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NASA NTRS1976

Binary X-ray stars and supernovae of type I

Most of the strong galactic X-ray sources must be low-mass close binary systems, such as Her X-1 and Sco X-1. Two evolutionary scenarios are discussed, both involving type I supernovae that occur when mass-accreting white dwarfs are driven over their mass limit. In one, accepting the correctness of the idea that a neutron star or black hole is the seat of the X-ray emission, the SN occurs before the system is an X-ray source. Another possibility is that the white dwarf is the X-ray source, just prior to its collapse and the ensuing SN.

Gursky, H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The evolutionary status of 4U 1820-30

The evolution of an ultracompact binary wherein mass transfer is driven by the emission of gravitational radiation is calculated, emphasizing the systematic study of how the rate of change in orbital period depends on the various system parameters. Analytic scaling laws are derived describing how the mass of the secondary, the mass transfer rate, and the rate of change of period depend on the binary system parameters, and these simple relations are applied to the 4U 1820-30 system. Detailed numerical evolutionary calculations are performed utilizing Zapolsky-Salpeter (1969) models for cold stars, but allowing for the possibility that the secondary has not yet reached a completely degenerate configuration. The results are used to set significant constraints on the deviation from a completely degenerate configuration of the secondary, the systemic mass-loss parameters, and the mass of the neutron star in the 4U 1820-30 system.

Rappaport, S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Particle acceleration in pulsar magnetospheres

The structure of pulsar magnetospheres and the acceleration mechanism for charged particles in the magnetosphere was studied using a pulsar model which required large acceleration of the particles near the surface of the star. A theorem was developed which showed that particle acceleration cannot be expected when the angle between the magnetic field lines and the rotation axis is constant (e.g. radial field lines). If this angle is not constant, however, acceleration must occur. The more realistic model of an axisymmetric neutron star with a strong dipole magnetic field aligned with the rotation axis was investigated. In this case, acceleration occurred at large distances from the surface of the star. The magnitude of the current can be determined using the model presented. In the case of nonaxisymmetric systems, the acceleration is expected to occur nearer to the surface of the star.

Baker, K. B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Recent results on SN 1987A

The results from observational studies of SN 1987A are reviewed. The evolution of the blue supergiant pre-supernova star is examined, including the composition and core structure of the star and nitrogen enhancements. The study of heavy elements and isotopes in the ejecta is discussed. Also, consideration is given to possible mixing of supernova composition in velocity space, the profiles of observed IR lines and their red-shifted wings, and the question of what happened to the neutron star.

Woosley, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Discovery of a Second Luminous Low Mass X-Ray Binary System in the Globular Cluster M15

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory we have discovered a second bright X-ray source in the globular cluster M15 that is 2.7" to the west of AC211, the previously known low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) in this system. Prior to the 0.5" imaging capability of Chandra this second source could not have been resolved from AC211. The luminosity and spectrum of this new source, which we call M15-X2, are consistent with it also being a LMXB system. This is the first time that two LMXBs have been seen to be simultaneously active in a globular cluster. The new source, M15-X2, is coincident with a 18th U magnitude very blue star. The discovery of a second LMXB in M15 clears up a long standing puzzle where the X-ray and optical properties of AC211 appear consistent with the central source being hidden behind an accretion disk corona, and yet also showed a luminous X-ray burst suggesting the neutron star is directly visible. This discovery suggests instead that the X-ray burst did not come from AC211, but rather from the newly discovered X-ray source. We discuss the implications of this discovery for X-ray observations of globular clusters in nearby galaxies.

White, Nicholas E.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Planet Hunters TESS IV: A Massive, Compact Hierarchical Triple Star System TIC 470710327

We report the discovery and analysis of a massive, compact, hierarchical triple system (TIC 470710327) initially identified by citizen scientists in data obtained by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Spectroscopic follow-up observations obtained with the HERMES spectrograph, combined with eclipse-timing variations (ETVs), confirm that the system is comprised of three OB stars, with a compact 1.10 d eclipsing binary and a non-eclipsing tertiary on a 52.04 d orbit. Dynamical modelling of the system (from radial velocity and ETVs) reveal a rare configuration wherein the tertiary star (O9.5-B0.5V; 14–17 M ꙩ ) is more massive than the combined mass of the inner binary (10.9–13.2 M ꙩ ). Given the high mass of the tertiary, we predict that this system will undergo multiple phases of mass transfer in the future, and likely end up as a double neutron star gravitational wave progenitor or an exotic Thorne–Żytkow object. Further observational characterization of this system promises constraints on both formation scenarios of massive stars as well as their exotic evolutionary end-products.

