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NASA NTRS2006

X-ray Emission from Millisecond Pulsars

Isolated (solitary or non-accreting) millisecond pulsars with observed X-ray emission can be divided in two distinct groups: those emitting nonthermal (magnetospheric) radiation and pulsars with the bulk of X-rays of a thermal origin, presumably emitted from small hot spots around the magnetic poles on the neutron star surface (polar caps). I will discuss properties of X-ray emission detected with Chandra and XMM-Newton from a number of millisecond pulsars, with emphasis on those of the thermal component, and compare them with predictions of radio pulsar models.

Zavlin, Vyacheslav↗

NASA NTRS2009

Search for Gamma-Ray Millisecond Pulsars with the Fermi LAT

Prior to the launch of Fermi, only weak gamma-ray pulsations from a single millisecond pulsar, PSR J0218+4232, had been reported. A firm detection of gamma rays from a member of this class of pulsar having periods near neutron star break-up and magnetic dipole moments well below those of normal pulsars would provide new insights into pulsar acceleration and emission. Using accurate ephemerides obtained from several radio telescopes as well as the unprecedented accuracy of the GPS-derived clocks used by Fermi and the LAT, we have searched for gamma-ray pulsations from known pulsars over a broad range of timing parameters. We will present some results from our search for pulsed gamma rays from millisecond pulsars.

Harding, Alice K.↗

NASA NTRS1998

An X-ray Pulsar with a Superstrong Magnetic Field in the Soft Gamma-Ray Repeater SGR1806-20

Soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) emit multiple, brief (approximately O.1 s) intense outbursts of low-energy gamma-rays. They are extremely rare; three are known in our galaxy and one in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Two SGRs are associated with young supernova remnants (SNRs), and therefore most probably with neutron stars, but it remains a puzzle why SGRs are so different from 'normal' radio pulsars. Here we report the discovery of pulsations in the persistent X-ray flux of SGR1806-20, with a period of 7.47 s and a spindown rate of 2.6 x 10(exp -3) s/yr. We argue that the spindown is due to magnetic dipole emission and find that the pulsar age and (dipolar) magnetic field strength are approximately 1500 years and 8 x 10(exp 14) gauss, respectively. Our observations demonstrate the existence of 'magnetars', neutron stars with magnetic fields about 100 times stronger than those of radio pulsars, and support earlier suggestions that SGR bursts are caused by neutron-star 'crust-quakes' produced by magnetic stresses. The 'magnetar' birth rate is about one per millenium, a substantial fraction of that of radio pulsars. Thus our results may explain why some SNRs have no radio pulsars.

Kouveliotou, C.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Locating the Accretion Footprint on a Herbig Ae Star: MWC 480

Accretion is a fundamental process which establishes the dynamics of the protoplanetary disk and the final properties of the forming star. In solar-type stars, the star-disk coupling is determined by the magnetic field structure, which is responsible for funneling material from the disk midplane to higher latitudes on the star. Here, we use pan-chromatic data for the Herbig Ae star MWC 480 to address whether similar processes occur in intermediate-mass stars. MWC 480 has X-ray emission typical of actively accreting Herbig Ae stars, but with 5-9 x more photoelectric absorption than expected from optical and FUV data. We consider 3 sources for the absorption: the disk absorption in a wind or jet, and accretion. While we detect the disk in scattered light in are-analysis of archival HST data. the data are consistent with grazing illumination of the dust disk. We find that MWC 480's disk is stratified, geometrically thin, and is not responsible for the observed photoelectric absorption. MWC 480 drives a bipolar jet, but with a mass loss rate which is low compared to other Herbig Ae stars, where the outflow is more favorably oriented and enhanced photoelectric absorption is not seen. This excludes a jet or wind origin for the enhanced photoelectric absorption. We compare MWC 480's 0 VI emission with other Herbig Ae stars. The distribution of the emission in inclination, and lack of a correlation of profile shape and system inclination excludes equatorially-confined accretion for the FUSE Herbig Ae stars. The photoelectric absorption data further suggest that the accretion footprint on MWC 480 and other Herbig Ae stars is located at high temperate, rather than polar, latitudes. These findings support the presence of funneled accretion in MWC 480 and Herbig Ae stars, strengthening the parallel to T Tauri stars.

