Category Archives: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

Progenitors of Low Redshift Gamma-ray Bursts [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.15081


Bimodal distribution of the observed duration of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has led to two distinct progenitors; compact star mergers, either two neutron stars (NSs) or a NS and a black hole (BH), for short GRBs (SGRBs), and so-called collapsars for long GRBs (LGRBs). It is therefore expected that formation rate (FR) of LGRBs should be similar to the cosmic star formation rate (SFR), while that of SGRBs to be delayed relative to the SFR. The localization of some LGRBs in and around the star forming regions of host galaxies and some SGRBs away form such regions support this expectation. Another distinct feature of SGRBs is their association with gravitational wave (GW) sources and kilonovae. However, several independent investigations of the FRs of long and short bursts, using the Efron-Petrosian non-parametric method have shown a LGRB FR that is significantly larger than SFR at low redhift, and similar to the FR of SGRBs. In addition, recent discovery of association of a low redshift long GRB211211A with a kilonova raises doubt about its collapsar origin. In this letter we review these results and show that low redshift LGRBs could also have compact star mergers as progenitor increasing the expected rate of the GW sources and kilonovae significantly.

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P. Vah/’e and M. Dainotti
Thu, 25 May 23
64/64

Comments: 6 pages, 4 figures of two panels

Point source contribution to the Diffuse X-ray Background below 1 keV and its effect on our understanding of the circum-galactic medium [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.14484


We studied the spectral signature of different components of the Diffuse X-ray Background (DXB), including Local Hot Bubble (LHB), Solar Wind Charge Exchange (SWCX), Galactic Halo, and typically unresolved point sources (galaxies and AGN), in the direction of the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS) using the 4 Ms XMM-Newton survey and Chandra 4 Ms Source Catalog. In this paper, we present our results showing how the different components contribute to the DXB below 1 keV. In particular, we have found that ~6% of the emission at 3/4 keV (all-sky average value ~ 3$\times10^{-3}$ cm$^{-6}$pc), which is typically associated with Galactic Halo (GH) and Circum-galactic medium (CGM) is, in fact, due to emission from typically unresolved galaxies.
We will discuss the effect that this has on our understanding of GH and CGM, and to our understanding of the missing CGM baryons.

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S. Huang, N. Cappelluti, M. Galeazzi, et. al.
Thu, 25 May 23
64/64

Comments: 18 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables

GRB 201015A and the nature of low-luminosity soft gamma-ray bursts [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.14491


GRB 201015A is a peculiarly low luminosity, spectrally soft gamma-ray burst (GRB), with $T_{\rm 90} = 9.8 \pm 3.5$ s (time interval of detection of 90\% of photons from the GRB), and an associated supernova (likely to be type Ic or Ic-BL). GRB 201015A has an isotropic energy $E_{\gamma,\rm iso} = 1.75 ^{+0.60} {-0.53} \times 10^{50}$ erg, and photon index $\Gamma = 3.00 ^{+0.50} _{-0.42}$ (15-150 keV). It follows the Amati relation, a correlation between $E{\gamma,\rm iso}$ and spectral peak energy $E_{\rm p}$ followed by long GRBs. It appears exceptionally soft based on $\Gamma$, the hardness ratio of HR = $0.47 \pm 0.24$, and low-$E_{\rm p}$, so we have compared it to other GRBs sharing these properties. These events can be explained by shock breakout, poorly collimated jets, and off-axis viewing. Follow-up observations of the afterglow taken in the X-ray, optical, and radio, reveal a surprisingly late flattening in the X-ray from $t = (2.61 \pm 1.27)\times 10^4$ s to $t = 1.67 ^{+1.14} {-0.65} \times 10^6$ s. We fit the data to closure relations describing the synchrotron emission, finding the electron spectral index to be $p = 2.42 ^{+0.44} _{-0.30}$, and evidence of late-time energy injection with coefficient $q = 0.24 ^{+0.24} _{-0.18}$. The jet half opening angle lower limit ($\theta{j} \ge 16^{\circ}$) is inferred from the non-detection of a jet break. The launch of SVOM and Einstein Probe in 2023, should enable detection of more low luminosity events like this, providing a fuller picture of the variety of GRBs.