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Hard apex transition in quasi-periodic oscillators - Closing of the accretion gap

We propose that the 'hard apex' transition in the X-ray two-color diagrams for low-mass X-ray binaries exhibiting quasi-periodic oscillation is associated with closure of a gap between the accretion disk and the star. At low accretion rates, gas crosses this gap intermittently. However, when the mass accretion rate increases, the disk thickens and its inner edge touches the star, thus forming a boundary layer through which the gas flows steadily. This explanation is viable provided that the equation of state of nuclear matter is not significantly harder than the Bethe-Johnson I prescription. Accretion gap scenarios are possibly distinguishable from models which invoke a small magnetosphere around the neutron star, in that they preclude large stellar magnetic fields and associate the high-frequency (horizontal-branch) oscillations with different sites.

Biehle, Garrett T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

High energy neutrino absorption and its effects on stars in close X-ray binaries

The physics and astrophysics of high energy neutrino production and interactions in close X-ray binary systems are studied. These studies were stimulated by recent observations of ultrahigh energy gamma-rays and possibly other ultrahigh energy particles coming from the directions of Cygnus X-3 and other binary systems and possessing the periodicity characteristics of these systems. Systems in which a compact object, such as a neutron star, is a strong source of high energy particles which, in turn, produce photons, neutronos and other secondary particles by interactions in the atmosphere of the companion star were considered. The highest energy neutrinos are absorbed deep in the companion and the associated energy deposition may be large enough to effect its structure or lead to its ultimate disruption. This neutrino heating was evaluated, starting with a detailed numerical calculation of the hadronic cascade induced in the atmosphere of the companion star. For some theoretical models, the resulting energy deposition from neutrino absorption may be so great as to disrupt the companion star over an astronomically small timescale of the order of 10,000 years. Even if the energy deposition is smaller, it may still be high enough to alter the system substantially, perhaps leading to quenching of high energy signals from the source. Given the cosmic ray luminosities required to produce the observed gamma rays from cygnus X-3 and LMX X-4, such a situation may occur in these sources.

Gaisser, T. K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Hidden slow pulsars in binaries

The recent discovery of the binary containing the slow pulsar PSR 1718-19 orbiting around a low-mass companion star adds new light on the characteristics of binary pulsars. The properties of the radio eclipses of PSR 1718-19 are the most striking observational characteristics of this system. The surface of the companion star produces a mass outflow which leaves only a small 'window' in orbital phase for the detection of PSR 1718-19 around 400 MHz. At this observing frequency, PSR 1718-19 is clearly observable only for about 1 hr out of the total 6.2 hr orbital period. The aim of this Letter is twofold: (1) to model the hydrodynamical behavior of the eclipsing material from the companion star of PSR 1718-19 and (2) to argue that a population of binary slow pulsars might have escaped detection in pulsar surveys carried out at 400 MHz. The possible existence of a population of partially or totally hidden slow pulsars in binaries will have a strong impact on current theories of binary evolution of neutron stars.

Tavani, Marco↗
NASA NTRS1986

IUE observations of V Sagittae

Observations of the nova-like variable V Sge are discussed, and the ground-based light curve is analyzed, compensating for the component interaction effect. Low-dispersion IUE spectra indicate that interstellar reddening is smaller than suggested from visible-band observations. The UV and visible continuum are modeled by a He-rich model and by a simple accretion disk, and the UV spectrum emission lines are used to determine ionization temperatures and a lower N(e) limit. The present data are consistent with the picture of the companion to the He star being embedded in an accretion disk, with the disk being large (of dimension comparable to that of the embedding Roche lobe as a result of vigorous mass transfer) at the time of the ground-based data, and with the disk having been diminished to a radius of the order of 200 times of the neutron star, at the time of the IUE spectra.

Koch, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Space Science Reference Guide, 2nd Edition