Grady, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS2014

On the Nature of the Hard X-Ray Sources SWIFT J1907.3-2050, IGR J12123-5802 and IGR J19552+0044

The INTEGRAL and Swift hard X-ray surveys have identified a large number of new sources, among which many are proposed as Cataclysmic Variables (CVs). Here we present the first detailed study of three X-ray selected CVs, Swift J1907.3-2050, IGRJ12123-5802, and IGRJ19552+0044 based on XMM-Newton, Suzaku, Swift observations and ground based optical and archival nIR/IR data. Swift J1907.3-2050 is highly variable from hours to monthsyears at all wavelengths. No coherent X-ray pulses are detected but rather transient features. The X-ray spectrum reveals a multi-temperature optically thin plasma absorbed by complex neutral material and a soft black body component arising from a small area. These characteristics are remarkably similar to those observed in magnetic CVs. A supra-solar abundance of nitrogen could arise from nuclear processed material from the donor star. Swift J1907.3-2050 could be a peculiar magnetic CV with the second longest (20.82 h) binary period. IGRJ12123-5802 is variable in the X-rays on a timescale of approximately or greater than 7.6 h. No coherent pulsations are detected, but its spectral characteristics suggest that it could be a magnetic CV of the Intermediate Polar (IP) type. IGRJ19552+0044 shows two X-ray periods, approximately 1.38 h and approximately 1.69 h and a X-ray spectrum characterized by a multi-temperature plasma with little absorption.We derive a low accretion rate, consistent with a CV below the orbital period gap. Its peculiar nIR/IR spectrum suggests a contribution from cyclotron emission. It could either be a pre-polar or an IP with the lowest degree of asynchronism.

X-ray Sources↗

NASA NTRS2013

On the Nature of the Hard X-ray Sources SWIFT J1907.3-2050, IGR J12123-5802 and IGR J19552+0044

The INTEGRAL and Swift hard X-ray surveys have identified a large number of new sources, among which many are proposed as Cataclysmic Variables (CVs). Here we present the first detailed study of three X-ray selected CVs, Swift J1907.3-2050, IGRJ12123-5802, and IGRJ19552+0044 based on XMM-Newton, Suzaku, Swift observations and ground based optical and archival near-infrared/infrared data. Swift J1907.3-2050 is highly variable from hours to months-years at all wavelengths. No coherent X-ray pulses are detected but rather transient features. The X-ray spectrum reveals a multi-temperature optically thin plasma absorbed by complex neutral material and a soft black body component arising from a small area. These characteristics are remarkably similar to those observed in magnetic CVs. A supra-solar abundance of nitrogen could arise from nuclear processed material from the donor star. Swift J1907.3-2050 could be a peculiar magnetic CV with the second longest (20.82 hours) binary period. IGRJ12123-5802 is variable in the X-rays on a timescale of greater than or approximately 7.6 hours. No coherent pulsations are detected, but its spectral characteristics suggest that it could be a magnetic CV of the Intermediate Polar (IP) type. IGRJ19552+0044 shows two X-ray periods, approximately 1.38 hours and approximately 1.69 hours and a X-ray spectrum characterized by a multi-temperature plasma with little absorption. We derive a low accretion rate, consistent with a CV below the orbital period gap. Its peculiar near-infrared/infrared spectrum suggests a contribution from cyclotron emission. It could either be a pre-polar or an IP with the lowest degree of asynchronism.

