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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

The Effect of Changes in the ASCA Calibration on the Fe-K Lines in Active Galaxies

The ASCA calibration has evolved considerably since launch and indeed, is still evolving. There have been concerns in the literature that changes in the ASCA calibration have resulted in the Fe-K lines in active galaxies (AGN) now being systematically narrower than was originally thought. If this were true, a large body of ASCA results would be impacted. In particular, it has been claimed that the broad red wing (when present) of the Fe-K line has been considerably weakened by changes in the ASCA calibration. We demonstrate explicitly that changes in the, ASCA calibration over a period of about eight years have a negligible effect on the width, strength, or shape of the Fe-K lines. The reduction in both width and equivalent width is only approximately 8% or less. We confirm this with simulations and individual sources, as well as sample average profiles. The average profile for type 1 AGN is still very broad, with the red wing extending down to approximately 4 keV. The reason for the claimed, apparently large, discrepancies is that in some sources the Fe-K line is complex, and a single-Gaussian model, being an inadequate description of the line profile, picks up different portions of the profile with different calibration. However, one cannot make inferences about calibration or astrophysics of the sources using models which do not describe the data. Better modeling of the Fe-K in such cases gives completely consistent results with both old and current calibration. Thus, inadequate modeling of the Fe-K line in these sources can seriously underestimate the line width and equivalent width, and therefore lead to incorrect deductions about the astrophysical implications.

Yaqoob, T.↗
NASA NTRS2002

No Compton Reflection In a Chandra/RXTE Observation of Mkn 509: Implications for the Fe-K Line Emission From Accreting X-Ray Sources

We report the results of simultaneous Chandra and RXTE observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mkn 509. We deconvolve the broad and narrow Fe-K emission-line components for which we measure rest-frame equivalent widths of 119+/-18 eV and 57+/-13 eV respectively. The broad line has a FWHM of 57,600((sup 14,400)(sub -21,000)) km/s and the narrow line is unresolved, with an upper limit on the FWHM of 4,940 km/s. Both components must originate in cool matter since we measure rest-frame center energies of 6.36((sup +0.13)(sub -0.12)) keV and 6.42+/-0.01 keV for the broad and narrow line respectively. This rules out He-like and H-like Fe for the origin of both the broad and narrow lines. If, as is widely accepted, the broad Fe-K line originates in Thomson-thick matter (such as an accretion disk), then one expects to observe spectral curvature above approximately 10 keV, (commensurate with the observed broad line), characteristic of the Compton-reflection continuum. However our data sets very stringent limits on deviations of the observed continuum from a power law. Light travel-time delays cannot be invoked to explain anomalies in the relative strengths of the broad Ferry line and Compton-reflection continuum since they are supposed to originate in the same physical location. We are forced to conclude that both the broad and narrow Fe-K lines had to originate in Thomson-thin matter during our observation. This result, for a single observation of just one source, means that our understanding of Fe K line emission and Compton reflection from accreting X-ray sources in general needs to be re-examined. For example, if an irradiated accretion disk existed in Mkn 509 at the time of the observations, the lack of spectral curvature above approximately 10 keV suggests two possibilities. Either the disk was Thomson-thick and highly ionized, having negligible Fe-K line emission and photoelectric absorption or the disk was Thomson-thin producing some or all of the broad Fe-K line emission. In the former case, the broad Fe-K line had to have produced in a Thomson-thin region elsewhere. In both cases the predicted spectral curvature above approximately 10 keV is negligible. An additional implication of our results is that any putative obscuring torus in the system, required by unification models of active galaxies, must also be Thomson-thin. The same applies to the optical broad line region (BLR) if it has a substantial covering factor.

