The X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet flux evolution of SS Cygni throughout outburst

We present the most complete multiwavelength coverage of any dwarf nova outburst: simultaneous optical, Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer and Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of SS Cygni throughout a narrow asymmetric outburst. Our data show that the high-energy outburst begins in the X-ray waveband 0.9–1.4 d after the beginning of the optical rise and 0.6 d before the extreme-ultraviolet rise. The X-ray flux drops suddenly, immediately before the extreme-ultraviolet flux rise, supporting the view that both components arise in the boundary layer between the accretion disc and white dwarf surface. The early rise of the X-ray flux shows that the propagation time of the outburst heating wave may have been previously overestimated.
The transitions between X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet dominated emission are accompanied by intense variability in the X-ray flux, with time-scales of minutes. As detailed by Mauche & Robinson, dwarf nova oscillations are detected throughout the extreme-ultraviolet outburst, but we find they are absent from the X-ray light curve.
X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet luminosities imply accretion rates of  3 × 10¹⁵ g s⁻¹  in quiescence,  1 × 10¹⁶ g s⁻¹  when the boundary layer becomes optically thick, and  ∼10¹⁸ g s⁻¹  at the peak of the outburst. The quiescent accretion rate is two and a half orders of magnitude higher than predicted by the standard disc instability model, and we suggest this may be because the inner accretion disc in SS Cyg is in a permanent outburst state.     

X-ray and ultraviolet observations of the dwarf nova VW Hyi in quiescence

We present an analysis of X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) data of the dwarf nova VW Hyi that were obtained with XMM–Newton during the quiescent state. The X-ray spectrum indicates the presence of an optically thin plasma in the boundary layer that cools as it settles on to the white dwarf. The plasma has a continuous temperature distribution that is well described by a power law or a cooling flow model with a maximum temperature of 6–8 keV. We estimate from the X-ray spectrum a boundary layer luminosity of  8 × 10³⁰ erg s^-1  , which is only 20 per cent of the disc luminosity. The rate of accretion on to the white dwarf is  5 × 10⁻¹² M_⊙ yr⁻¹  , about half of the rate in the disc. From the high-resolution X-ray spectra, we estimate that the X-ray emitting part of the boundary layer is rotating with a velocity of 540 km s⁻¹, which is close to the rotation velocity of the white dwarf but is significantly smaller than the Keplerian velocity. We detect a 60-s quasi-periodic oscillation of the X-ray flux, which is likely to be due to the rotation of the boundary layer. The X-ray and the UV flux show strong variability on a time-scale of ∼1500 s. We find that the variability in the two bands is correlated and that the X-ray fluctuations are delayed by ∼100 s. The correlation indicates that the variable UV flux is emitted near the transition region between the disc and the boundary layer and that accretion rate fluctuations in this region are propagated to the X-ray emitting part of the boundary layer within ∼100 s. An orbital modulation of the X-ray flux suggests that the inner accretion disc is tilted with respect to the orbital plane. The elemental abundances in the boundary layer are close to their solar values.     

High-speed energy-resolved STJ photometry of the eclipsing binary UZ For

We present high-time-resolution optical photometry of the eclipsing binary UZ For using a superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) device, a photon-counting array detector with intrinsic energy resolution. Three eclipses of the ∼18-mag 126.5-min orbital binary were observed using a 6×6 array of tantalum STJs at the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope on La Palma. The detector presently provides individual photon arrival-time accuracy to about 5 μs, and a wavelength resolution of about 60 nm at 500 nm, with each array element capable of counting up to ∼5000 photon s⁻¹. The data allow us to place accurate constraints on the accretion geometry from our time- and spectrally resolved monitoring, especially of the eclipse ingress and egress. We find that there are two small accretion regions, located close to the poles of the white dwarf. The positions of these are accurately constrained, and show little movement from eclipse to eclipse, even over a number of years. The colour of the emission from the two regions appears similar, although their X-ray properties are known to be significantly different: we argue that the usual accretion shock may be absent at the non-X-ray-emitting region, and instead the flow here interacts directly with the white dwarf surface; alternatively, a special grazing occultation of this region is required. There is no evidence for any quasi-periodic oscillations on time-scales of the order of seconds, consistent with relatively stable cyclotron cooling in each accretion region.     