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M. Patel, B. Gompertz, P. O’Brien, et. al.
Thu, 25 May 23
64/64

Comments: 15 pages, 4 figures

Confronting the neutron star population with inverse cascades [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.14347


The origin and evolution of magnetic fields of neutron stars from birth has long been a source of debate. Here, motivated by recent simulations of the Hall cascade with magnetic helicity, we invoke a model where the large-scale magnetic field of neutron stars grows as a product of small-scale turbulence through an inverse cascade. We apply this model to a simulated population of neutron stars at birth and show how this model can account for the evolution of such objects across the $P\dot{P}$ diagram, explaining both pulsar and magnetar observations. Under the assumption that small-scale turbulence is responsible for large-scale magnetic fields, we place a lower limit on the spherical harmonic degree of the energy-carrying magnetic eddies of $\approx 40$. Our results favor the presence of a highly resistive pasta layer at the base of the neutron star crust. We further discuss the implications of this paradigm on direct observables, such as the nominal age and braking index of pulsars.

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N. Sarin, A. Brandenburg and B. Haskell
Wed, 24 May 23
81/81

Comments: Submitted. 6 pages, 3 figures

Understanding Binary Systems — a Comparison between COSMIC and MESA [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.13328


We compare the evolution of binary systems evolved in the MESA stellar evolution code to those in the COSMIC population synthesis code. Our aim is to convey the robustness of the equations that model binary evolution in the COSMIC code, particularly for the cases of high mass stars with closely orbiting compact object companions. Our larger goal is to accurately model the rates of these systems, as they are promising candidates for the progenitor systems behind energetic, longer lasting, radio bright GRB jets. These systems also may be key contributors to the rates of binary black hole mergers throughout our universe.

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L. Kenoly, A. Luu, C. Toral, et. al.
Wed, 24 May 23
81/81

Comments: to appear in RNAAS

Diffuse Neutrino Flux Based on the Rates of Core-Collapse Supernovae and Black Hole Formation Deduced from a Novel Galactic Chemical Evolution Model [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.13543


Fluxes of the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) are calculated based on a new modeling of galactic chemical evolution, where a variable stellar initial mass function (IMF) depending on the galaxy type is introduced and black hole (BH) formation from the failed supernova is considered for progenitors heavier than 18$M_{\odot}$. The flux calculations are performed for different combinations of the star formation rate, nuclear equation of state, and neutrino mass hierarchy to examine the systematic effects from these factors. In any case, our new model predicts the enhanced DSNB $\bar{\nu}{e}$ flux at $E\nu \gtsim 30$~MeV and $E_\nu \ltsim 10$~MeV due to more frequent BH formation and a larger core collapse rate at high redshifts in the early-type galaxies, respectively. Event rate spectra of the DSNB $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ at a detector from the new model are shown and detectability at water-based Cherenkov detectors, SK-Gd and Hyper-Kamiokande, is discussed. In order to investigate impacts of the assumptions in the new model, we prepare alternative models based on the different IMF form and treatment of BH formation, and estimate discrimination capabilities between the new and alternative models at these detectors.

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Y. Ashida, K. Nakazato and T. Tsujimoto
Wed, 24 May 23
81/81

Comments: 11 pages, 10 figures, 1 table

Diffuse Neutrino Flux Based on the Rates of Core-Collapse Supernovae and Black Hole Formation Deduced from a Novel Galactic Chemical Evolution Model [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.13543