Yaqoob, Tahir↗
NASA NTRS2004

RXTE, Chandra, and XMM Spectroscopy of the Fe-K Lines and Compton Reflection in Type 1 AGN

This award pertains to an RXTE observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy Akn 120. The purpose of the observation was to measure the Fe-K emission line and the Compton reflection continuum with RXTE, simultaneously with Chandra and XMM. Such measurements can severely constrain accretion disk models of the central engine since the Fe-K line emission and Compton reflection are intimately related in terms of the physics of X-ray reprocessing in optically-thick matter. Akn 120 was selected for this study because it is amongst the brightest AGN in its class and has a particularly strong and apparently broad Fe-K emission line. The results could then also be used to lay the ground work for even higher resolution studies with Astro-E2. Unfortunately, the Chandra observation was not performed but a contemporaneous XMM observation was performed by another group of researchers. Those data recently became public and can be compared with the RXTE data. In addition, non-contemporaneous observations with other missions do still provide additional important constraints (for example any non-varying line or continuum emission components can be established and used to reject or preserve various model scenarios). We analyzed the RXTE data and found a strong Fe-K emission line (resolved even with the poor resolution of RXTE), and a strong Compton-reflection continuum (see Fig. l(a)). We found that the results of archival ASCA data on Akn 120 had not been published in the literature so we analyzed the ASCA data too, in order to compare with the new RXTE data. Fig. l(b) shows that the ASCA data also reveal a strong, broad FeK emission line (but the data are not sensitive to the Compton-reflection continuum). We compared our spectral fitting results for the RXTE and ASCA data with the results from XMM and from previous RXTE observations.

Yaqoob, Tahir↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Highly Doppler Blueshifted Fe-K Emission Line in the High-Redshift QSO PKS 2149-306

We report the results from an ASCA observation of the high-luminosity, radioloud quasar PKS 2149-306 (redshift 2.345), covering the approximately 1.7 - 30 keV band in the quasar-frame. We find the source to have a luminosity of approximately 6 x 10(exp 47) ergs/s in the 2 - 10 keV band (quasar frame). We detect an emission line centered at approximately 17 keV in the quasar frame. Line emission at this energy has not been observed in any other active galaxy or quasar to date. We present evidence rejecting the possibility that this line is the result of instrumental artifacts, or a serendipitous source. The most likely explanation is blueshifted Fe-K emission (the equivalent width, is EW approximately 300 +/- 200 eV, quasar frame). Bulk velocities of the order of 0.75c are implied by the data. We show that Fe-K line photons originating in an accretion disk and Compton-scattering off a leptonic jet aligned along the disk axis can account for the emission line. Curiously. if the emission-line feature recently discovered in another quasar (PKS 0637-752, z = 0.654) at 1.6 keV in the quasar frame, is due to blueshifted OVII emission, the Doppler blueshifting factor in both quasars is similar (approximately 2.7 - 2.8).

Yaqoob, Tahir↗
DOE OSTI2026

Energy shift of Fe-K fluorescence lines due to low ionization demonstrated with XRISM in Centaurus X-3

The Fe K$\alpha$ fluorescence line at 6.4 keV is a powerful probe of cold matter surrounding X-ray sources and has been widely used in various astrophysical contexts. The X-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer onboard XRISM can measure line shifts with unprecedented precision of ${\sim }$0.2 eV, equivalent to a line-of-sight velocity of ${\sim }$10 km s$^{-1}$. At this level of accuracy, however, several factors that influence the line energy must be carefully considered prior to astrophysical interpretation. One such important factor is the ionization degree, Fe$^{q+}$. The K$\alpha$ line shifts redward by ${\sim }$4 eV as q increases from 0 (neutral) to 8 (Ar-like). Additionally, the accompanying Fe K$\beta$ line at 7.06 keV shifts blueward by ${\sim }$30 eV from $q=0$ to 8. We demonstrate that this effect is actually observable in the XRISM data of the high-mass X-ray binary Centaurus X-3 (Cen X-3). We advocate that the differential energy shift between the K$\alpha$ and K$\beta$ line provides a robust estimate of q by decoupling from other effects that shift the two lines in the same direction. We derived $q \sim 5$ (Sc-like) for the fluorescing matter by comparing the observation with atomic structure calculations of our own and in the literature. By accounting for the derived charge state and the corresponding shift in the rest-frame line energy, we made corrections for this effect and reached a consistent residual shift among the K$\alpha$, K$\beta$, and the optical measurement attributable to the systemic velocity of the system. Consequently, we obtained a new constraint on the location of the cold matter. This ionization effect needs to be assessed in all use cases of the Fe K$\alpha$ line shift beyond Cen X-3, and the proposed metric is generally applicable to all of them.

