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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11
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NASA NTRS2001

Chandra Observations of the Crab Pulsar as a Function of Pulse Phase

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory was used to observe the Crab Nebula and its pulsar using the LETGS, i.e. the Low-Energy Transmission Grating (LETG) with the High Resolution Camera Spectroscopy detector (HRC-S). Data from the zeroth-order image was utilized to isolate the pulsar from the surrounding nebula and to measure the pulsar emission as a function of pulse phase. HRC timing problems were overcome by developing special techniques to process the data. For the first time, pulsed x-ray emission has been detected at all pulse phases, allowing us to set a new upper limit to the thermal emission from the surface of the neutron star.

Weisskopf, Martin C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

ASCA and Bepposax Observations of the Newly Discovered SNR RX J0852-4622

The NASA Grant supported analysis of X-ray data from the supernova remnant (SNR) G266.2-1.2, a newly discovered SNR in the direction of Vela. Our observations reveal that the X-ray emission from this remnant is nonthermal, making this the third shell-type SNR for which the X-ray emission is dominated by synchrotron processes. The interpretation is that the SNR is an efficient accelerator of cosmic rays, with direct evidence of electrons at energies approaching 100 TeV. Our spectral analysis indicates a higher absorption than for the Vela SNR, indicating that G266.2-1.2 is more distant. However, we conclude that the lack of high amounts of absorption place the remnant closer than the Vela molecular ridge at a distance of 1-2 kpc. We observe a compact X-ray source at the remnant center, surrounded by diffuse emission, which may be an associated neutron star.

Oliversen, Ronald J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Optical Spectroscopy of V635 Cassiopeiae/4U 0115+63

In this paper we present two data sets that can be used to constrain the physical and geometric models for the circumstellar disk. The companion's spectral type is a critical parameter for modelling the disk.

stars circumstellar matter emission line binary ne↗
NASA NTRS2015

A Chandrasekhar Mass Progenitor for the Type Ia Supernova Remnant 3C 397 from the Enhanced Abundances of Nickel and Manganese

Despite decades of intense efforts, many fundamental aspects of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) remain elusive. One of the major open questions is whether the mass of an exploding white dwarf (WD) is close to the Chandrasekhar limit. Here, we report the detection of strong K-shell emission from stable Fe-peak elements in the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of the Type Ia supernova remnant (SNR) 3C 397. The high Ni/Fe and Mn/Fe mass ratios - (0.11-0.24 and 0.018-0.033, respectively) in the hot plasma component that dominates the K-shell emission lines indicate a degree of neutronization in the supernova ejecta that can only be achieved by electron capture in the dense cores of exploding WDs with a near-Chandrasekhar mass. This suggests a single-degenerate origin for 3C 397, since Chandrasekhar mass progenitors are expected naturally if the WD accretes mass slowly from a companion. Together with other results supporting the double-degenerate scenario, our work adds to the mounting evidence that both progenitor channels make a significant contribution to the SN Ia rate in star-forming galaxies.

G41.1-0.3); supernova remnants; nuclear reactions;↗
NASA NTRS2010

Comparing Solar-Flare Acceleration of >-20 MeV Protons and Electrons Above Various Energies

A large fraction (up to tens of percent) of the energy released in solar flares goes into accelerated ions and electrons, and studies indicate that these two populations have comparable energy content. RHESSI observations have shown a striking close linear correlation between the 2.223 MeV neutron-capture gamma-ray line and electron bremsstrahlung emission >300 keV, indicating that the flare acceleration of >^20 MeV protons and >300 keV electrons is roughly proportional over >3 orders of magnitude in fluence. We show that the correlations of neutron-capture line fluence with GOES class or with bremsstrahlung emission at lower energies show deviations from proportionality, primarily for flares with lower fluences. From analyzing thirteen flares, we demonstrate that there appear to be two classes of flares with high-energy acceleration: flares that exhibit only proportional acceleration of ions and electrons down to 50 keV and flares that have an additional soft, low-energy bremsstrahlung component, suggesting two separate populations of accelerated electrons. We use RHESSI spectroscopy and imaging to investigate a number of these flares in detail.

Shih, Albert Y.↗
NASA NTRS2006

GLAST Observations of Pulsars and their Environments

Pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae seen at gamma-ray energies offer insight into particle acceleration to very high energies. Pulsed emission provides information about the geometry and interaction processes in the magnetospheres of these rotating neutron stars, while the pulsar wind nebulae yield information high-energy particles interacting with their surroundings. During the next decade, a number of new and expanded gamma-ray facilities will become available for pulsar studies. In particular, the GLAST Large Area Telescope, a successor to EGRET on the Compton Observatory, will provide an excellent complement to H.E.S.S. for the study of the highest-energy emissions powered by neutron stars.