Fluxes of the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) are calculated based on a new modeling of galactic chemical evolution, where a variable stellar initial mass function (IMF) depending on the galaxy type is introduced and black hole (BH) formation from the failed supernova is considered for progenitors heavier than 18$M_{\odot}$. The flux calculations are performed for different combinations of the star formation rate, nuclear equation of state, and neutrino mass hierarchy to examine the systematic effects from these factors. In any case, our new model predicts the enhanced DSNB $\bar{\nu}{e}$ flux at $E\nu \gtsim 30$~MeV and $E_\nu \ltsim 10$~MeV due to more frequent BH formation and a larger core collapse rate at high redshifts in the early-type galaxies, respectively. Event rate spectra of the DSNB $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ at a detector from the new model are shown and detectability at water-based Cherenkov detectors, SK-Gd and Hyper-Kamiokande, is discussed. In order to investigate impacts of the assumptions in the new model, we prepare alternative models based on the different IMF form and treatment of BH formation, and estimate discrimination capabilities between the new and alternative models at these detectors.

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Y. Ashida, K. Nakazato and T. Tsujimoto
Wed, 24 May 23
81/81

Comments: 11 pages, 10 figures, 1 table

Explaining the GeV excess with exploding black holes [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.13434


Black holes may form in present-day collapse of microscopic structures of dark matter. We show that, if microstructure black holes (MSBH) with mass $m\sim 10^{13}~g$ are produced, the spectrum of gamma rays from their evaporation agrees remarkably well with the GeV excess observed by Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, while still avoiding all observational constraints. We also discuss the generic requirements for MSBHs to explain the GeV excess.

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Z. Picker and A. Kusenko
Wed, 24 May 23
81/81

Comments: letter—4 pages 1 figure

Constraints on the gamma-ray emission from Small Solar System Bodies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope data [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.12436


All known Small Solar System Bodies have diameters between a few meters and a few thousands of kilometers. Based on the collisional evolution of Solar System Bodies, a larger number of asteroids with diameters down to $\sim 2$ m is thought to exist. As all Solar System Bodies, Small Bodies can be passive sources of high-energy gamma rays, produced by the interaction of energetic cosmic rays impinging on their surfaces. Since the majority of known asteroids are in orbits between Mars and Jupiter (in a region known as the Main Belt), we expect them to produce a diffuse emission close to the ecliptic plane. In this work we have studied the gamma-ray emission coming from the ecliptic using the data collected by the Large Area Telescope onboard the Fermi satellite. We have fit the results with simulations of the gamma-ray intensity at source level (calculated with the software FLUKA) to constrain the Small Solar System Bodies population. Finally, we have proposed a model describing the distribution of asteroid sizes and we have used the LAT data to constrain the gamma-ray emission expected from this model and, in turn, on the model itself.

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S. Gaetano, L. Venere, F. Gargano, et. al.
Tue, 23 May 23
77/77

Comments: 21 pages, 18 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ;

Exploring the high energy frontiers of the Milky Way with ground-based gamma-ray astronomy: PeVatrons and the quest for the origin of Galactic cosmic-rays [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.12729


Cosmic rays (CRs) are charged particles that arrive at Earth isotropically from all directions and interact with the atmosphere. The presence of a spectral knee feature seen in the CR spectrum at $\sim$3 PeV energies is an evidence that astrophysical objects within our Galaxy, which are known as ‘Galactic PeVatrons’, are capable of accelerating particles to PeV energies. Scientists have been trying to identify the origin of Galactic CRs and have been looking for signatures of Galactic PeVatrons through neutral messengers. Recent advancements in ground-based $\gamma$-ray astronomy have led to the discovery of 12 Galactic sources emitting above 100 TeV energies, and even the first time detection of PeV photons from the direction of the Crab Nebula and the Cygnus region. These groundbreaking discoveries have opened up the field of ultra-high energy (UHE, E$>$100 TeV) $\gamma$-ray astronomy, which can help us explore the high energy frontiers of our Galaxy, hunt for PeVatron sources, and shed light on the century-old problem of the origin of CRs. This review article provides an overview of the current state of the art and potential future directions for the search for Galactic PeVatrons using ground-based $\gamma$-ray observations.