Astronomy and AstroPhysics↗
NASA NTRS2001

The X-Ray Baldwin Effect: Z = 2 FE-K and Compton Humps As Ionized Disk Diagnostics

I have received one data set of XMM-Newton data. I visited the Leicester University XMM Survey Science Center during the past year in order to learn about XMM status and data analysis. The observation for this program was performed early this summer and the data delivered in late July. Data analysis can now begin.

Elvis, Martin↗
NASA NTRS2003

The X-Ray Baldwin Effect: Z = 2 Fe-K and Compton Humps as Ionized Disk Diagnostics

Work on this project is almost complete. A final trip to the XMM Survey Science Center at the University of Leicester is being undertaken to ensure that the with Prof. A. King on theoretical implications in the context of his super- Eddington wind model for AGNs, that has just been published on astro-ph. The wind model we developed has led to a paper being submitted to ApJ. The referee's response requires some care, and so the PI will be visiting Dr. Guido Risaliti, with whom he developed the code, at the Arcetri Observatory, Italy, during the above trip.

Mushotzky, Richard F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Iron K Features in the Quasar E 1821+643: Evidence for Gravitationally Redshifted Absorption?

We report a Chandra high-energy grating detection of a narrow, redshifted absorption line superimposed on the red wing of a broad Fe K line in the z = 0.297 quasar E 1821+643. The absorption line is detected at a confidence level, estimated by two different methods, in the range approx. 2 - 3 sigma. Although the detection significance is not high enough to exclude a non-astrophysical origin, accounting for the absorption feature when modeling the X-ray spectrum implies that the Fe-K emission line is broad, and consistent with an origin in a relativistic accretion disk. Ignoring the apparent absorption feature leads to the conclusion that the Fe-K emission line is narrower, and also affects the inferred peak energy of the line (and hence the inferred ionization state of Fe). If the absorption line (at approx. 6.2 keV in the quasar frame) is real, we argue that it could be due to gravitationally redshifted Fe XXV or Fe XXVI resonance absorption within approx. 10 - 20 gravitational radii of the putative central black hole. The absorption line is not detected in earlier ASCA and Chandra low-energy grating observations, but the absorption line is not unequivocally ruled out by these data. The Chandra high-energy grating Fe-K emission line is consistent with an origin predominantly in Fe I-XVII or so. In an ASCA observation eight years earlier, the Fe-K line peaked at approx. 6.6 keV, closer to the energies of He-like Fe triplet lines. Further, in a Chandra low-energy grating observation the Fe-K line profile was double-peaked, one peak corresponding to Fe I-XVII or so, the other peak to Fe XXVI Ly alpha. Such a wide range in ionization state of Fe is not ruled out by the HEG and ASCA data either, and is suggestive of a complex structure for the line-emitter.

Yaqoob, Tahir↗
NASA NTRS2007

A Suzaku Observation of the Neutral Fe-line Emission from RCW 86

The newly operational X-ray satellite Suzaku observed the supernova remnant (SNR) RCW 86 in February 2006 to study the nature of the 6.4 keV emission line first detected with the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astronomy (ASCA). The new data confirms the existence of the line, localizing it for the first time inside a low temperature emission region and not at the locus of the continuum hard X-ray emission. We also report the first detection of a 7.1 keV line that we interpret as the K(beta) emission from neutral or low-ionized iron. The Fe-K line features are consistent with a non-equilibrium plasma of Fe-rich ejecta with n(sub e) less than or approx. equal to 10(exp 9)/cu cm s and kT(sub e) > 1 keV. We found a sign that Fe K(alpha) line is intrinsically broadened 47 (35-57) eV (99% error region). Cr-K line is also marginally detected, which is supporting the ejecta origin for the Fe-K line. By showing that the hard continuum above 3 keV has different spatial distribution from the Fe-K line, we confirmed it to be synchrotron X-ray emission.

