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Z Arzoumanian

Publications and source records attributed to Z Arzoumanian.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2021

The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER and XMM-Newton Data

PSR J0740+6620 has a gravitational mass of 2.08±0.07Me, which is the highest reliably determined mass of any neutron star. As a result, a measurement of its radius will provide unique insight into the properties of neutron star core matter at high densities. Here we report a radius measurement based on fits of rotating hot spot patterns to Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer(NICER)and X-ray Multi-Mirror(XMM-Newton)X-ray observations. We find that the equatorial circumferential radius of PSR J0740+6620 is-+13.71.52.6km(68%).We apply our measurement, combined with the previous NICER mass and radius measurement of PSR J0030+0451,the masses of two other∼2Mepulsars, and the tidal deformability constraints from two gravitational wave events, to three different frameworks for equation-of-state modeling, and find consistent results at∼1.5–5 times nuclear saturation density. For a given framework, when all measurements are included, the radius of a 1.4Meneutron star is known to±4%(68% credibility)and the radius of a 2.08Meneutron star is known to±5%. The full radius range that spans the±1σcredible intervals of all the radius estimates in the three frameworks is 12.45±0.65 km for a 1.4Meneutron star and 12.35±0.75 km for a 2.08Me neutron star.

M C Miller↗
NASA NTRS2021

Refined Mass and Geometric Measurements of the High-mass PSR J0740+6620

We report results from continued timing observations of PSR J0740+6620, a high-mass, 2.8 ms radio pulsar in orbit with a likely ultracool white dwarf companion. Our data set consists of combined pulse arrival-time measurements made with the 100 m Green Bank Telescope and the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment telescope. We explore the significance of timing-based phenomena arising from general relativistic dynamics and variations in pulse dispersion. When using various statistical methods, we find that combining∼1.5 yr of additional, high-cadence timing data with previous measurements confirms and improves on previous estimates of relativistic effects within the PSR J0740+6620 system, with the pulsar mass=-+mM2.08p0.070.07 M (68.3% credibility) determined by the relativistic Shapiro time delay. For the first time, we measure secular variation in the orbital period and argue that this effect arises from apparent acceleration due to significant transverse motion. After incorporating contributions from Galactic differential rotation and off-plane acceleration in the Galactic potential, we obtain a model-dependent distance of=-+d1.140.150.17kpc (68.3% credibility). This improved distance confirms the ultracool nature of the white dwarf companion determined from recent optical observations. We discuss the prospects for future observations with next-generation facilities, which will likely improve the precision on mp for J0740+6620 by an order of magnitude within the next few years

Neutron stars↗
NASA NTRS2021

The 450 Day X-Ray Monitoring of the Changing-look AGN 1ES 1927+654

1ES 1927+654 is a nearby active galactic nucleus (AGN) that underwent a changing-look event in early 2018, developing prominent broad Balmer lines that were absent in previous observations. We have followed up this object in the X-rays with an ongoing campaign that started in 2018 May and that includes 265 NICER (for a total of 678 ks) and 14 Swift/XRT (26 ks) observations, as well as three simultaneous XMM-Newton/NuSTAR (158/169 ks) exposures. In the X-rays, 1ES 1927+654 shows a behavior unlike any previously known AGN. The source is extremely variable both in spectral shape and flux and does not show any correlation between X-ray and UV flux on timescales of hours or weeks/months. After the outburst, the power-law component almost completely disappeared, and the source showed an extremely soft continuum dominated by a blackbody component. The temperature of the blackbody increases with the luminosity, going from kT∼80 eV (for a 0.3–2 keV luminosity ofL0.3−2∼1041.5erg s−1) to∼200 eV (forL0.3−2∼1044erg s−1). The spectra show evidence of ionized outflows and of a prominent feature at ∼1 keV, which can be reproduced by a broad emission line. The unique characteristics of1ES 1927+654 in the X-ray band suggest that it belongs to a new type of changing-look AGN. Future X-ray surveys might detect several more objects with similar properties.