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E. Angüner
Tue, 23 May 23
77/77

Comments: This review article is accepted for publication in Turkish Journal of Physics (57 pages, 24 figures)

Observational properties of a bright type Iax SN 2018cni and a faint type Iax SN 2020kyg [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.12713


We present the optical photometric and spectroscopic analysis of two type Iax SNe 2018cni and 2020kyg. SN 2018cni is a bright type Iax SN (M${V,peak}$ = $-$17.81$\pm$0.21 mag) whereas SN 2020kyg (M${V,peak}$ = $-$14.52$\pm$0.21 mag) is a faint one. We derive $^{56}$Ni mass of 0.07 and 0.002 M${\odot}$, ejecta mass of 0.48 and 0.14 M${\odot}$ for SNe 2018cni and 2020kyg, respectively. A combined study of the bright and faint type Iax SNe in $R/r$- band reveals that the brighter objects tend to have a longer rise time. However, the correlation between the peak luminosity and decline rate shows that bright and faint type Iax SNe exhibit distinct behaviour. Comparison with standard deflagration models suggests that SN 2018cni is consistent with the deflagration of a CO white dwarf whereas the properties of SN 2020kyg can be better explained by the deflagration of a hybrid CONe white dwarf. The spectral features of both the SNe point to the presence of similar chemical species but with different mass fractions. Our spectral modelling indicates stratification at the outer layers and mixed inner ejecta for both the SNe.

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M. Singh, D. Sahu, R. Dastidar, et. al.
Tue, 23 May 23
77/77

Comments: 18 pages, 18 figures, Accepted for Publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Density and magnetic intensity dependence of radio pulses induced by energetic air showers [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11668


We have studied the effect of changing the density and magnetic field strength in the coherent pulses that are emitted as energetic showers develop in the atmosphere. For this purpose we have developed an extension of ZHS, a program to calculate coherent radio pulses from electromagnetic showers in homogeneous media, to account for the Lorentz force due to a magnetic field. This makes it possible to perform quite realistic simulations of radio pulses from air showers in a medium similar to the atmosphere but without variations of density with altitude. The effects of independently changing the density, the refractive index and the magnetic field strength are studied in the frequency domain for observers in the Cherenkov direction at far distances from the shower. This approach is particularly enlightening providing an explanation of the spectral behavior of the induced electric field in terms of shower development parameters. More importantly, it clearly displays the complex scaling properties of the pulses as density and magnetic field intensity are varied. The usually assumed linear behavior of electric field amplitude with magnetic field intensity is shown to hold up to a given magnetic field strength at which the extra time delays due to the deflection in the magnetic field break it. Scaling properties of the pulses are obtained as the density of air decreases relative to sea level. A remarkably accurate scaling law is obtained that relates the spectra of pulses obtained when reducing the density and increasing the magnetic field.

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J. Ammerman-Yebra, J. Alvarez-Muñiz and E. Zas
Mon, 22 May 23
4/60

Comments: 27 pages, 14 figures

Fast Neutrino Flavor Conversions can Help and Hinder Neutrino-Driven Explosions [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11207


We present the first simulations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) in axial symmetry (2D) with feedback from fast neutrino flavor conversion (FFC). Our schematic treatment of FFCs assumes instantaneous flavor equilibration under the constraint of lepton-number conservation. Systematically varying the spatial domain where FFCs are assumed to occur, we find that they facilitate SN explosions in low-mass (9-12 solar masses) progenitors that otherwise explode with longer time delays, whereas FFCs weaken the tendency to explode of higher-mass (around 20 solar masses) progenitors.