Ueno, Masaru↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Astro-E High Resolution X-Ray Spectrometer

The Astro-E High Resolution X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) was developed jointly by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Japan. The instrument is based on a new approach to spectroscopy, the X-ray microcalorimeter. This device senses the energies of individual X-ray photons as heat with extreme precision. A 32 channel array of microcalorimeters is being employed, each with an energy resolution of about 12 eV at 6 keV (the Fe-K region). This will provide spectral resolving power 10 times higher than any other non-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The instrument incorporates a three stage cooling system capable of operating the array at 60 mK for about two years in orbit. The array sits at the focus of a grazing incidence conical mirror. The quantum efficiency of the microcalorimeters and the reflectivity of the X-ray mirror system combine to give high throughput over the 0.3-12 keV energy band. This new capability will enable the study of a wide range of high-energy astrophysical sources with unprecedented spectral sensitivity. This paper presents the basic design requirements and implementation of the XRS, and also describes the instrument parameters and performance.

Kelley, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Studying the Iron Line Complex in the Bright Seyfert Galaxy NGC 5506

This grant was to support the reduction and analysis of our approved XMM observation of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 5506. The observation has been carried out simultaneously with a BeppoSAX observation of the same source. The proposal was aimed to study in detail the Compton reflection component and the complex Iron K line of this source, combining the still unique capability of BeppoSAX in hard X-rays (to strongly constrain the reflection component, and then the intrinsic nuclear continuum), and the sensitivity of XMM at the energy of the Iron Line complex. NGC 5506 is one of the brightest AGN in hard X-rays and has been intensively studied in the past. GINGA detected the complex iron line as well as the reflection component. Both ASCA (spectroscopically) and Rossi-XTE (through variability analysis) suggested that the FeK line is complex, possibly made up of several distinct components. The centroid of the FeK complex in a subsequent BeppoSAX observation was bluer than the 6.4 keV energy of the relatively low-ionization iron Kalpha transition. NGC 5506 has been observed simultaneously by NewtonXMM and BeppoSAX on February 2-3 2001. we have reduced and analyzed both the NewtonXMM and the BeppoSAX data, and have written and published a paper on our results (appeared in Volume 377 (page 31) of A&A-Letters). Our main results can be summarized as follows: (a) we confirm that the FeK line is complex, and for the first time disentangle its components: we find that at least two components made up the FeK complex, one neutral and narrow, at 6.4 keV (rest energy), and another one either broader and highly ionized, at about 6.7 keV (rest frame), or, in turn, made up of two narrow and unresolved components from the He-like and the H-like ions of Fe; (b) the two possible solution for the high-ionization Fe-K component, are statistically indistinguishable. However, physically, a blend of two narrow lines from photoionized matter seems to be preferable to emission of a relativistically broadened line from an ionized accretion disk; (c) The bulk of the Compton reflection continuum originates in neutral matter, and is therefore associated with the narrow FeK line at 6.4 keV: they are most likely emitted by distant matter.

Nicastro, Fabrizio↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Sombrero: An Edge-On Spiral: Halo Dynamics, A Massive Dark Object and XRBS

We present an analysis of the XMM-Newton and Chandra ACIS-S observations of the LINER nucleus of the Sombrero galaxy and we discuss possible explanations for its very sub-Eddington luminosity by complementing the X-ray results with high angular resolution observations in other bands. The X-ray investigation shows a hard (Gamma=1.89) and moderately absorbed ( N(sub H) = 1.8 x l0(exp 21)/sq cm) nuclear source of 1.5 x l0(exp 40) erg/s in the 2-10 keV band, surrounded by hot gas at a temperature of approx. 0.6 keV. The bolometric nuclear luminosity is at least approx. 200 times lower than expected if mass accreted on the supermassive black hole, that HST shows to reside at the center of this galaxy, at the rate predicted by the spherical and adiabatic Bondi accretion theory and with the high radiative efficiency of a standard accretion disc. The low luminosity, coupled to the observed absence of Fe-K emission in the nuclear spectrum, indicates that such a disc is not present. This nucleus differs from bright unobscured AGNs also for the lack of high flux variability and of prominent broad Halpha emission. However, it is also too faint for the predictions of simple radiatively inefficient accretion taking place at the Bondi rate; it could be too radio bright, instead, for radiatively inefficient accretion that includes strong mass outflows or convection. This discrepancy could be solved by the possible presence of nuclear radio jets. An alternative explanation of the low luminosity, in place of radiative inefficiency, could be unsteady accretion.