individual:↗

DOE OSTI2017

The Slow Orbital Evolution of the Accreting Millisecond Pulsar IGR J0029+5934

The accreting millisecond pulsars IGR J00291+5934 and SAX J1808.4–3658 are two compact binaries with very similar orbital parameters. The latter has been observed to evolve on a very short timescale of ∼70 Myr, which is more than an order of magnitude shorter than expected. There is an ongoing debate on the possibility that the pulsar spin-down power ablates the companion, generating large amounts of mass-loss in the system. Therefore it is interesting to study whether IGR J00291+5934 does show a similar behavior as its twin system SAX J1808.4–3658. In this work we present the first constraints on the orbital period derivative of IGR J00291+5934. By using XMM-Newton data recorded during the 2015 outburst and adding the previous results of the 2004 and 2008 outbursts, we are able to measure a 90% confidence level allowed range of −5×10{sup −13}< P-dot {sub b}<6×10{sup −13}. This implies that the binary is evolving on a timescale longer than 0.5 Gyr, which is compatible with the expected timescale of mass transfer driven by angular momentum loss via gravitational radiation. We discuss the scenario in which the power loss from magnetic dipole radiation of the neutron star is hitting the companion star. If this model is applied to SAX J1808.4–3658, then the difference in orbital behavior can be ascribed to a different efficiency for the conversion of the spin-down power into energetic relativistic pulsar wind and X-ray/gamma-ray radiation for the two pulsars, with IGR J00291+5934 requiring an extraordinarily low efficiency of less than ∼5% to explain the observations. We thus conclude that the pulsar wind ablation model is unlikely to be an accurate description of the mechanism driving the orbital evolution of the two systems.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1981

Theory of stellar coronae - An interpretation of X-ray emission from non-degenerate stellar sources

It is shown that the acoustic wave heating theory of stellar coronae explains neither Einstein Observatory coronae data nor previous UV and X-ray observations of the sun and other stars, on the evidence of data implying that magnetic fields, stellar rotation rates and convection zone parameters figure in the determination of coronal heating. Einstein Observatory results suggest that O-type star coronae are heated by the interaction of turbulent stellar winds with slowly-decaying primordial magnetic fields or by radiative instabilities in the flow. The apparent absence of coronae in Ap stars is due to the stability of atmospheres in which even weak convection is suppressed by the strong field. Dynamo action is implicated in some normal A-type stars and in F- and later-type dwarfs. Coronal characteristics of dMe and dM stars, close binaries, and K- and M-type giants are also considered.

Linsky, J. L.↗

DOE OSTI2017

GMC Collisions as Triggers of Star Formation. IV. The Role of Ambipolar Diffusion

We investigate the role of ambipolar diffusion (AD) in collisions between magnetized giant molecular clouds (GMCs), which may be an important mechanism for triggering star cluster formation. Three-dimensional simulations of GMC collisions are performed using a version of the Enzo magnetohydrodynamics code that has been extended to include AD. The resistivities are calculated using the 31-species chemical model of Wu et al. (2015). We find that in the weak-field, 10 μG case, AD has only a modest effect on the dynamical evolution during the collision. However, for the stronger-field, 30 μG case involving near-critical clouds, AD results in the formation of dense cores in regions where collapse is otherwise inhibited. The overall efficiency of formation of cores with n{sub H}⩾10{sup 6} cm{sup −3} in these simulations is increases from about 0.2% to 2% once AD is included, comparable to observed values in star-forming GMCs. The gas around these cores typically has relatively slow infall at speeds that are a modest fraction of the free-fall speed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1991

Magnetic confinement, Alfven wave reflection, and the origins of X-ray and mass-loss 'dividing lines' for late-type giants and supergiants

A simple qualitative model for the origin of the coronal and mass-loss dividing lines separating late-type giants and supergiants with and without hot, X-ray-emitting corona, and with and without significant mass loss is discussed. The basic physical effects considered are the necessity of magnetic confinement for hot coronal material on the surface of such stars and the large reflection efficiency for Alfven waves in cool exponential atmospheres. The model assumes that the magnetic field geometry of these stars changes across the observed 'dividing lines' from being mostly closed on the high effective temperature side to being mostly open on the low effective temperature side.

Rosner, R.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Electromagnetic radiation from axion condensates in a time dependent magnetic field

Time dependent magnetic fields can be sourced by spinning neutron stars, orbiting binaries and merging neutron stars. We consider electromagnetic radiation from axion condensates in the background of an alternating magnetic field. We find that a resonant peak in radiation can occur when the frequency of the alternating magnetic field is comparable with the axion mass scale. More interestingly, in situations where the frequency of the alternating magnetic field itself changes with time, as can be the case in binary mergers due to a steady increase in orbital frequency, the resonant peak in radiation may occur for a range of axion mass scales scanned by the time-varying magnetic field frequency.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