Indirect imaging of the accretion stream in eclipsing polars – II. HU Aquarii

We apply our technique for indirect imaging of the accretion stream to the polar HU Aquarii, using eclipse profiles observed when the system was in a high accretion state. The accretion stream is relatively luminous, contributing as much as the accretion region on the white dwarf, or more, to the overall system brightness. We model the eclipse profiles using a model stream consisting of a ballistic trajectory from the L1 point followed by a magnetically channelled trajectory that follows a dipole field line out of the orbital plane. We perform model fits using two geometries: a stream that accretes on to both footpoints of the field line, and a stream that accretes only on to the footpoint of the field line above the orbital plane. The stream images indicate that the distribution of emission along the stream is not a simple function of the radial distance from the white dwarf. The stream is redirected by the magnetic field of the white dwarf at a distance 1.0–1.3×10¹⁰ cm from the white dwarf; this implies a mass transfer rate in the range 8–76×10¹⁶ g s⁻¹. The absorption dips in the light curve indicate that the magnetically entrained part of the stream moves from 42° to 48° from the line of centres over the three nights of observation. This is in close agreement with the results of the one-footpoint models, suggesting that this is the more appropriate geometry for these data. The stream images show that, in almost all sections of the stream, the flux peaks in B and is successively fainter in U , V and R .     

Rotation and activity in the solar-type stars of NGC 2547

We present high-resolution spectroscopy of a sample of 24 solar-type stars in the young (15–40 Myr), open cluster NGC 2547. We use our spectra to confirm cluster membership in 23 of these stars, to determine projected equatorial velocities and chromospheric activity, and to search for the presence of accretion discs. We find examples of both fast ( v _e sin  i >50 km s⁻¹) and slow ( v _e sin  i <10 km s⁻¹) rotators, but no evidence for active accretion in any of the sample. The distribution of projected rotation velocities is indistinguishable from the slightly older IC 2391 and IC 2602 clusters, implying similar initial angular momentum distributions and circumstellar disc lifetimes. The presence of very slow rotators indicates either that long (10–40 Myr) disc lifetimes or internal differential rotation are needed, or that NGC 2547 (and IC 2391/2602) were born with more slowly rotating stars than are presently seen in even younger clusters and associations. The solar-type stars in NGC 2547 follow a similar rotation–activity relationship to that seen in older clusters. X-ray activity increases until a saturation level is reached for v _e sin  i >15–20 km s⁻¹. We are unable to explain why this saturation level, of log( L _x L _bol)≃−3.3, is a factor of 2 lower than in other clusters, but rule out anomalously slow rotation rates or uncertainties in X-ray flux calculations.     

Return mapping of phases and the analysis of the gravitational clustering hierarchy

We present spectroscopic and high-speed photometric data of the eclipsing polar V895 Cen. We find that the eclipsed component is consistent with it being the accretion regions on the white dwarf. This is in contrast to Stobie et al. who concluded that the eclipsed component was not the white dwarf. Further, we find no evidence for an accretion disc in our data. From our Doppler tomography results, we find that the white dwarf has   M ≳0.7 M_⊙  . Our indirect imaging of the accretion stream suggests that the stream is brightest close to the white dwarf. When we observed V895 Cen in its highest accretion state, emission was concentrated along field lines leading to the upper pole. There is no evidence for enhanced emission at the magnetic coupling region.     

The X-ray eclipse of OY Car resolved with XMM–Newton: X-ray emission from the polar regions of the white dwarf

We present the XMM–Newton X-ray eclipse light curve of the dwarf nova OY Car. The eclipse ingress and egress are well resolved for the first time in any dwarf nova placing strong constraints on the size and the location of the X-ray emitting region. We find good fits to a simple linear eclipse model, giving ingress/egress durations of  30 ± 3 s (Δφ_orb= 0.0054 ± 0.0005)  . Remarkably, this is shorter than the ingress/egress duration of the sharp eclipse in the optical, as measured by Wood et al. (1989) and ascribed to the white dwarf  (43 ± 2 s)  . We also find that the X-ray eclipse is narrower than the optical eclipse by  14 ± 2 s  , which is precisely the difference required to align the second and third contact points of the X-ray and optical eclipses. We discuss these results and conclude that X-ray emission in OY Car arises most likely from the polar regions of the white dwarf.
Our data were originally reported by Ramsay et al. (2001b) , but they did not make a quantitative measurement of eclipse parameters. We have also corrected important timing anomalies present in the data available at that time.     

