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7 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

FE K EMISSION AND ABSORPTION FEATURES IN THE XMM-EPIC SPECTRUM OF THE SEYFERT GALAXY IC 4329A

We present a re-analysis of the XMM-Newton long-look of the X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329a. The Fe K bandpass is dominated by two peaks, consistent with emission from neutral or near-neutral Fe Ka and KP. A relativistic diskline model whereby both peaks are the result of one doubly-peaked diskline profile is found to be a poor description of the data. Models using two relativistic disklines are found to describe the emission profile well. A low-inclination, moderately-relativistic dual-diskline model is possible if the contribution from narrow components, due to distant material, is small or absent. A high-inclination, moderately relativistic profile for each peak is possible if there are roughly equal contributions from both the broad and narrow components. Upper limits on Fe XXV and Fe XXVI emission and absorption at the systemic velocity of IC 4329a are obtained. We also present the results of RXTE monitoring of this source obtained so far; the combined XMM-Newton and RXTE data sets allow us to explore the time-resolved spectral behavior of this source on time scales ranging from hours to 2 years. We find no strong evidence for variability of the Fe Ka emission line on any time scale probed, likely due to the minimal level of continuum variability. We detect a narrow absorption line, at a energy of 7.68 keV in the rest frame of the source; its significance has been confirmed using Monte Carlo simulations. This feature is most likely due to absorption from Fe XXVI blueshifted to approximately 0.1c relative to the systemic velocity, making IC 4329a the lowest-redshift AGN known with a high-velocity, highly-ionized outflow component. As is often the case with similar outflows seen in high-luminosity quasars, the estimated mass outflow rate is larger than the inflow accretion rate, signaling that the outflow represents a substantial portion of the total energy budget of the AGN. The outflow could arise from a radiatively-driven disk wind, or it may be in the form of a discrete, transient blob of ejected material.

Markowitz, A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

An EXOSAT detection of the transient X-ray pulsar GRO J1008-57

The hard X-ray transient, GRO J1008-57, was discovered during a bright outburst in 1993 July by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) instrument on board the Compton Gamme-Ray Observatory (CGRO). There are no published reports of previous emission from this 93.6 sec X-ray pulsar. Recent optical results have suggested a Be star as the companion. A search of the EXOSAT archives shows that an ME observation centered on the star HD 88661 includes GRO J1008-57 within the field of view. The characteristics of the medium-energy detection including a hard spectrum and pulsed emission at 91.36 sec (with chance probability of 3 x 10(exp -4)) indicates that EXOSAT detected GRO J1008-57 rather than the field star. The estimated flux is 2.4 x 10(exp -11) ergs/cm sq/sec for a luminosity of 1.1 x 10(exp 34) (D/2 kpc)(exp 2) ergs/sec. The X-ray spectrum is hard (photon index approximately equals 1.2) and highly absorbed (N(sub H) approximately equals 0.7 x 10(exp 22)). The detection of this transient suggests that there is a pulse shape dependence on luminosity, a spectral shape independent of luminosity, a large period derivative of P-dot/P = 2.3 x 10(exp -3)/yr, and a dynamic range of at least 100 in L(sub chi). We discuss GRO J1008-57 data in the context of wind-accretion models for this new member of the Be class of X-ray binaries.

Macomb, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Energetic particles and coronal mass ejections in the high latitude heliosphere: Ulysses-LET observations