Thompson, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Results of a Deep Chandra Observation of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar

The Crab Nebula and pulsar were observed for a total of 150 ksec with the LETG/HRC-S combination aboard the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in 2000, January and February. One of the principal aims of the experiment was to study the emission from the pulsar as a function of pulse phase. Neutron stars are believed to be formed with core temperatures of 10(exp 11) K. As the pulsar is the best studied of the young known neutron stars with an age of only 940 yrs, it should be possible to observe thermal emission from the hot stellar surface which in turn constrains equations of state. The pulsar, on the other hand, is a powerful non-thermal emitter, powering an X-ray bright synchrotron nebula which, in Einstein and ROSAT observations, overshadowed the fainter thermal surface emission. Making use of the high angular resolution provided by Chandra we were able to detect X-rays from the Crab-pulsar at all pulse phases. We discuss whether this detection is indeed of thermal emission or of a faint synchrotron component of the pulsed emission from the magnetosphere. We further comment on dynamical effects observed in the pulsar-wind outflow and the analysis of the LETG spectral data, especially near the oxygen edge.

Weisskopf, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Constraints on neutron star models of gamma-burst sources from the Einstein Observatory

Six Einstein observations of five gamma-ray burst sources are presented and discussed. With one possible exception, no point source was detected in any of the observations. The data are interpreted in the framework of neutron star models for gamma bursters. Upper limits are derived for the surface temperatures of the neutron stars assumed to be responsible for the bursts. It is shown that the lack of soft X-ray emission may impose stringent constraints on accretion rates onto neutron stars.

Pizzichini, G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Pulsar Emission: Is It All Relative?

Thirty-five years after the discovery of pulsars, we still do not understand the fundamentals of their pulsed emission at any wavelength. The fact that even detailed pulse profiles cannot identlfy the origin of the emission in a magnetosphere that extends fiom the neutron star surface to plasma moving at relativistic speeds near the light cylinder compounds the problem. I will discuss the role of special and general relativistic effects on pulsar emission, fiom inertial frame-dragging near the stellar surface to aberration, time-of-flight and retardation of the magnetic field near the light cylinder. Understanding how these effects determine what we observe at different wavelengths is critical to unraveling the emission physics.

Harding, Alice K.↗
NASA NTRS1990

What is learned from high energy bursts and flares

The Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) with its large Nal Total Absorption Shower Counter (TASC) has the scientific capability of performing spectroscopy of high energy cosmic gamma ray bursts and solar flares. EGRET, with a spectroscopy energy range from 0.6 to 140 MeV, provides an opportunity to increase the understanding of the high energy mechanisms of gamma ray bursts and solar flares. A likely interpretation of gamma ray burst sources is that they are rotating, magnetized neutron stars. High magnetic fields can influence the emission of high energy gamma rays, so observational spectroscopic data at high energies can provide information on the upper limits of the magnetic fields in the GRB regions of magnetized neutron stars. Likewise, spectroscopy of high energy gamma rays can provide information useful for deriving the flare proton spectrum which in turn can lead to an understanding of high energy solar flare particle acceleration mechanisms.

Schneid, Edward J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Simultaneous X-ray and optical observations of GX 339-4 in an X-ray high state

Optical emission, soft X-rays, and hard X-rays have been observed simultaneously from the black hole candidate GX 3339-4 in a typical high state. Each of these components is interpreted as arising from a characteristic region of the accretion disk. Considered as a black hole, GX 339-4 lacks the variable 2 keV blackbody component that would be emitted from the 'solid' surface of a neutron star in the low-mass neutron star binaries. The X-ray emission in the high state is therefore extremely soft and stable in time. The intermediate disk region is optically thick and geometrically thin. The observed soft X-ray component with a 'disk blackbody' spectrum comes from this region. The innermost disk region is dynamically unstable due to the effect of general relativity and possibly due to radiation pressure. This region is responsible for the generation of the hard X-ray tail through Comptonization.

Makishima, K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Pair Production and Annihilation in Strong Magnetic Fields

Electromagnetic phenomena occurring in the presence of strong magnetic fields are currently of great interest in high-energy astrophysics. In particular, the process of pair production by single photons in the presence of fields of order 10 to the 12th power Gauss is of importance in cascade models of pulsar gamma ray emission, and may also become significant in theories of other radiation phenomena whose sources may be neutron stars (e.g., gamma ray bursts). In addition to pair production, the inverse process of pair annihilation is greatly affected by the presence of superstrong magnetic fields. The most significant departures from annihilation processes in free space are a reduction in the total rate for annihilation into two photons, a broadening of the familiar 511-keV line for annihilation at rest, and the possibility for annihilation into a single photon (which dominates the two-photon annihilation for B ( 10 the 13th power Gauss). The physics of these pair conversion processes, which is reviewed briefly, can become quite complex in the teragauss regime, and can involve calculations which are technically difficult to incorporate into models of emission mechanisms in neutron star magnetospheres. However, theoretical work, especially the case of pair annihilation, also suggests potential techniques for more direct measurements of field strengths near the stellar surface.

