonuclear bursts have been detected by MAXI J1816-195 during its outburst. We investigate the evolution of the burst profile with flux and energy using NuSTAR and NICER observations. During the NuSTAR observation, a total of four bursts were detected from the source. The duration …
During a period of strong $γ$-ray flaring activity from BL Lacertae, we organized Swift, Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) follow-up observations. The source has been monitored by Swift-XRT (X-ray Telescope) between 2020 August 11 and October 16, showing a variability amplitude of 65, with a flux varying between 1.0 $\times$ 10$^{-11}$ and 65.3 $\times$ 10$^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. On 2020 October 6, Swift-XRT has observed the source during its historical maximum X-ray flux. A softer-when-brighter behaviour has been obs…
We report on the first simultaneous $NICER$ and $NuSTAR$ observations of the neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1735$-$44, obtained in 2018 August. The source was at a luminosity of $\sim1.8~(D/5.6\ \mathrm{kpc})^{2}\times10^{37}$ ergs s$^{-1}$ in the $0.4-30$ keV band. We account for the continuum emission with two different continuum descriptions that have been used to model the source previously. Despite the choice in continuum model, the combined passband reveals a broad Fe K line indicative of reflection in the spectrum. In order to account for the reflection spectrum we utilize a…
The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) has extensively monitored the August 2019 outburst of the 401 Hz millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658. In this Letter, we report on the detection of a bright helium-fueled Type I X-ray burst. With a bolometric peak flux of $(2.3\pm0.1)\times 10^{-7}$ erg/cm^2/s, this was the brightest X-ray burst among all bursting sources observed with NICER to date. The burst shows a remarkable two-stage evolution in flux, emission lines at $1.0$ keV and $6.7$ keV, and burst oscillations at the known pulsar spin frequency, with $\approx4$\% fraction…
We analyze seven NICER and NuSTAR epochs of the black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4 in the hard state during its two most recent hard-only outbursts in 2017 and 2019. These observations cover the 1-100 keV unabsorbed luminosities between 0.3% and 2.1% of the Eddington limit. With NICER's negligible pile-up, high count rate and unprecedented time resolution, we perform a spectral-timing analysis and spectral modeling using relativistic and distant reflection models. Our spectral fitting shows that as the inner disk radius moves inwards, the thermal disk emission increases in flux and temperature, …
The first comprehensive spectral and timing study of the ultra-compact X-ray binary 4U 1812-12 with NICER and NuSTAR
Department of physics, Visva-Bharati（维斯瓦-巴拉蒂大学物理系）；Indian Institute Of Astrophysics (IIA)（印度天体物理研究所）；Inter-University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics (IUCAA)（天文与天体物理跨大学中心）
The results of the broadband spectral and timing study of the recently discovered transient X-ray pulsar MAXI J0903-531 in a wide range of luminosities differing by a factor of ~30 are reported. The observed X-ray spectrum in both states can be described as a classical pulsar-like spectrum consisting of the power-law with the high-energy cutoff. We argue that absence of the spectrum transformation to the two-hump structure expected at low fluxes points to a relatively weak magnetic field of the neutron star below (2-3)$\times10^{12}$ G. This estimate is consistent with other indirect constrain…
Timing and Spectral Analysis of the 2024 Outburst of 2S 1553$-$542 with NuSTAR and NICER
University of Groningen（格罗宁根大学）；Wuhan University（武汉大学）；Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海天文台）；Guizhou Minzu University（贵州民族大学）
We report on the discovery by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J17591-2342, detecting coherent X-ray pulsations around 527.4 Hz (1.9 ms) with a clear Doppler modulation. This implies an orbital period of ~8.8 hours and a projected semi-major axis of ~1.23 lt-s. From the binary mass function, we estimate a minimum companion mass of 0.42 solar masses, obtained assuming a neutron star mass of 1.4 solar masses and an inclination angle lower than 60 degrees, as suggested by the…
The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) on the International Space Station (ISS) observed strong photospheric expansion of the neutron star in 4U 1820-30 during a Type I X-ray burst. A thermonuclear helium flash in the star's envelope powered a burst that reached the Eddington limit. Radiation pressure pushed the photosphere out to ~200 km, while the blackbody temperature dropped to 0.45 keV. Previous observations of similar bursts were performed with instruments that are sensitive only above 3 keV, and the burst signal was weak at low temperatures. NICER's 0.2-12 keV passband e…
We report results from the spectro-timing analysis of the atoll source 4U 1636$-$536 observed with NuSTAR and AstroSat during its hard spectral state. In three observations of 207 ks total exposure, we identify 31 thermonuclear X-ray bursts including five doublets and a triplet. Recurrence time as short as 3.8 minutes is seen in one of the doublets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest recurrence time known for this source. Our time-averaged spectroscopy during the bursts indicate the presence of an additional powerlaw or a blackbody component in a few cases, perhaps due to varyi…