This Edition contains the following reports: GRACE: Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment; Impact Craters in the Solar System; 1997 Apparition of Comet Hale-Bopp Historical Comet Observations; Baby Stars in Orion Solve Solar System Mystery; The Center of the Galaxy; The First Rock in the Solar System; Fun Times with Cosmic Rays; The Gamma-Ray Burst Next Door; The Genesis Mission: An Overview; The Genesis Solar Wind Sample Return Mission; How to Build a Supermassive Black Hole; Journey to the Center of a Neutron Star; Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion; The Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud ; Mapping the Baby Universe; More Hidden Black Hole Dangers; A Polarized Universe; Presolar Grains of Star Dust: Astronomy Studied with Microscopes; Ring Around the Black Hole; Searching Antarctic Ice for Meteorites; The Sun; Astrobiology: The Search for Life in the Universe; Europa and Titan: Oceans in the Outer Solar System?; Rules for Identifying Ancient Life; Inspire ; Remote Sensing; What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum? What is Infrared? How was the Infrared Discovered?; Brief History of Gyroscopes ; Genesis Discovery Mission: Science Canister Processing at JSC; Genesis Solar-Wind Sample Return Mission: The Materials ; ICESat: Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite ICESat: Ice, Cloud, and Land; Elevation Satellite ICESat: Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite ICESat: Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite ICESat: Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite Measuring Temperature Reading; The Optical Telescope ; Space Instruments General Considerations; Damage by Impact: The Case at Meteor Crater, Arizona; Mercury Unveiled; New Data, New Ideas, and Lively Debate about Mercury; Origin of the Earth and Moon; Space Weather: The Invisible Foe; Uranus, Neptune, and the Mountains of the Moon; Dirty Ice on Mars; For a Cup of Water on Mars; Life on Mars?; The Martian Interior; Meteorites from Mars, Rocks from Canada; Organic Compounds in Martian Meteorites May be Terrestrial Contaminants; Bands on Europa;Big Mountain, Big Landslide on Jupiter's Moon, Io; Cratering of the Moon; Europa's Salty Surface; The Europa Scene in the Voyager-Galileo Era; Explosive Volcanic Eruptions on the Moon; Ice on the Bone Dry Moon; Jupiter's Hot, Mushy Moon; The Moon Beyond 2002 ; Phases of the Moon; The Ph-D Project: Manned Expedition to the Moons of Mars; and Possible Life in a Europan Ocean.

Dotson, Renee↗
NASA NTRS1997

On the Dramatic Spin-up/Spin-Down Torque Reversals in Accreting Pulsars

Dramatic torque reversals between spin-up and spin-down have been observed in half of the persistent X-ray pulsars monitored by the Burst and Transient Space Experiment (BATSE) all-sky monitor on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Theoretical models developed to explain early pulsar timing data can explain spin-down torques via a disk-magnetosphere interaction if the star nearly corotates with the inner accretion disk. To produce the observed BATSE torque reversals, however, these equilibrium models require the disk to alternate between two mass accretion rates, with M+/- producing accretion torques of similar magnitude but always of opposite sign. Moreover, in at least one pulsar (GX 1+4) undergoing secular spin-down, the neutron star spins down faster during brief (approximately 20 day) hard X-ray flares-this is opposite the correlation expected from standard theory, assuming that BATSE pulsed flux increases with mass accretion rate. The 10 day to 10 yr intervals between torque reversals in these systems are much longer than any characteristic magnetic or viscous timescale near the inner disk boundary and are more suggestive of a global disk phenomenon. We discuss possible explanations of the observed torque behavior. Despite the preferred sense of rotation defined by the binary orbit, the BATSE observations are surprisingly consistent with an earlier suggestion for GX 1+4: the disks in these systems somehow alternate between episodes of prograde and retrograde rotation. We are unaware of any mechanism that could produce a stable retrograde disk in a binary undergoing Roche lobe overflow, but such flip-flop behavior does occur in numerical simulations of wind-fed systems. One possibility is that the disks in some of these binaries are fed by an X-ray-excited wind.

Nelson, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evolution of wide binary millisecond pulsars in globular clusters

The evolution of a binary radio pulsar in a wide orbit about a low-mass degenerate dwarf companion in a globular cluster environment is investigated. An extensive series of numerical scattering experiments is used to study encounters between such a pulsar and passing cluster field stars. A wide range of initial orbital periods from 3 to 1000 days is considered with a corresponding range of masses for the degenerate dwarf companions. The calculative results are summarized in the form of scattering cross sections. In particular, cross sections are presented for three final 'channels' in which the end product of the encounter is an isolated neutron star. Cross sections for inducing various orbital eccentricities into initially circular orbits are also derived. The implications of the results for the formation of the single millisecond pulsars in M28 and M15 and for the nearly circular obit of the M4 binary radio pulsar are discussed.

Rappaport, S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

ROSAT observations of the binary Be-star and radio pulsar PSR1259-63

This report discusses the ROSAT guest investigator program for the project 'ROSAT Observations of the Binary Be-star/Radio Pulsar PSR1259-63'. Work was done on this, and a previous grant entitled ROSAT Observations of MXB 1659-29 and EXO 0748-676 during this reporting period. A theory paper was written which proposes a new model to explain the X-ray emission from PSR 1259-63, in which the effects of accretion onto the magnetosphere of the neutron star, rather than onto the light cylinder which is conventionally assumed, is calculated. This approach works well to explain the apastron observations noted earlier. A statistical analysis of the eclipses from EXO0748-676 is also described.