The COSPIN Low Energy Telescope (LET) onboard the Ulysses spacecraft measures protons, alphas and heavier ions at energies of approximately 1 to 50 MeV/n. Ulysses measurements offer favorable opportunities to study the effects of solar activity in the out-of-ecliptic regions of the heliosphere. Using LET data, we have investigated the properties of transient energetic ions at high heliographic latitudes when Ulysses was permanently immersed in high speed solar wind and magnetically connected to the Sun on open magnetic field lines. Recurrent increases in the fluxes of energetic ions at high heliographic latitudes at frequencies related to the solar rotation period were found to occur in association with co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs). Here we investigate fluxes of energetic particles that showed no relationship to ClRs. From the investigation of plasma and magnetic held data it is found that all of the transient high latitude particle events were associated with the passage of a coronal mass ejection (CME) over Ulysses. Enhancements in particle fluxes several days prior to the arrival of a CME, but with a significant time delay with respect to the estimated CME-onset at the Sun, were most probably associated with interplanetary shocks driven by fast CMEs. These particle events exhibit unusually high rho/alpha-ratios and are not observed for CMEs not driving a shock. However, not all CMEs that passed Ulysses were associated with a particle event. We find evidence that at high solar latitudes, solar flare particles cannot reach Ulysses on open magnetic field lines, but can reach the spacecraft if particles are injected into magnetic flux-ropes (CMEs) at the Sun. These findings are supported by soft X-ray observations from the Japanese Yohkoh-satellite.

Bothmer, V.↗
NASA NTRS1995

A potential cyclotron line signature in low-luminosity X-ray sources

Estimates indicate there may be greater than or approximately equal to 10(exp 3) low-luminosity X-ray pulsars (L less than or approximately equal to 10(exp 34) ergs/s) in the Galaxy undergoing 'low-state' wind accretion in Be/X-ray binary systems, and approximately 10(exp 8)-10(exp 9) isolated neutron stars which may be accreting directly from the interstellar medium. Despite their low effective temperatures (kT(sub e) less than or approximately equal to 300 eV), low-luminosity accreting neutron stars with magnetic fields B approximately (0.7-7) x 10(exp 12) G could emit a substantial fraction (0.5%-5%) of their total luminosity in a moderately broadened (Epsilon/delta Epsilon approximately 2-4) cyclotron emission line which peaks in the energy range approximately 5-20 keV. The bulk of the thermal emission from these stars will be in the extreme ultraviolet/soft X-ray regime. In sharp contrast, the nonthermal cyclotron component predicted here will not be strongly absorbed, and consequently it may be the only distinguishing signature for the bulk of these low-luminosity sources. We propose a search for this cyclotron emission feature in long pointed observations of the newly discovered candidate isolated neutron star MS 0317.7-6477, and the Be/X-ray transient pulsar 4U 0115+63 in its quiescent state. We note that an emission-like feature similar to the one we predict here has been reported in the energy spectrum of the unusual X-ray pulsar 1E 2259+586.

Nelson, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

A molecular line study of NGC 1333/IRAS 4

Molecular line surveys and fully sampled spectral line maps at 1.3 and 0.87 mm are used to examine the physical and chemical characteristics of the extreme Class I sources IRAS 4A and 4B in the L1450/NGC 1333 molecular cloud complex. A very well collimated, jetlike molecular flow emanates from IRAS 4A, with a dynamical age of a few thousand years. Symmetric, clumpy structure along the outflow lobes suggests that there is considerable variability in the mass-loss rate or wind velocity even at this young age. Molecular emission lines toward IRAS 4A and 4B are observed to be weak in the velocity range corresponding to quiescent material surrounding the young stellar objects (YSOs). Depletion factors of 10-20 are observed for all molecules, including CO, even for very conservative mass estimates from the measured millimeter and submillimeter dust continuum. However, abundance scaled with respect to CO are similar to other dark molecular cloud cores. Such depletions could be mimicked by high dust and optical depths or increased grain emissivities at the observing frequencies of 230 and 435 GHz, but the millimeter and submillimeter spectral energy distributions suggest that this is unlikely over the single-dish size scales of 5000-10,000 AU. Dense, outflowing gas is found to be kinematically, but not spatially, distinct from the quiescent material on these size scales. If CO is used as a chemical standard for the high-velocity gas, we find substantial enhancements in abundances of several molecules in outflowing material, most notably CS, SIO, and CH3OH. The SiO emission is kinematically well displaced from the bulk cloud velocity and likely arises from directly shocked material. As is the case for CO, however, the outflow features from more volatile species are centered near the cloud velocity and are often characterized by quite low rotational temperatures. We suggest that grain-grain collisions induced by velocity shear zones surrounding the outflow axes transiently desorb the grain mantles, resulting in large abundance enhancements of selected species. Similar results have recently been obtained in several other low-mass YSOs, where outflowing gas is often both kinematically and spatailly distinct, and are illustrative of the ability of accretion and outflow processes to simultaneously modify the composition of the gas and dust surrounding young stars.