IN-SYNC. II. VIRIAL STARS FROM SUBVIRIAL CORES—THE VELOCITY DISPERSION OF EMBEDDED PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS IN NGC 1333

The initial velocity dispersion of newborn stars is a major unconstrained aspect of star formation theory. Using near-infrared spectra obtained with the APOGEE spectrograph, we show that the velocity dispersion of young (1-2 Myr) stars in NGC 1333 is 0.92 ± 0.12 km s{sup –1} after correcting for measurement uncertainties and the effect of binaries. This velocity dispersion is consistent with the virial velocity of the region and the diffuse gas velocity dispersion, but significantly larger than the velocity dispersion of the dense, star-forming cores, which have a subvirial velocity dispersion of 0.5 km s{sup –1}. Since the NGC 1333 cluster is dynamically young and deeply embedded, this measurement provides a strong constraint on the initial velocity dispersion of newly formed stars. We propose that the difference in velocity dispersion between stars and dense cores may be due to the influence of a 70 μG magnetic field acting on the dense cores or be the signature of a cluster with initial substructure undergoing global collapse.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Electron and muon dynamics in neutron stars beyond chemical equilibrium

A neutron star harbors $\mathcal{O}$(10 56 ) electrons in its core, and almost the same number of muons, with muon decay prohibited by Pauli blocking. However, as macroscopic properties of the star such as its mass, rotational velocity, or magnetic field evolve over time, the equilibrium lepton abundances (dictated by the weak interactions) change as well. Scenarios where this can happen include spin-down, accretion, magnetic field decay, and tidal deformation. Here, we discuss the mechanisms by which a star disrupted in one of these ways re-establishes lepton chemical equilibrium. In most cases, the dominant processes are out-of-equilibrium Urca reactions, the rates of which we compute for the first time. If, however, the equilibrium muon abundance decreases, while the equilibrium electron abundance increases (or decreases less than the equilibrium muon abundance), outward diffusion of muons plays a crucial role as well. This is true in particular for stars older than about 10 4 yrs whose core has cooled to ≲ 20 keV. The muons decay in a region where Pauli blocking is lifted, and we argue that these decays lead to a flux of Script $\mathcal{O}$(10 MeV) neutrinos. Realistically, however, this flux will remain undetectable for the foreseeable future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2016

Bright hot impacts by erupted fragments falling back on the sun: magnetic channelling

Dense plasma fragments were observed to fall back on the solar surface by the Solar Dynamics Observatory after an eruption on 2011 June 7, producing strong extreme-ultraviolet brightenings. Previous studies investigated impacts in regions of weak magnetic field. Here we model the ∼300 km s{sup −1} impact of fragments channelled by the magnetic field close to active regions. In the observations, the magnetic channel brightens before the fragment impact. We use a 3D-MHD model of spherical blobs downfalling in a magnetized atmosphere. The blob parameters are constrained from the observation. We run numerical simulations with different ambient densitie and magnetic field intensities. We compare the model emission in the 171 Å channel of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly with the observed one. We find that a model of downfall channelled in an ∼1 MK coronal loop confined by a magnetic field of ∼10–20 G, best explains qualitatively and quantitatively the observed evolution. The blobs are highly deformed and further fragmented when the ram pressure becomes comparable to the local magnetic pressure, and they are deviated to be channelled by the field because of the differential stress applied by the perturbed magnetic field. Ahead of them, in the relatively dense coronal medium, shock fronts propagate, heat, and brighten the channel between the cold falling plasma and the solar surface. This study shows a new mechanism that brightens downflows channelled by the magnetic field, such as in accreting young stars, and also works as a probe of the ambient atmosphere, providing information about the local plasma density and magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

A NOVEL PARADIGM FOR SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS WITH EXTENDED X-RAY EMISSION

The merger of a binary of neutron stars provides natural explanations for many of the features of short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs), such as the generation of a hot torus orbiting a rapidly rotating black hole, which can then build a magnetic jet and provide the energy reservoir to launch a relativistic outflow. However, this scenario has problems explaining the recently discovered long-term and sustained X-ray emission associated with the afterglows of a subclass of SGRBs. We propose a new model that explains how an X-ray afterglow can be sustained by the product of the merger and how the X-ray emission is produced before the corresponding emission in the gamma-band, though it is observed to follow it. Overall, our paradigm combines in a novel manner a number of well-established features of the emission in SGRBs and results from simulations. Because it involves the propagation of an ultra-relativistic outflow and its interaction with a confining medium, the paradigm also highlights a unifying phenomenology between short and long GRBs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1990