Astrophysical black holes↗
NASA NTRS2021

NICER Uncovers the Transient Nature of the Type-B Quasi-periodic Oscillation in the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1348−63

We present a systematic spectral-timing analysis of a fast appearance/disappearance of a type-B quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO),observed in four Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer(NICER) observations of MAXI J1348−630. By comparing the spectra of the period with and without the type-B QPO, we found that the main difference appears at energy bands above∼2keV,suggesting that the QPO emission is dominated by the hard Comptonized component. During the transition, a change in the relative contribution of the disc and Comptonized emission was observed. The disc flux decreased while the Comptonized flux increased from non-QPO to type-B QPO. However, the total flux did not change too much in the NICER band. Our results reveal that the type-B QPO is associated with a redistribution of accretion power between the disc and Comptonized emission. When the type-B QPO appears, more accretion power is dissipated into the Comptonized region than in the disc. Our spectral fits give a hint that the increased Comptonized emission may come from an additional component that is related to the base of the jet.

L Zhang↗
NASA NTRS2021

X-ray Quasi-Periodic Eruptions from Two Previously Quiescent Galaxies

Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) are extreme high-amplitude bursts of X-ray radiation recurring every few hours and originating near the central supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei. It is currently unknown what triggers these events, how long they last and how they are connected to the physical properties of the inner accretion flows. Previously, only two such sources were known, found either serendipitously or in archival data, with emission lines in their optical spectra classifying their nuclei as hosting an actively accreting supermassive black hole. Here we present the detection of QPEs in two further galaxies, obtained with a blind and systematic search over half of the X-ray sky. The optical spectra of these galaxies show no signature of black hole activity, indicating that a pre-existing accretion flow typical of active nuclei is not required to trigger these events. Indeed, the periods, amplitudes and profiles of the newly discovered QPEs are inconsistent with current models that invoke radiation-pressure driven accretion disk instabilities. Instead, QPEs might be driven by an orbiting compact object. Furthermore, their observed properties require the mass of the secondary object to be much smaller than the main body and future X-ray observations may constrain possible changes in the period due to orbital evolution. This scenario could make QPEs a viable candidate for the electromagnetic counterparts of the so-called extreme mass ratio inspirals, with considerable implications for multi-messenger astrophysics and cosmology.

R Arcodia↗
NASA NTRS2021

Dips and eclipses in the X-ray binary Swift J1858.6-0814 observed with NICER

We present the discovery of eclipses in the X-ray light curves of the X-ray binary Swift J1858.6–0814. From these, we find an orbital period of P= 76841.3(+1.3,−1.4) s (≈21.3 hours) and an eclipse duration of t(ec)= 4098(+17,−18) s (≈1.14 hours).We also find several absorption dips during the pre-eclipse phase. From the eclipse duration to orbital period ratio, the inclination of the binary orbit is constrained to i >70◦. The most likely range for the companion mass suggests that the inclination is likely to be closer to this value than 90◦. The eclipses are also consistent with earlier data, in which strong variability (‘flares’) and the long orbital period prevent clear detection of the period or eclipses. We also find that the bright flares occurred preferentially in the post-eclipse phase of the orbit, likely due to increased thickness at the disc-accretion stream interface preventing flares being visible during the pre-eclipse phase. This supports the notion that variable obscuration is responsible for the unusually strong variability in Swift J1858.6–0814.

D J K Buisson↗
NASA NTRS2020

NICER Observations Reveal that the X-ray Transient MAXI J1348-630 is a Black Hole X-ray Binary

We studied the outburst evolution and timing properties of the recently discovered X-ray transient MAXI J1348−630 as observed with NICER. We produced the fundamental diagrams commonly used to trace the spectral evolution, and power density spectra to study the fast X-ray variability. The main outburst evolution of MAXI J1348−630 is similar to that commonly observed in blackhole transients. The source evolved from the hard state (HS), through hard- and soft-intermediate states, into the soft state in the outburst rise, and back to the HS in reverse during the outburst decay. At the end of the outburst, MAXI J1348−630 underwent two reflares with peak fluxes approximately one and two orders of magnitude fainter than the main outburst, respectively. During the reflares, the source remained in the HS only, without undergoing any state transitions, which is similar to the so-called ‘failed outbursts’. Different types of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are observed at different phases of the outburst. Based on our spectral-timing results, we conclude that MAXI J1348−630 is a black hole candidate.