Blake, Geoffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

BATSE Observations and Orbit Determination of the Be/X-Ray Transient EXO 2030+375

The Be/X-ray binary transient pulsar EXO 2030+375 (P(sub s) approx equal 42 s) has been observed with the large area detectors (LADs) of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO). Beginning in May 1991, twenty-two outbursts were observed over four years. Thirteen outbursts between February 1992 and August 1993 occurred consecutively at intervals of approx equal 46 days, close to the orbital period determined by Parmar et al. (1989) using EXOSAT data. The pulse profiles from the BATSE data are double-peaked and show no significant energy or luminosity dependence, unlike the EXOSAT observations of May-August 1985. An exponential model was used to fit the observed hard X-ray energy spectra from the thirteen consecutive outbursts. When EXOSAT discovered this pulsar during a giant outburst in May 1985, the X-ray luminosity peaked at L(sub x) = 1.0 x 10(esp 38) erg/ s (1-20 keV), assuming a 5 kpc distance to the source. The BATSE outbursts are found to be weaker 0.3 x 10(exp 37) less than or equal to L(sub x)(I-20 keV) less than or equal to 3.0 x 10(exp 37) erg/ s after extrapolating the observed flux (20-50 keV) to the EXOSAT energy band. Pulse phases derived from the thirteen outbursts were fit to two different models to determine a binary orbit. The new orbit is used to estimate 95% confidence limits for the mean peak spin frequency change during the out- bursts observed with BATSE. This, and the mean peak flux, are compared to the spin-up rates and fluxes determined by EXOSAT from the 1985 giant outburst, where disk accretion was thought to have occurred. It is unclear if these normal outbursts were driven by wind or disk accretion.

Strollberg, Mark T.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Hybrid-Vlasov Simulation of Soft X-Ray Emissions at the Earth’S Dayside Magnetospheric Boundaries

Solar wind charge exchange produces emissions in the soft X-ray energy range which can enable the study of near-Earth space regions such as the magnetopause, the magnetosheath and the polar cusps by remote sensing techniques. The Solar wind–Magnetosphere–Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) and Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) missions aim to obtain soft X-ray images of near-Earth space thanks to their Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) instruments. While earlier modeling works have already simulated soft X-ray images as might be obtained by SMILE SXI during its mission, the numerical models used so far are all based on the magnetohydrodynamics description of the space plasma. To investigate the possible signatures of ion-kinetic-scale processes in soft X-ray images, we use for the first time a global hybrid-Vlasov simulation of the geospace from the Vlasiator model. The simulation is driven by fast and tenuous solar wind conditions and purely southward interplanetary magnetic field. We first produce global X-ray images of the dayside near-Earth space by placing a virtual imaging satellite at two different locations, providing meridional and equatorial views. We then analyze regional features present in the images and show that they correspond to signatures in soft X-ray emissions of mirror mode wave structures in the magnetosheath and flux transfer events (FTEs) at the magnetopause. Our results suggest that, although the time scales associated with the motion of those transient phenomena will likely be significantly smaller than the integration time of the SMILE and LEXI imagers, mirror-mode structures and FTEs can cumulatively produce detectable signatures in the soft X-ray images. For instance, a local increase by 30% in the proton density at the dayside magnetopause resulting from the transit of multiple FTEs leads to a 12% enhancement in the line-of-sight- and time integrated soft X-ray emissivity originating from this region. Likewise, a proton density increase by 14% in the magnetosheath associated with mirror-mode structures can result in an enhancement in the soft X-ray signal by 4%. These are likely conservative estimates, given that the solar wind conditions used in the Vlasiator run can be expected to generate weaker soft X-ray emissions than the more common denser solar wind. These results will contribute to the preparatory work for the SMILE and LEXI missions by providing the community with quantitative estimates of the effects of small-scale, transient phenomena occurring on the dayside.

magnetosphere↗