Studies of solar type stars

Satellite observations show a change of 0.1 percent in solar irradiance over the past decade. The question arises as to whether larger changes in irradiance may occur over century time scales. Researchers approached this question by looking at changes in surface magnetism, since the satellite observations also show that irradiance and surface magnetism are correlated. To obtain information on possible variations in surface magnetism over century-long intervals, researchers looked at records of surface magnetism spanning up to 20 years for a sample of 74 stars of solar type, i.e., of similar age and mass to the sun. The histories of these stars, observed in random phases of their long-term variability, give a snapshot at any one time of the behavior of a solar-type star over long periods of time. Evidence on Maunder Minimum phases and levels of magnetic activity in these solar-type stars are compared with information on solar magnetism. Implications for solar irradiance changes are discussed.

Baliunas, Sallie↗

DOE OSTI2021

Methods for a blind analysis of isobar data collected by the STAR collaboration

In 2018, the STAR collaboration collected data from $_{44}^{96}{\mathrm{Ru}}+_{44}^{96}{\mathrm{Ru}}$ and $_{40}^{96}{\mathrm{Zr}}+_{40}^{96}{\mathrm{Zr}}$ at $\sqrt{s_\text {NN}}=200$ GeV to search for the presence of the chiral magnetic effect in collisions of nuclei. The isobar collision species alternated frequently between $_{44}^{96}{\mathrm{Ru}}+_{44}^{96}{\mathrm{Ru}}$ and $_{40}^{96}{\mathrm{Zr}}+_{40}^{96}{\mathrm{Zr}}$ . In order to conduct blind analyses of studies related to the chiral magnetic effect in these isobar data, STAR developed a three-step blind analysis procedure. Analysts are initially provided a “reference sample” of data, comprised of a mix of events from the two species, the order of which respects time-dependent changes in run conditions. After tuning analysis codes and performing time-dependent quality assurance on the reference sample, analysts are provided a species-blind sample suitable for calculating efficiencies and corrections for individual $\approx 30$-min data-taking runs. For this sample, species-specific information is disguised, but individual output files contain data from a single isobar species. Only run-by-run corrections and code alteration subsequent to these corrections are allowed at this stage. Following these modifications, the “frozen” code is passed over the fully un-blind data, completing the blind analysis. As a check of the feasibility of the blind analysis procedure, analysts completed a “mock data challenge,” analyzing data from Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\text {NN}}=27$ GeV, collected in 2018. The Au + Au data were prepared in the same manner intended for the isobar blind data. Finally, the details of the blind analysis procedure and results from the mock data challenge are presented.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

The role of the turbulence driving mode for the initial mass function

Turbulence is a critical ingredient for star formation, yet its role for the initial mass function (IMF) is not fully understood. Here we perform magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of star cluster formation including gravity, turbulence, magnetic fields, stellar heating, and outflow feedback to study the influence of the mode of turbulence driving on IMF. We find that simulations that employ purely compressive turbulence driving (COMP) produce a higher fraction of low-mass stars as compared to simulations that use purely solenoidal driving (SOL). The characteristic (median) mass of the sink particle (protostellar) distribution for COMP is shifted to lower masses by a factor of ∼1.5 compared to SOL. Our simulation IMFs capture the important features of the observed IMF form. We find that turbulence-regulated theories of the IMF match our simulation IMFs reasonably well in the high-mass and low-mass range, but underestimate the number of very low-mass stars, which form towards the later stages of our simulations and stop accreting due to dynamical interactions. Our simulations show that for both COMP and SOL, the multiplicity fraction is an increasing function of the primary mass, although the multiplicity fraction in COMP is higher than that of SOL for any primary mass range. We find that binary mass ratio distribution is independent of the turbulence driving mode. The average specific angular momentum of the sink particles in SOL is a factor of 2 higher than that for COMP. Overall, we conclude that the turbulence driving mode plays a significant role in shaping the IMF.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