We present a spectral analysis of NuSTAR and NICER observations of the luminous, persistently accreting neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary Cygnus X-2. The data were divided into different branches that the source traces out on the Z-track of the X-ray color-color diagram; namely the horizontal branch, normal branch, and the vertex between the two. The X-ray continuum spectrum was modeled in two different ways that produced a comparable quality fit. The spectra showed clear evidence of a reflection component in the form of a broadened Fe K line, as well as a lower energy emission feature n…
The prolific thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the outburst of the newly discovered millisecond pulsar MAXI~J1816--195 observed by Insight-HXMT and NICER
4U 1957+11 is a black hole candidate system that has been in a soft X-ray spectral state since its discovery. We present analyses of recent joint NICER and NuSTAR spectra, which are extremely well-described by a highly inclined disk accreting into a near maximally spinning black hole. Owing to the broad X-ray coverage of NuSTAR the fitted spin and inclination are strongly constrained for our hypothesized disk models. The faintest spectra are observed out to 20 keV, even though their hard tail components are almost absent when described with a simple corona. The hard tail increases with luminos…
Simultaneous NICER and NuSTAR Observations of the Neutron Star Low-mass X-ray Binary Serpens X-1
Wayne State University（韦恩州立大学）；University of Michigan（密歇根大学）；University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）；Space Sciences Lab, University of California, Berkeley（加州大学伯克利分校空间科学实验室）；Howard University（霍华德大学）；CRESST and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center（CRESST 和 NASA 戈达德太空飞行中心）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Utah Valley University（犹他山谷大学）
Revisiting the 2021 Outburst of the BHC MAXI J1803-298 Using NICER, NuSTAR, and Insight-HXMT Data
South-Western Institute for Astronomy Research, Yunnan University（西南天体物理研究所，云南大学）；Indian Center for Space Physics（印度空间物理中心）；Institute of Astronomy, National Tsing Hua University（国立清华大学天文研究所）
Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are often present in the X-ray flux from accreting stellar-mass black holes (BHs). If they are due to relativistic (Lense-Thirring) precession of an inner accretion flow which is misaligned with the disc, the iron emission line caused by irradiation of the disc by the inner flow will rock systematically between red and blue shifted during each QPO cycle. Here we conduct phase-resolved spectroscopy of a $\sim2.2$ Hz type-C QPO from the BH X-ray binary GRS 1915+105, observed simultaneously with NICER and NuSTAR. We apply a tomographic model in order to constrai…
We report for the first time below 1.5 keV, the detection of a secondary peak in an Eddington-limited thermonuclear X-ray burst observed by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) from the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1608-52. Our time-resolved spectroscopy of the burst is consistent with a model consisting of a varying-temperature blackbody, and an evolving persistent flux contribution, likely attributed to the accretion process. The dip in the burst intensity before the secondary peak is also visible in the bolometric flux. Prior to the dip, the blackbody temperature reached a max…
We present the first joint NuSTAR and NICER observations of the ultra-compact X-ray binary (UCXB) 4U 1543$-$624 obtained in 2020 April. The source was at a luminosity of $L_{0.5-50\ \mathrm{keV}} = 4.9 (D/7\ \mathrm{kpc})^{2}\times10^{36}$ ergs s$^{-1}$ and showed evidence of reflected emission in the form of an O VIII line, Fe K line, and Compton hump within the spectrum. We used a full reflection model, known as xillverCO, that is tailored for the atypical abundances found in UCXBs, to account for the reflected emission. We tested the emission radii of the O and Fe line components and conclu…
We present spectral and temporal properties of all the thermonuclear X-ray bursts observed from Aql X-1 by the Neutron Star Interior and Composition Explorer (NICER) between 2017 July and 2021 April. This is the first systematic investigation of a large sample of type I X-ray bursts from Aql X-1 with improved sensitivity at low energies. We detect 22 X-ray bursts including two short recurrence burst events in which the separation was only 451 s and 496 s. We perform time resolved spectroscopy of the bursts using the fixed and scaled background (f_a method) approaches. We show that the use of a…
Timing and Spectral Studies of PSR J2022+3842 with NICER and NuSTAR
Yunnan University（云南大学）；Nanjing Normal University（南京师范大学）；China West Normal University（西华师范大学）；Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院高能物理研究所）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