Cominsky, Lynn R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Soft X-ray observations of the interacting galaxies NGC 1808 and NGC 1792

The soft X-ray emission from both galaxies NGC 1808 and NGC 1792, which we investigated using the ROSAT HRI and Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC), comes most probably from X-ray binaries and/or from hot ionized gas in powerful supernovae and supernova remnants. The distribution of the soft X-ray emission in NGC 1808, which is very well correlated with the distribution of 'radio knots' in the central starburst, suggests that hot gas dominates the emission in the ROSAT band. This is consistent with the results of PSPC observations by Junkes et al. The total soft X-ray luminosity in the ROSAT band of NGC 1808 of 1.2 x 10(exp 41) ergs/s is relatively high compared with other nearby starburst galaxies. Soft X-ray emission of diffuse hot ionized gas that is associated with the outflow traced by the conspicuous dust filaments protruding from the plane has been detected. Its luminosity in the ROSAT band is greater than or equal to 3 x 10(exp 39) ergs/s, i.e., several percent of the total soft X-ray luminosity. Thus, NGC 1808 is another example for a 'superwind' galaxy. The soft X-ray radiation from NGC 1792 is more likely to be dominated by a population of high-mass X-ray binaries or young powerful supernovae which are associated with the high-level star formation going on in the very prominent H II regions along its spiral arms, with possibly an additional contribution of diffuse hot ionized gas. The soft X-ray luminosities of individual sources lie in the range of 5 x 10(exp 38) to 2.7 x 10(exp 39) ergs/s, thus exceeding by far the Eddington luminosity of an accreting neutron star. The peaks of some of these soft X-ray luminous sources are offset with respect to the H II regions by a few hundred parsecs. Accordingly, if the soft X-ray sources should originate from the H II regions, their relative velocities with respect to the ambient medium have to be as high as approximately 100 km/s.

Dahlem, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2021

A Dusty Veil Shading Betelgeuse During Its Great Dimming

Red supergiants are the most common final evolutionary stage of stars that have initial masses between 8 and 35 times that of the Sun. During this stage, which lasts roughly 100,000 years, red supergiants experience substantial mass loss. However, the mechanism for this mass loss is unknown. Mass loss may affect the evolutionary path, collapse and future supernova light curve of a red supergiant, and its ultimate fate as either a neutron star or a black hole. From November 2019 to March 2020, Betelgeuse—the second-closest red supergiant to Earth (roughly 220 parsecs, or 724 light years, away)—experienced a historic dimming of its visible brightness. Usually having an apparent magnitude between 0.1 and 1.0, its visual brightness decreased to 1.614 ± 0.008 magnitudes around 7–13 February 2020—an event referred to as Betelgeuse’s Great Dimming. Here we report high-angular-resolution observations showing that the southern hemisphere of Betelgeuse was ten times darker than usual in the visible spectrum during its Great Dimming. Observations and modelling support a scenario in which a dust clump formed recently in the vicinity of the star, owing to a local temperature decrease in a cool patch that appeared on the photosphere. The directly imaged brightness variations of Betelgeuse evolved on a timescale of weeks. Our findings suggest that a component of mass loss from red supergiants is inhomogeneous, linked to a very contrasted and rapidly changing photosphere.

Time-domain astronomy↗
NASA NTRS1981

Globular cluster winds with central accretion by a massive compact object or subcluster

Steady-state isothermal wind flows are computed with accretion by a central mass concentration in spherically symmetric systems of gas-losing stars. Solutions are uniquely determined by two dimensionless parameters lambda and m, where lambda is approximately equal to the square of the ratio of the central escape velocity to the sound speed and m is approximately equal to the ratio of the central point mass to the cluster core mass. The models are applied to globular clusters for two types of central mass concentration - a single massive black hole and a subcluster of massive stars. A hard (greater than a keV) X-ray source due to a central black hole fed by clusterwide inflow does not provide a consistent model for globular cluster X-ray sources. However, in the case of hot (T being greater than or approximately equal to 2 x 10 to the 5th K) winds, gas trapping by a central subcluster of neutron stars or of binaries containing white dwarfs could explain recent UV and H-alpha observations. Similar applications to elliptical galaxies are discussed.

Durisen, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Accretion torques in X-ray pulsars

An analysis of the accretion process in an X-ray pulsar, whereby angular momentum is transferred to the star and its rotation period is changed, is presented, and an expression for the fractional rate of change of the pulse period in terms of X-ray luminosity and other star parameters is derived. It is shown that observed characteristic spin-up time scales for seven X-ray pulsars strongly support the view that in every source (1) the pulse period reflects the rotation period of a compact object, (2) the accretion is mediated by a disk surrounding the compact object and rotating in the same sense, and (3) the compact object is a neutron star rather than a white dwarf.

Rappaport, S.↗