Mushotzky, Richard F.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Chandra Observation of the Core of the Galaxy Cluster AWM 7

We present results from a Chandra observation of the core region of the nearby X-ray bright galaxy cluster AWM 7. There are blob-like substructures, which are seen in the energy band 2-10 keV, within 10 kpc (20") of the cD galaxy NGC 1129, and the brightest sub-peak has a spatial extent more than 4 kpc. We also notice that the central soft X-ray peak is offset from the optical center by 1.3 kpc. These structures have no correlated features in optical, infrared, or radio band. Energy spectrum of the hard sub-peak indicates a temperature higher than 3 keV with a metallicity less than 0.3 solar, or a power-law spectrum with photon index approximately 1.2. A hardness ratio map and a narrow Fe-K band image jointly indicate two Fe-rich blobs symmetrically located around the cD galaxy, with the direction perpendicular to the sub-peak direction. In larger scales (r less than 60 kpc), the temperature gradually drops from 4 keV to 2 keV toward the cluster center and the metal abundance rises steeply to a peak of 1.5 solar at r approximately equal to 7 kpc. These results indicate that a dynamical process is going on in the central region of AWM 7, which probably creates heated gas blobs and drives metal injection.

Furusho, T.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Astro-E2 Mission

The Astro-E2 observatory is a rebuild of the original Astro-E observatory that was lost during launch in February 2000. It is scheduled for launch into low earth orbit on a Japanese M-V rocket in early 2005. The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is developing the observatory with major contributions from the US. The three instruments on the observatory are the high-resolution x-ray spectrometer (the XRS) featuring a 30-pixel x-ray microcalorimeter array, a set of four CCD cameras (the XIS) and a combination photo-diode/scintillator detector system (the HXD) that will extend the band pass up to nearly 700 keV. A significant feature of Astro-E2 is that all of the instruments are coaligned and operated simultaneously. With its high spectral resolution and collecting area for spectroscopy above 1 keV, Astro-E2 should enable major discovery space and pioneer new technology for use in space. Prime areas for investigation are supernova remnants, active galaxies and the measurement of black hole properties via relativistically-broadened Fe-K emission galaxies. A number of enhancements have been made for the Astro-E2/XRS, including a higher resolution microcalorimeter array, ii mechanical cooler for longer cryogen life, and an improved in-flight calibration system. The Astro-E2/XIS has also been improved to include two back-side-illuminated CCDs to enhance the low energy response. Improvements have also been made to the x-ray mirrors used for both the XRS and XIS to sharpen the point spread function and reduce the effects of stray light. In this talk we will present the essential features of Astro-E2, paying particular attention to the enhancements, and describe the major scientific strengths of the observatory.

Kelley, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

ART: Surveying the Local Universe at 2-11 keV

The Astronomical Rontgen Telescope (ART) is a medium-energy x-ray telescope system proposed for the Russian-led mission Spectrum Rontgen-Gamma (SRG). Optimized for performance over the 2-11-keV band, ART complements the softer response of the SRG prime instrument-the German eROSITA x-ray telescope system. The anticipated number of ART detections is 50,000-with 1,000 heavily-obscured (N(sub H)> 3x10(exp 23)/sq cm) AGN-in the SRG 4-year all-sky survey, plus a comparable number in deeper wide-field (500 deg(sup 2) total) surveys. ART's surveys will provide a minimally-biased, nearly-complete census of the local Universe in the medium-energy x-ray band (including Fe-K lines), at CCD spectral resolution. During long (approx.100-ks) pointed observations, ART can obtain statistically significant spectral data up to about 15 keY for bright sources and medium-energy x-ray continuum and Fe-K-line spectra of AGN detected with the contemporaneous NuSTAR hard-x-ray mission.