Daugherty, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Pair production and annihilation in strong magnetic fields

Electromagnetic phenomena occurring in the presence of strong magnetic fields are currently of great interest in high-energy astrophysics. In particular, the process of pair production by single photons in the presence of fields of order 10 to the 12th power Gauss is of importance in cascade models of pulsar gamma ray emission, and may also become significant in theories of other radiation phenomena whose sources may be neutron stars (e.g., gamma ray bursts). In addition to pair production, the inverse process of pair annihilation is greatly affected by the presence of superstrong magnetic fields. The most significant departures from annihilation processes in free space are a reduction in the total rate for annihilation into two photons, a broadening of the familiar 511-keV line for annihilation at rest, and the possibility for annihilation into a single photon which dominates the two-photon annihilation for B (10 to 13th power Gauss) The physics of these pair conversion processes, which is reviewed briefly, can become quite complex in the teragauss regime, and can involve calculations which are technically difficult to incorporate into models of emission mechanisms in neutron star magnetospheres. However, theoretical work, especially the case of pair annihilation, also suggests potential techniques for more direct measurements of field strengths near the stellar surface.

Daugherty, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Results of a Deep Chandra Observation of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar

The Crab Nebula and pulsar were observed for a total of 150 ksec with the LETG/HRC-S combination aboard the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in 2000, January. One of the principal aims of the experiment was to study the emission of from the pulsar as a function of pulse phase. Neutron stars are believed to be formed with core temperatures of 10(exp 11). As the pulsar is the youngest known neutron star with an age of only 940 yrs, it should be possible to observe thermal emission from the hot stellar surface which in turn constrains equations of state. The pulsar, on the other hand, is a powerful non-thermal emitter, powering an X-ray bright synchrotron nebula which, in Einstein and ROSAT observations, overshadowed the fainter thermal surface emission. Making use of the high angular resolution provided by Chandra we were able to detect X-rays from the Crab-pulsar at all pulse phases. We discuss whether this detection is indeed of thermal emission or of a faint synchrotron component of the pulsed emission from the magnetosphere. We further report on dynamical effects observed in the pulsar-wind outflow and the analysis of the LETG spectral data, especially near the oxygen edge. The results of the spectral analysis has interesting implications for the composition of the interstellar medium.

Weisskopf, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Results of a Deep Chandra Observation of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar

The Crab Nebula and pulsar were observed for a total of 150 ksec with the LETG/HRC-S combination aboard the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in 2000, January. One of the principal aims of the experiment was to study the emission of from the pulsar as a function of pulse phase. Neutron stars are believed to be formed with core temperatures of T(sub c) approx. 10(sup 11) K. As the pulsar is the youngest known neutron star with an age of only 940 yrs, it should be possible to observe thermal emission from the hot stellar surface which in turn constrains equations of state. The pulsar, on the other hand, is a powerful non-thermal emitter, powering an X-ray bright synchrotron nebula which, in Einstein and ROSAT observations, overshadowed the fainter thermal surface emission. Making use of the high angular resolution provided by Chandra we were able to detect X-rays from the Crab-pulsar at all pulse phases. We discuss whether this detection is indeed of thermal emission or of a faint synchrotron component of the pulsed emission from the magnetosphere. We further report on dynamical effects observed in the pulsar-wind outflow and the analysis of the LETG spectral data, especially near the oxygen edge. The results of the spectral analysis has interesting implications for the composition of the interstellar medium.(c) 2000.: American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved

Weisskopf, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2023

XMM-Newton and Chandra Observations of the Candidate Fermi-LAT Pulsar 4FGL J1015.5-6030

4FGL J1015.5-6030 is an unidentified Fermi-LAT source hosting a bright, extended X-ray source whose X-ray spectrum is consistent with that of a young pulsar, yet no pulsations have been found. Here we report on XMM-Newton timing and Chandra imaging observations of the X-ray counterpart of 4FGL J1015.5-6030. We find no significant periodicity from the source and place a 3σ upper limit on its pulsed fraction of 34%. The Chandra observations resolve the point source from the extended emission. We find that the point source's spectrum is well fit by a blackbody model, with temperature kT = 0.205 ± 0.009 keV, plus a weak power-law component, which is consistent with a thermally emitting neutron star with a magnetospheric component. The extended emission spans angular scales of a few arcseconds up to about 30'' from the point source and its spectrum is well fit by a power-law model with a photon index Γ = 1.70 ± 0.05. The extended emission's spectrum and 0.5–10 keV luminosity of 4 × 10 32 erg s −1 (at a plausible distance of 2 kpc) are consistent with that of a pulsar wind nebula. Based on a comparison to other GeV and X-ray pulsars, we find that this putative pulsar is likely a middle-aged (i.e., τ ∼ 0.1–1 Myr) radio-quiet pulsar with Ė~10 34 -10 35 erg s −1 .

Pulsars↗
NASA NTRS1966

Neutron stars as X-ray sources.

Neutron star structure and evolution from presupernovae stars including gravitational collapse and neutrino emission processes

GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE↗