HST and ground-based eclipse observations of V2051 Ophiuchi: binary parameters

We report on high-speed eclipse photometry of the dwarf nova V2051 Oph while it was in a low brightness state, at B  ≃ 16.2 mag. In comparison with the average IUE spectra, the ultraviolet continuum and emission lines appear reduced by factors of, respectively, ≃ 4 and ≃ 5. Flickering activity is mostly suppressed and the light curve shows the eclipse of a compact white dwarf at the disc centre which contributes ≃ 60 per cent of the total light at 3900–4300 Å. We use measurements of contact phases in the eclipse light curve to derive the binary geometry and to estimate masses and relevant dimensions. We find a mass ratio of q  = 0.19 ± 0.03 and an inclination of i  = 83 ± 2°. The masses of the component stars are M ₁ = 0.78 ± 0.06 M⊙ and M ₂ = 0.15 ± 0.03 M⊙. Our photometric model predicts K ₁ = 83 ± 12 km s⁻¹ and K ₂ = 436 ± 11 km s⁻¹. The predicted value of K₁ is in accordance with the velocity amplitude obtained from the emission lines after a correction for asymmetric line emission in the disc is made. The secondary of V2051 Oph is significantly more massive than the secondaries of the other ultrashort period dwarf novae. V2051 Oph is probably a relatively young system, with a secondary star that has not had enough time to evolve out of thermal equilibrium.     

Emission-line oscillations in the dwarf nova V2051 Ophiuchi

We have detected coherent oscillations, at multiple frequencies, in the line and continuum emission of the eclipsing dwarf nova V2051 Ophiuchi using the 10-m Keck II telescope. Our own novel data acquisition system allowed us to obtain very fast spectroscopy using a continuous readout of the CCD on the LRIS spectrograph. This is the first time that dwarf nova oscillations have been detected and resolved in the emission lines. The accretion disc is highly asymmetric with a stronger contribution from the blueshifted side of the disc during our observations. The disc extends from close to the white dwarf out to the outer regions of the primary Roche lobe.
Continuum oscillations at 56.12 s and its first harmonic at 28.06 s are most likely to originate on the surface of a spinning white dwarf with the fundamental period corresponding to the spin period. Balmer and helium emission lines oscillate with a period of 29.77 s at a mean amplitude of 1.9 per cent. The line kinematics and the eclipse constraints indicate an origin in the accretion disc at a radius of 12±2 R _wd. The amplitude of the emission-line oscillation modulates (0–4 per cent) at a period of 488 s, corresponding to the Kepler period at R =12 R _wd. This modulation is caused by the beating between the white dwarf spin and the orbital motion in the disc.
The observed emission-line oscillations cannot be explained by a truncated disc as in the intermediate polars. The observations suggest a non-axisymmetric bulge in the disc, orbiting at 12 R _wd, is required. The close correspondence between the location of the oscillations and the circularization radius of the system suggests that stream overflow effects may be of relevance.     

The radial velocity of the companion star in the low-mass X-ray binary 2S 0921–630: limits on the mass of the compact object

In this paper we report on optical spectroscopic observations of the low-mass X-ray binary 2S 0921–630 obtained with the Very Large Telescope. We found sinusoidal radial velocity variations of the companion star with a semi-amplitude of  99.1 ± 3.1 km s⁻¹  modulated on a period of 9.006 ± 0.007 d, consistent with the orbital period found previously for this source, and a systemic velocity of  44.4 ± 2.4 km s⁻¹  . Owing to X-ray irradiation, the centre of light measured by the absorption lines from the companion star is probably shifted with respect to the centre of mass. We try to correct for this using the so-called K -correction. Conservatively applying the maximum correction possible and using the previously measured rotational velocity of the companion star, we find a lower limit to the mass of the compact object in 2S 0921–630 of   M_X sin³ i > 1.90 ± 0.25 M_⊙  (1σ errors). The inclination in this system is well constrained since partial eclipses have been observed in X-ray and optical bands. For inclinations in the range  60° < i < 90°  we find  1.90 ± 0.25 < M_X < 2.9 ± 0.4 M_⊙  . However, using this maximum K -correction we find that the ratio between the mass of the companion star and that of the compact object, q , is 1.32 ± 0.37, implying super-Eddington mass-transfer rates; however, evidence for that has not been found in 2S 0921–630. We conclude that the compact object in 2S 0921–630 is either a (massive) neutron star or a low-mass black hole.     