L Zhang↗
NASA NTRS2020

Discovery of Thermonuclear (Type 1) X-ray Bursts in the X-ray Binary Swift J1858.6-0814 Observed with NICER and NuSTAR

Swift J1858.6–0814 is a recently discovered X-ray binary notable for extremely strong variability (by factors of >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 (NS). 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+0.8−0.6 kpc, although systematic effects allow a conservative range of 9–18 kpc. Before one burst, we detect a QPO at 9.6 ± 0.5 mHz with a fractional rms amplitude of 2.2 ± 0.2 per cent (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 per cent fractional amplitude (over 1–8 keV). Finally, we discuss the implications of the NS 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.

D J K Buisson↗
NASA NTRS2020

X-ray spectral and timing evolution of MAXI J1727-203 with NICER

We present a detailed X-ray spectral and variability study of the full 2018 outburst of MAXI J1727–203 using NICER observations. The outburst lasted approximately four months. Spectral modelling in the 0.3–10 keV band shows the presence of both a soft thermal and a hard Comptonised component. The analysis of these components shows that MAXI J1727–203 evolved through the soft, intermediate, and hard spectral states during the outburst. We find that the soft (disc) component was detected throughout almost the entire outburst, with temperatures ranging from ∼0.4 keV, at the moment of maximum luminosity, to ∼0.1 keV near the end of the outburst. The power spectrum in the hard and intermediate states shows broad-band noise up to 20 Hz, with no evidence of quasi-periodic oscillations. We also study the rms spectra of the broad-band noise at 0.3−10 keV of this source. We find that the fractional rms increases with energy in most of the outburst except during the hard state, where the fractional rms remains approximately constant with energy. We also find that, below 3 keV, the fractional rms follows the same trend generally observed at energies >3 keV, a behaviour known from previous studies of black holes and neutron stars. The spectral and timing evolution of MAXI J1727–203, as parametrised by the hardness–intensity, hardness–rms, and rms–intensity diagrams, suggest that the system hosts a black hole, although we could not rule out a neutron star.

K Jativa↗
NASA NTRS2020

A NICER Look at the State Transitions of the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1535-571 During its Reflares

The black hole candidate and X-ray binary MAXI J1535−571 was discovered in 2017 September. During the decay of its discovery outburst, and before returning to quiescence, the source underwent at least four reflaring events, with peak luminosities of ∼1035–36 erg s−1 (d/4.1 kpc)2. To investigate the nature of these flares, we analysed a sample of NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) observations taken with almost daily cadence. In this work, we present the detailed spectral and timing analysis of the evolution of the four reflares. The higher sensitivity of NICER at lower energies, in comparison with other X-ray detectors, allowed us to constrain the disc component of the spectrum at ∼0.5 keV. We found that during each reflare the source appears to trace out a q-shaped track in the hardness–intensity diagram similar to those observed in black hole binaries during full outbursts. MAXI J1535−571 transits between the hard state (valleys) and softer states (peaks) during these flares. Moreover, the Comptonized component is undetected at the peak of the first reflare, while the disc component is undetected during the valleys. Assuming the most likely distance of 4.1 kpc, we find that the hard-to-soft transitions take place at the lowest luminosities ever observed in a black hole transient, while the soft-to-hard transitions occur at some of the lowest luminosities ever reported for such systems.

V A Cuneo↗
NASA NTRS2020

Modeling the Uncertainties of Solar System Ephemerides for Robust Gravitational-wave Searches with Pular-timing Arrays

The regularity of pulsar emissions becomes apparent once we reference the pulses’ times of arrivals to the inertial rest frame of the solar system. It follows that errors in the determination of Earthʼs position with respect to the solar system barycenter can appear as a time-correlated bias in pulsar-timing residual time series, affecting the searches for low-frequency gravitational waves performed with pulsar-timing arrays. Indeed, recent array data sets yield different gravitational-wave background upper limits and detection statistics when analyzed with different solar system ephemerides. Crucially, the ephemerides do not generally provide usable error representations. In this article, we describe the motivation, construction, and application of a physical model of solar system ephemeris uncertainties, which focuses on the degrees of freedom (Jupiterʼs orbital elements) most relevant to gravitational-wave searches with pulsar-timing arrays. This model, BAYESEPHEM, was used to derive ephemeris-robust results in NANOGravʼs 11 yr stochastic-background search, and it provides a foundation for future searches by NANOGrav and other consortia. The analysis and simulations reported here suggest that ephemeris modeling reduces the gravitational-wave sensitivity of the 11 yr data set and that this degeneracy will vanish with improved ephemerides and with pulsar-timing data sets that extend well beyond a single Jovian orbital period.

