Iron K-Line Emission from X-Ray Binaries

1988 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. 47-50
Author(s):  
K. Masai ◽  
S. Hayakawa ◽  
F. Nagase

AbstractEmission mechanisms of the iron Kα-lines in X-ray binaries are discussed in relation with the characteristic temperature Txof continuum radiation thereof. The 6.7 keV line is ascribed to radiative recombination followed by cascades in a corona of ∼ 100 eV formed above the accretion disk. This mechanism is attained for Tx≲ 10 keV as observed for low mass X-ray binaries. The 6.4 keV line observed for binary X-ray pulsars with Tx> 10 keV is likely due to fluorescence outside the He II ionization front.

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtěch Šimon

Abstract 4U 1608–52 is a soft X-ray transient. The analysis presented here of a particular part of its X-ray activity uses observations of RXTE/ASM and Swift/BAT. We show a time segment (MJD 54262–MJD 55090) (828 d) in which 4U 1608–52 behaved as a quasi-persistent X-ray source with a series of bumps, with a complicated relation between the evolution of fluxes in the soft (1.5–12 keV) and the hard (15–50 keV) X-ray regions. We ascribe these bumps to a series of propagations of heating and cooling fronts over the inner disk region without any transitions to the true quiescence. 4U 1608–52 oscillated around the boundary between the dominance of the Comptonized component and the dominance of the multicolor accretion disk in its luminosity. Only some of the bumps in this series were accompanied by a transition from the hard to the soft state; if it occurred, it displayed a strong hysteresis effect. The hard-band emission with the dominant Comptonized component was present for most of this active state and showed a cycle of about 40 d. We argue that the cyclic variations of flux come from the inner disk region, not, e.g., from a jet. We also discuss the observed behavior of 4U 1608–52 in the context of other quasi-persistent low-mass X-ray binaries.


1987 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 199-199
Author(s):  
J. Shaham ◽  
M. Tavani

Spectral observations of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) show that the soft component usually dominates over the hard one. These results provide additional support to an interpretation based on models of LMXBs in which the neutron star while, on the average, spinning up, is also experiencing a spinning down torque. Under these conditions, a fraction of the luminosity associated with the gravitational release of energy on the surface of the accreting neutron star may manifest itself as luminosity originating in the inner part of the accretion disk. It is probably possible to separate the two contributions; the stellar luminosity can be associated with the hard component of the spectrum and the disk luminosity, related to the exchange of energy due to the torque between the rapidly spinning neutron star and the accretion disk, can be associated with the soft spectral component.


1990 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 187-196
Author(s):  
T. R. Kallman

AbstractAccretion disk coronae are likely to be the dominant site for X-ray absorption and reprocessed emission in low mass X-ray binaries, and may be present in other classes of compact X-ray sources such as active galactic nuclei and cataclysmic variables. In spite of this fact, and in spite of the observational evidence for their existence, there remain many uncertainties about the structure of accretion disk coronae. This paper will discuss the coronal structure and dynamics, their X-ray spectral signatures including coupling to the variability behavior of compact X-ray sources, and the major unsolved theoretical issues surrounding them.


2004 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 128-129
Author(s):  
Włodek Kluźniak

AbstractNon-linear oscillations in the accretion disk are favored as an explanation of high-frequency QPOs observed in the light curves of low-mass X-ray binaries containing neutron stars, black holes, or white dwarfs.


2004 ◽  
Vol 194 ◽  
pp. 228-228
Author(s):  
T. Nagel ◽  
S. Dreizler ◽  
T. Rauch ◽  
K. Werner

We have developed a new code for the calculation of synthetic spectra and vertical structures of accretion disks in cataclysmic variables and compact X-ray binaries. Here we present results for the CV system AM CVn.AM CVn stars are a special type of cataclysmic variables, also called helium cataclysmics. They are systems of interacting binary white dwarfs, consisting of a degenerate C-O white dwarf primary and a low mass semi-degenerate secondary. The secondary loses mass, almost, pure helium, to the primary, forming an accretion disk. They have all in common a helium-rich composition, analoguous to the hydrogen-rich cataclysmic variables. They show photometric variabilities on time scales of ~ 1000s, the prototype of the class, AM CVn, e.g. exhibits a variability of ~ 18 min (Nelemans et al. 2001).


1996 ◽  
Vol 282 (4) ◽  
pp. 1437-1453 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Shahbaz ◽  
A. P. Smale ◽  
T. Naylor ◽  
P. A. Charles ◽  
J. van Paradijs ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 311-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Mescheryakov ◽  
N. I. Shakura ◽  
V. F. Suleimanov

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