Discovery of type I X-ray bursts from the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1708 – 40

We report the discovery of type I X-ray bursts from the low-mass X-ray binary  4U 1708 − 40  during the 100-ks observation performed by BeppoSAX on 1999 August 15–16. Six X-ray bursts have been observed. The unabsorbed 2–10 keV fluxes of the bursts range from ∼3 to  9 × 10⁻¹⁰ erg cm⁻² s⁻¹  . A correlation between peak flux and fluence of the bursts is found, in agreement with the behaviour observed in other similar sources. There is a trend of the burst flux to increase with the time interval from the previous burst. From the value of the persistent flux we infer a mass accretion rate     , which may correspond to the mixed hydrogen/helium burning regime triggered by thermally unstable hydrogen. We have also analysed a BeppoSAX observation performed on 2001 August 22 and previous RXTE observations of  4U 1708 − 40  , where no bursts have been observed; we find persistent fluxes of more than a factor of 7 higher than the persistent flux observed during the BeppoSAX observation showing X-ray bursts.     

Shock oscillation model for quasi-periodic oscillations in stellar mass and supermassive black holes

We numerically examine centrifugally supported shock waves in 2D rotating accretion flows around a stellar mass  (10 M_⊙)  and a supermassive  (10⁶ M_⊙)  black holes over a wide range of input accretion rates of     . The resultant 2D shocks are unstable with time and the luminosities show quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) with modulations of a factor of 2–3 and with periods of a tenth of a second to several hours, depending on the black hole masses. The shock oscillation model may explain the intermediate frequency QPOs with 1–10 Hz observed in the stellar mass black hole candidates and also suggest the existence of QPOs with the period of hours in active galactic nuclei. When the accretion rate     is low, the luminosity increases in proportion to the accretion rate. However, when     greatly exceeds the Eddington critical rate     , the luminosity is insensitive to the accretion rate and is kept constantly around  ∼3 L _E  . On the other hand, the mass-outflow rate     increases in proportion to     and it amounts to about a few per cent of the input mass-flow rate.     

Spectroscopic observations of the eclipsing polar MN Hya (RX J0929–24)

We present low–medium resolution optical spectroscopy of the eclipsing AM Her system MN Hya (RX J0929–24). We determine the magnetic field strength at the primary accretion region of the white dwarf to be 42 MG from the spacing of cyclotron features visible during π ∼ 0.4–0.7. From spectra taken during the eclipse we find that the secondary has an M3–4 spectral type. Combined with the eclipse photometry of Sekiguchi, Nakada &38; Bassett and an estimate of the interstellar extinction we find a distance of ∼300–700 pc. We find unusual line variations at π ∼ 0.9: Hα is seen in absorption and emission. This is at the same point in the orbital phase at which a prominent absorption dip is seen in soft X-rays.     

A comparison of white dwarf mass estimators using the intermediate polar XY Ari

We determine the mass of the white dwarf in the eclipsing intermediate polar XY Ari following the method given in Cropper, Ramsay &38; Wu using a multitemperature bremsstrahlung model. By fitting X-ray spectra from Ginga RXTE and ASCA we find that the mean of the best fits to the data taken using different detectors is M _wd = 1.28 ± 0.04 M⊙. This figure is too high to be consistent with the mass of the white dwarf found by Hellier from X-ray eclipse timings. There are also small systematic differences between the masses derived using different X-ray satellites.     

The bottom magnetic field and magnetosphere evolution of neutron star in low-mass X-ray binary

