Monte Carlo Simulations of Thermal Comptonization Process in a Two Component Advective Flow around a Neutron Star [HEAP]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1901.00842


We explore spectral properties of a Two-Component Advective Flow (TCAF) around a neutron star. We compute the effects of thermal Comptonization of soft photons emitted from a Keplerian disc and the boundary layer of the neutron star by the post-shock region of a sub-Keplerian flow, formed due to the centrifugal barrier. The shock location $X_s$ is also the inner edge of the Keplerian disc. We compute a series of realistic spectra assuming a set of electron temperatures of the post-shock region $T_{CE}$, the temperature of the normal boundary layer (NBOL) $T_{NS}$ of the neutron star and the shock location $X_s$. These parameters depend on the disc and halo accretion rates ($\dot{m_d}$ and $\dot{m_h}$, respectively) which control the resultant spectra. We find that the spectrum becomes harder when $\dot{m}h$ is increased. The spectrum is controlled strongly by $T{NS}$ due to its proximity to the Comptonizing cloud since photons emitted from the NBOL cool down the post-shock region very effectively. We also show the evidence of spectral hardening as the inclination angle of the disc is increased.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Bhattacharjee and S. Chakrabarti
Fri, 4 Jan 19
38/38

Comments: 28 pages, 14 figures, 1 table