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J. Ehring, S. Abbar, H. Janka, et. al.
Mon, 22 May 23
14/60

Comments: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PRL

Emergence of hot corona and truncated disk in simulations of accreting stellar mass black holes [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11429


Stellar mass black holes in X-ray binaries (XRBs) are known to display different states characterized by different spectral and timing properties, understood in the framework of a hot corona coexisting with a thin accretion disk whose inner edge is truncated. There are several open questions related to the nature and properties of the corona, the thin disk, and dynamics behind the hard state. This motivated us to perform two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of accretion flows onto a 10 solar masses black hole. We consider a two-temperature plasma, incorporate radiative cooling with bremmstrahlung, synchrotron and comptonization losses and approximate the Schwarzschild spacetime via a pseudo-Newtonian potential. We varied the mass accretion rate in the range 0.02 <= Mdot/Mdot_Edd <= 0.35. Our simulations show the natural emergence of a colder truncated thin disk embedded in a hot corona, as required to explain the hard state of XRBs. We found that as Mdot increases, the corona contracts and the inner edge of the thin disk gets closer to the event horizon. At a critical accretion rate 0.02 <= Mdot_crit\Mdot_Edd <= 0.06, the thin disk disappears entirely. We discuss how our simulations compare with XRB observations in the hard state.

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R. Nemmen, A. Vemado, I. Almeida, et. al.
Mon, 22 May 23
21/60

Comments: Submitted to MNRAS Letters

Extragalactic neutrino factories [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11263


Identifying the astrophysical sources responsible for the high-energy cosmic neutrinos has been a longstanding challenge. In a previous work, we report evidence for a spatial correlation between blazars from the 5th Roma-BZCat catalog and neutrino data of the highest detectable energies, i.e. >0.1 PeV, collected by the IceCube Observatory in the southern celestial hemisphere. The statistical significance is found at the level of 2 x 10^{-6} post-trial. In this work we test whether a similar correlation exists in the northern hemisphere, were IceCube is mostly sensitive to <0.1 PeV energies. We find a consistent correlation between blazars and northern neutrino data at the pre-trial p-value of 5.12 x 10^{-4}, and a post-trial chance probability of 6.79 x 10^{-3}. Combining the post-trial probabilities observed for the southern and northern experiments yields a global post-trial chance probability of 2.59 x 10^{-7} for the genuineness of such correlation. This implies that the spatial correlation is highly unlikely to arise by chance. Our studies push forward an all-sky subset of 52 objects as highly likely PeVatron extragalactic accelerators.

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S. Buson, A. Tramacere, L. Oswald, et. al.
Mon, 22 May 23
28/60

Comments: Under review, feedback welcome

The origin of low-redshift event rate excess as revealed by the low-luminosity GRBs [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11380


The relation between the event rate of long Gamma-Ray Bursts at low redshift and the star formation rate is still controversial, especially in the low-redshift end. Dong et al. confirmed that the Gamma-Ray Burst rate always exceeds the star formation rate at low-redshift of z < 1 in despite of the sample completeness. However, the reason of low-redshift excess is still unclear. Considering low-luminosity bursts with smaller redshift generally, we choose three Swift long burst samples and classify them into low- and high-luminosity bursts in order to check whether the low-redshift excess is existent and if the excess is biased by the sample size and completeness. To degenerate the redshift evolution from luminosity, we adopt the non-parametric method to study the event rate of the two types of long bursts in each sample. It is found that the high-luminosity burst rates are consistent with the star formation rate within the whole redshift range while the event rates of low-luminosity bursts exceed the star formation rate at low redshift of z < 1. Consequently, we conclude that the low-redshift excess is contributed by the low-luminosity bursts with possibly new origins unconnected with the star formation, which is also independent of the sample size and the sample completeness.

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X. Dong, Z. Zhang, Q. Li, et. al.
Mon, 22 May 23
51/60

Comments: 15 pages, 5 figures, sumitted

Two-Screen Scattering in CRAFT FRBs [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11477