The neutron star low-mass X-ray binary SWIFT J1749.4-2807 is the only known eclipsing accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar. In this manuscript we perform a spectral characterization of the system throughout its 2021, two-week-long outburst, analyzing 11 NICER observations and quasi-simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR single observations at the outburst peak. The broadband spectrum is well-modeled with a black body component with a temperature of $\sim$0.6 keV, most likely consistent with a hot spot on the neutron star surface, and a Comptonisation spectrum with power-law index $Γ\sim 1.9$, arisin…
Observational evidence has been accumulating that thermonuclear X-ray bursts ignited on the surface of neutron stars influence the surrounding accretion flow. Here, we exploit the excellent sensitivity of NuSTAR up to 79 keV to analyze the impact of an X-ray burst on the accretion emission of the neutron star LMXB 4U 1608-52. The ~200 s long X-ray burst occurred during a hard X-ray spectral state, and had a peak intensity of ~30-50 per cent of the Eddington limit with no signs of photospheric radius expansion. Spectral analysis suggests that the accretion emission was enhanced up to a factor o…
Probing the emission geometry of the X-ray pulsar 2S 1417$-$624 during a weak outburst with NICER, IXPE, and NuSTAR
Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität Tübingen（蒂宾根大学天文与天体物理研究所）；Research Center of Astronomy, QingHai University（青海大学天文研究中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, QingHai University（青海大学物理与天文系）；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 Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）
We present a comprehensive spectral and temporal study of the black hole X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 during its outbursts in 2018 using Swift/XRT, NICER, NuSTAR and AstroSat observations. The Swift/XRT and NICER spectral study shows a plateau in the light curve with spectral softening (hardness changes from $\sim$ $2.5$ to $2$) followed by a gradual decline without spectral softening during the first outburst. Also, spectral modelling suggests that the first outburst is in the low/hard state throughout with a truncated disk whereas the thermal disk emission dominates during the second outbu…
We present observations of the historic transient 4U 1730-22 as observed with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). After remaining in quiescence since its 1972 discovery, this X-ray binary showed renewed outburst activity in 2021 and 2022. We observed 4U 1730-22 extensively with NICER, detecting a total of 17 thermonuclear X-ray bursts. From a spectroscopic analysis, we find that these X-ray bursts can be divided into a group of bright and weak bursts. All bright bursts showed $1\sim2$ second rise times and a photospheric radius expansion phase, while the weak bursts showed …
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 present the earliest available soft X-ray observations of XTE J1810-187, the prototypical transient magnetar, obtained 75--84 days after its 2018 outburst with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). Using a series of observations covering eight days we find that its decreasing X-ray flux is well-described by either a blackbody plus power-law or a two-blackbody spectral model. The 2-10 keV flux of the source varied from (1.206+/-0.007)x10^{-10} to (1.125+/-0.004)x10^{-10} erg s^{-1} cm^{-2}, a decrease of about 7% within our observations and 44% from that measured 7-14 days …
The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) has observed seven thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the Low Mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) neutron star 4U 1728-34 from the start of the mission's operations until February of 2019. Three of these bursts show oscillations in their decaying tail with frequencies that are within 1 Hz of the previously detected burst oscillations from this source. Two of these burst oscillations have unusual properties: They have large fractional rms amplitudes of $ 48 \pm 9 \%$ and $ 46 \pm 9 \%$, and they are detected only at photon energies above 6 keV. By contra…
Accretion disks around neutron stars regularly undergo sudden strong irradiation by Type I X-ray bursts powered by unstable thermonuclear burning on the stellar surface. We investigate the impact on the disk during one of the first X-ray burst observations with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) on the International Space Station. The burst is seen from Aql X-1 during the hard spectral state. In addition to thermal emission from the neutron star, the burst spectrum exhibits an excess of soft X-ray photons below 1 keV, where NICER's sensitivity peaks. We interpret the excess…
A few years after its discovery as a magnetar, SGR J1935+2154 started a new burst-active phase on 2020 April 27, accompanied by a large enhancement of its X-ray persistent emission. Radio single bursts were detected during this activation, strengthening the connection between magnetars and fast radio bursts. We report on the X-ray monitoring of SGR J1935+2154 from ~3 days prior to ~3 weeks after its reactivation, using Swift, NuSTAR, and NICER. We detected X-ray pulsations in the NICER and NuSTAR observations, and constrained the spin period derivative to |Pdot| < 3e-11 s/s (3 sigma c.l.). The…