M Vallisneri↗
NASA NTRS2020

The NANOGrav 11 yr Data Set: Contraints on Planetary Masses Around 45 Millisecond Pulsars

We search for extrasolar planets around millisecond pulsars using pulsar timing data and seek to determine the minimum detectable planetary masses as a function of orbital period. Using the 11 yr data set from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), we look for variations from our models of pulse arrival times due to the presence of exoplanets. No planets are detected around the millisecond pulsars in the NANOGrav 11 yr data set, but taking into consideration the noise levels of each pulsar and the sampling rate of our observations, we develop limits that show we are sensitive to planetary masses as low as that of the moon. We analyzed potential planet periods, P, in the range 7 days < P < 2000 days, with somewhat smaller ranges for some binary pulsars. The planetary-mass limit for our median-sensitivity pulsar within this period range is 1 Mmoon (P 100 days)-2/3.

E A Behrens↗
NASA NTRS2020

The Soft State of the Black Hole Transient Source MAXI J1820+070: Emission from the Edge of the Plunge Region?

The Galactic black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 had a bright outburst in 2018 when it became the second brightest X-ray source in the sky. It was too bright for X-ray CCD instruments such as XMM–Newton and Chandra, but was well observed by photon counting instruments such as Neutron star Inner Composition Explorer (NICER) and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). We report here on the discovery of an excess emission component during the soft state. It is best modelled with a blackbody spectrum in addition to the regular disc emission, modelled as either diskbb or kerrbb. Its temperature varies from about 0.9 to 1.1 keV, which is about 30–80 per cent higher than the inner disc temperature of diskbb. Its flux varies between 4 and 12 per cent of the disc flux. Simulations of magnetized accretion discs have predicted the possibility of excess emission associated with a non-zero torque at the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) about the black hole, which, from other NuSTAR studies, lies at about 5 gravitational radii or about 60 km (for a black hole, mass is 8Msun). In this case, the emitting region at the ISCO has a width varying between 1.3 and 4.6 km and would encompass the start of the plunge region where matter begins to fall freely into the black hole.

A C Fabian↗
NASA NTRS2020

The NANOGrav 11 yr data set: Evolution of Gravitational-wave Background Statistics

An ensemble of inspiraling supermassive black hole binaries should produce a stochastic background of very low frequency gravitational waves. This stochastic background is predicted to be a power law, with a gravitational-wave strain spectral index of −2/3, and it should be detectable by a network of precisely timed millisecond pulsars, widely distributed on the sky. This paper reports a new “time slicing” analysis of the 11 yr data release from the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) using 34 millisecond pulsars. Methods to flag potential “false-positive” signatures are developed, including techniques to identify responsible pulsars. Mitigation strategies are then presented. We demonstrate how an incorrect noise model can lead to spurious signals, and we show how independently modeling noise across 30 Fourier components, spanning NANOGrav’s frequency range, effectively diagnoses and absorbs the excess power in gravitational-wave searches. This results in a nominal, and expected, progression of our gravitational-wave statistics. Additionally, we show that the first interstellar medium event in PSR J1713+0747 pollutes the common red-noise process with low spectral index noise, and we use a tailored noise model to remove these effects.