O'Dell, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

X-Ray Calorimeter Arrays for Astrophysics

High-resolution x-ray spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying the evolving universe. The grating spectrometers on the XMM and Chandra satellites started a new era in x-ray astronomy, but there remains a need for instrumentation that can provide higher spectral resolution with high throughput in the Fe-K band (around 6 keV) and can enable imaging spectroscopy of extended sources, such as supernova remnants and galaxy clusters. The instrumentation needed is a broad-band imaging spectrometer - basically an x-ray camera that can distinguish tens of thousands of x-ray colors. The potential benefits to astrophysics of using a low-temperature calorimeter to determine the energy of an incident x-ray photon via measurement of a small change in temperature was first articulated by S. H. Moseley over two decades ago. In the time since, technological progress has been steady, though full realization in an orbiting x-ray telescope is still awaited. A low-temperature calorimeter can be characterized by the type of thermometer it uses, and three types presently dominate the field. The first two types are temperature-sensitive resistors - semiconductors in the metal-insulator transition and superconductors operated in the superconducting-normal transition. The third type uses a paramagnetic thermometer. These types can be considered the three generations of x-ray calorimeters; by now each has demonstrated a resolving power of 2000 at 6 keV, but only a semiconductor calorimeter system has been developed to spaceflight readiness. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer on Astro-H, expected to launch in 2013, will use an array of silicon thermistors with I-IgTe x-ray absorbers that will operate at 50 mK. Both the semiconductor and superconductor calorimeters have been implemented in small arrays, kilo-pixel arrays of the superconducting calorimeters are just now being produced, and it is anticipated that much larger arrays will require the non-dissipative advantage of magnetic thermometers.

Kilbourne, Caroline A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

An Overview of High-Resolution, Non-Dispersive, Imaging Spectrometers for High-Energy Photons

High-resolution x-ray spectroscopy has become a powerful tool for studying the evolving universe. The grating spectrometers on the XMM and Chandra satellites initiated a new era in x-ray astronomy. Despite their successes, there is still need for instrumentation that can provide higher spectral resolution with high throughput in the Fe-K band and for extended sources. What is needed is a non-dispersive imaging spectrometer - essentially a 14-bit x-ray color camera. And a requirement for a nondispersive spectrometer designed to provide eV-scale spectral resolution is a temperature below 0.1 K. The required spectral resolution and the constraints of thermodynamics and engineering dictate the temperature regime nearly independently of the details of the sensor or the read-out technology. Low-temperature spectrometers can be divided into two classes - - equilibrium and non-equilibrium. In the equilibrium devices, or calorimeters, the energy is deposited in an isolated thermal mass and the resulting increase in temperature is measured. In the non-equilibrium devices, the absorbed energy produces quantized excitations that are counted to determine the energy. The two approaches have different strong points, and within each class a variety of optimizations have been pursued. I will present the basic fundamentals of operation and the details of the most successful device designs to date. I will also discuss how the measurement priorities (resolution, energy band, count rate) influence the optimal choice of detector technology.

Kilbourne, Caroline↗
NASA NTRS2014

Spectral and Timing Nature of the Symbiotic X-Ray Binary 4U 1954+319: The Slowest Rotating Neutron Star in AN X-Ray Binary System

The symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) 4U 1954+319 is a rare system hosting a peculiar neutron star (NS) and an M-type optical companion. Its approx. 5.4 hr NS spin period is the longest among all known accretion-powered pulsars and exhibited large (is approx. 7%) fluctuations over 8 yr. A spin trend transition was detected with Swift/BAT around an X-ray brightening in 2012. The source was in quiescent and bright states before and after this outburst based on 60 ks Suzaku observations in 2011 and 2012. The observed continuum is well described by a Comptonized model with the addition of a narrow 6.4 keV Fe-K alpha line during the outburst. Spectral similarities to slowly rotating pulsars in high-mass X-ray binaries, its high pulsed fraction (approx. 60%-80%), and the location in the Corbet diagram favor high B-field (approx. greater than 10(exp12) G) over a weak field as in low-mass X-ray binaries. The observed low X-ray luminosity (10(exp33)-10(exp35) erg s(exp−1)), probable wide orbit, and a slow stellar wind of this SyXB make quasi-spherical accretion in the subsonic settling regime a plausible model. Assuming a approx. 10(exp13) G NS, this scheme can explain the approx. 5.4 hr equilibrium rotation without employing the magnetar-like field (approx. 10(exp16) G) required in the disk accretion case. The timescales of multiple irregular flares (approx. 50 s) can also be attributed to the free-fall time from the Alfv´en shell for a approx. 10(exp13) G field. A physical interpretation of SyXBs beyond the canonical binary classifications is discussed.

accretion disks aEuro" binaries: symbiotic aEuro" ↗