The accretion-induced neutron star (NS) magnetic field evolution is studied through considering the accretion flow to drag the field lines aside and dilute the polar-field strength, and as a result the equatorial field strength increases, which is buried inside the crust on account of the accretion-induced global compression of star crust. The main conclusions of model are as follows: (i) the polar field decays with increase in the accreted mass; (ii) the bottom magnetic field strength of about 10⁸ G can occur when the NS magnetosphere radius approaches the star radius, and it depends on the accretion rate as     ; and (iii) the NS magnetosphere radius decreases with accretion until it reaches the star radius, and its evolution is little influenced by the initial field and the accretion rate after accreting  ∼0.01 M_⊙  , which implies that the magnetosphere radii of NSs in low-mass X-ray binaries would be homogeneous if they accreted the comparable masses. As an extension, the physical effects of the possible strong magnetic zone in the X-ray NSs and recycled pulsars are discussed. Moreover, the strong magnetic fields in the binary pulsars PSR 1831−00 and PSR 1718−19 after accreting about  0.5 M_⊙  in the binary-accretion phase,  8.7 × 10¹⁰  and  1.28 × 10¹² G  , respectively, can be explained through considering the incomplete frozen flow in the polar zone. As an expectation of the model, the existence of the low magnetic field  (∼3 × 10⁷ G)  NSs or millisecond pulsars is suggested.     

The discovery of 12-min X-ray pulsations from 1WGA J1958.2+3232

During a systematic search for periodic signals in a sample of ROSAT PSPC (0.1–2.4 keV) light curves, we have discovered ∼12-min large-amplitude X-ray pulsations in 1WGA J1958.2+3232, an X-ray source which lies close to the Galactic plane. The energy spectrum is well fitted by a power law with a photon index of 0.8, corresponding to an X-ray flux level of ∼ 10⁻¹² erg cm⁻² s⁻¹. The source is probably a long-period, low-luminosity X-ray pulsar, similar to X Per, or an intermediate polar.     

The formation of the black hole in the X-ray binary system V404 Cyg

Using new and archival radio data, we have measured the proper motion of the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cyg to be  9.2 ± 0.3 mas yr⁻¹  . Combined with the systemic radial velocity from the literature, we derive the full three-dimensional heliocentric space velocity of the system, which we use to calculate a peculiar velocity in the range 47–102 km s⁻¹, with a best-fitting value of 64 km s⁻¹. We consider possible explanations for the observed peculiar velocity and find that the black hole cannot have formed via direct collapse. A natal supernova is required, in which either significant mass  (∼11 M_⊙)  was lost, giving rise to a symmetric Blaauw kick of up to ∼65 km s⁻¹, or, more probably, asymmetries in the supernova led to an additional kick out of the orbital plane of the binary system. In the case of a purely symmetric kick, the black hole must have been formed with a mass  ∼9 M_⊙  , since when it has accreted  0.5–1.5 M_⊙  from its companion.     

ASCA X-ray observations of EX Hya: spin-resolved spectroscopy

We analyse the spectral changes over the spin modulation in the intermediate polar EX Hya using archival ASCA data. We find that the modulation can be modelled as either (1) the effect of occultation of the accretion poles by the limb of the white dwarf, or (2) the effect of phase-dependent photoelectric absorption. We argue, on the basis of the partial X-ray eclipse, that the accretion columns in the system are tall, with shock height ∼ R _wd, and hence that the spin modulation is caused mainly by occultation. We find that the temperature distribution along the accretion shocks is incompatible with the calculations of Aizu, except for a restricted parameter regime with a high M _wd. Hence the material in the shock must cool faster than predicted by theory.     

What is the nature of RX J0720.4–3125?

RX J0720.4–3125 has recently been identified as a pulsating soft X-ray source in the ROSAT all-sky survey with a period of 8.391 s. Its spectrum is well characterized by a blackbody with a temperature of 8 × 10⁵ K. We propose that the radiation from this object is thermal emission from a cooling neutron star. For this blackbody temperature we can obtain a robust estimate of the object's age of ∼ 3 × 10⁵ yr, yielding a polar field ∼ 10¹⁴ G for magnetic dipole spin-down and a value of P compatible with current observations.     

The effect of supernova heating on cluster properties and constraints on galaxy formation models

We report the detection of a 5.8 Å– 10⁴ s periodicity in the 0.5–10 keV X-ray light curve of the Seyfert galaxy IRAS 18325–5926, obtained from a 5-d ASCA observation. Nearly nine cycles of the periodic variation are seen; it shows no strong energy dependence and has an amplitude of about 15 per cent. Unlike most other well-studied Seyfert galaxies, there is no evidence for strong power-law red noise in the X-ray power spectrum of IRAS 18325–5926. Scaling from the QPOs found in Galactic black hole candidates suggests that the mass of the black hole in IRAS 18325–5926 is ∼ 6 Å– 10⁶–4 Å– 10⁷ M_⊙.