J S Hazboun↗
NASA NTRS2020

A strongly changing accretion morphology during the outburst decay of the neutron star x-ray binary 4U 1608-52

It is commonly assumed that the properties and geometry of the accretion flow in transient low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) significantly change when the X-ray luminosity decays below ∼10−2 of the Eddington limit (LEdd). However, there are few observational cases where the evolution of the accretion flow is tracked in a single X-ray binary over a wide dynamic range. In this work, we use NuSTAR and NICER observations obtained during the 2018 accretion outburst of the neutron star LMXB 4U 1608−52, to study changes in the reflection spectrum. We find that the broad Fe–Kα line and Compton hump, clearly seen during the peak of the outburst when the X-ray luminosity is ∼1037 erg s−1 (∼0.05 LEdd), disappear during the decay of the outburst when the source luminosity drops to ∼4.5 × 1035 erg s−1 (∼0.002 LEdd). We show that this non-detection of the reflection features cannot be explained by the lower signal-to-noise ratio at lower flux, but is instead caused by physical changes in the accretion flow. Simulating synthetic NuSTAR observations on a grid of inner disc radius, disc ionization, and reflection fraction, we find that the disappearance of the reflection features can be explained by either increased disc ionization (log ξ  4.1) or a much decreased reflection fraction. A changing disc truncation alone, however, cannot account for the lack of reprocessed Fe–Kα emission. The required increase in ionization parameter could occur if the inner accretion flow evaporates from a thin disc into a geometrically thicker flow, such as the commonly assumed formation of a radiatively inefficient accretion flow at lower mass accretion rates.

J. van den Eijnden↗
NASA NTRS2020

The SUrvey for Pulsars and Extragalactic Radio Bursts - IV. Discovery and polarimetry of a 12.1-s radio pulsar

We report the discovery of PSR J2251−3711, a radio pulsar with a spin period of 12.1 s, the second longest currently known. Its timing parameters imply a characteristic age of 15 Myr, a surface magnetic field of 1.3 × 10^(13) G, and a spin-down luminosity of 2.9 × 10^(29) erg/s. Its dispersion measure of 12.12(1) pc/cu. cm leads to distance estimates of 0.5 and 1.3 kpc according to the NE2001 and YMW16 Galactic free electron density models, respectively. Some of its single pulses show an uninterrupted 180-deg sweep of the phase-resolved polarization position angle, with an S-shape reminiscent of the rotating vector model prediction. However, the fact that this sweep occurs at different phases from one pulse to another is remarkable and without straightforward explanation. Although PSR J2251−3711 lies in the region of the P − P˙ parameter space occupied by the X-ray isolated neutron stars (XINS), there is no evidence for an X-ray counterpart in our Swift XRT observation; this places a 99 per cent-confidence upper bound on its unabsorbed bolometric thermal luminosity of 1.1 × 10^(31) (d/1 kpc)^2 erg/s for an assumed temperature of 85 eV, where d is the distance to the pulsar. Further observations are needed to determine whether it is a rotation-powered pulsar with a true age of at least several Myr, or a much younger object such as an XINS or a recently cooled magnetar. Extreme specimens like PSR J2251−3711 help bridge populations in the so-called neutron star zoo in an attempt to understand their origins and evolution.

V Morello↗
NASA NTRS2019

A NICER view of PSR J0030+0451: Implications for the Dense Matter Equation of State

Both the mass and radius of the millisecond pulsar PSRJ0030+0451 have been inferred via pulse-profile modeling of X-ray data obtained by NASA’s Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission. In this Letter we study the implications of the mass–radius inference reported for this source by Riley et al. for the dense matter equation of state (EoS), in the context of prior information from nuclear physics at low densities. Using a Bayesian framework we infer central densities and EoS properties for two choices of high-density extensions: a piecewise-polytropic model and a model based on assumptions of the speed of sound in dense matter. Around nuclear saturation density these extensions are matched to an EoS uncertainty band obtained from calculations based on chiral effective field theory interactions, which provide a realistic description of atomic nuclei as well as empirical nuclear matter properties within uncertainties. We further constrain EoS expectations with input from the current highest measured pulsar mass; together, these constraints offer a narrow Bayesian prior informed by theory as well as laboratory and astrophysical measurements. The NICER mass–radius likelihood function derived by Riley et al. using pulse-profile modeling is consistent with the highest-density region of this prior. The present relatively large uncertainties on mass and radius for PSR J0030+0451 offer, however, only a weak posterior information gain over the prior. We explore the sensitivity to the inferred geometry of the heated regions that give rise to the pulsed emission, and find a small increase in posterior gain for an alternative (but less preferred) model. Lastly, we investigate the hypothetical scenario of increasing the NICER exposure time for PSRJ0030+0451.

G Raaijmakers↗