Temporal broadening is a commonly observed property of fast radio bursts (FRBs), associated with turbulent media which cause radiowave scattering. Similarly to dispersion, scattering is an important probe of the media along the line of sight to an FRB source, such as the circum-burst or circum-galactic mediums (CGM). Measurements of characteristic scattering times alone are insufficient to constrain the position of the dominant scattering media along the line of sight. However, where more than one scattering screen exists, Galactic scintillation can be leveraged to form strong constraints. We quantify the scattering and scintillation in 10 FRBs with 1) known host galaxies and redshifts and 2) captured voltage data enabling high time resolution analysis, obtained from the Commensal Real-time ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) Fast Transient survey science project (CRAFT). We find strong evidence for two screens in three cases. For FRBs 20190608B and 20210320C, we find evidence for scattering screens less than approximately 16.7 and 3000 kpc respectively, from their sources. For FRB 20201124A we find evidence for a scattering screen at $\approx$26 kpc. Each of these measures is consistent with the scattering occurring in the host ISM (inter-stellar medium) or CGM. If pulse broadening is assumed to be contributed by the host galaxy ISM or circum-burst environment, the definitive lack of observed scintillation in four FRBs in our sample suggests that existing models may be over-estimating scattering times associated with the Milky Way’s ISM, similar to the anomalously low scattering observed for FRB 20201124A.

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M. Sammons, A. Deller, M. Glowacki, et. al.
Mon, 22 May 23
53/60

Comments: 13 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. Submitted to MNRAS

The First X-ray Polarization Observation of the Black Hole X-ray Binary 4U 1630-47 in the Steep Power Law State [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10630


The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observed the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630-47 in the steep power law (or very high) state. The observations reveal a linear polarization degree of the 2-8 keV X-rays of 6.8 +/- 0.2 % at a position angle of 21{\deg}.3 +/- 0{\deg}.9 East of North (all errors at 1{\sigma} confidence level). Whereas the polarization degree increases with energy, the polarization angle stays constant within the accuracy of our measurements. We compare the polarization of the source in the steep power-law state with the previous IXPE measurement of the source in the high soft state. We find that even though the source flux and spectral shape are significantly different between the high soft state and the steep power-law state, their polarization signatures are similar. Assuming that the polarization of both the thermal and power-law emission components are constant over time, we estimate the power-law component polarization to be 6.8-7.0% and note that the polarization angle of the thermal and power-law components must be approximately aligned. We discuss the implications for the origin of the power-law component and the properties of the emitting plasma.

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N. Cavero, L. Marra, H. Krawczynski, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
4/46

Comments: 14 pages, 2 tables, 6 figures

A transient ultraviolet outflow in the short-period X-ray binary UW CrB [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10793


Accreting low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are capable of launching powerful outflows such as accretion disc winds. In disc winds, vast amounts of material can be carried away, potentially greatly impacting the binary and its environment. Previous studies have uncovered signatures of disc winds in the X-ray, optical, near-infrared, and recently even the UV band, predominantly in LMXBs with large discs ($P_{orb}{\geq}20$ hrs). Here, we present the discovery of transient UV outflow features in UW CrB, a high-inclination ($i{\geq}77$\deg) neutron star LMXB with an orbital period of only $P_{orb}{\approx}111$ min. We present P-Cygni profiles detected for Si iv 1400\r{A} and tentatively for N v 1240\r{A} in one 15 min exposure, which is the only exposure covering orbital phase $\phi{\approx}0.7{-}0.8$, with a velocity of ${\approx}1500$ km/s. We show that due to the presence of black body emission from the neutron star surface and/or boundary layer, a thermal disc wind can be driven despite the short $P_{orb}$, but explore alternative scenarios as well. The discovery that thermal disc winds may occur in NS-LMXBs with $P_{orb}$ as small as ${\approx}111$ min, and can potentially be transient on time scales as short as ${\approx}15$ min, warrants further observational and theoretical work.

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S. Fijma, N. Segura, N. Degenaar, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
20/46

Comments: 5 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to MNRAS

The precursor of GRB211211A: a tide-induced giant quake? [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10682


The equilibrium configuration of a solid strange star in the final inspiral phase with another compact object is generally discussed, and the starquake-related issue is revisited, for a special purpose to understand the precursor emission of binary compact star merger events (e.g., that of GRB211211A). As the binary system inspirals inward due to gravitational wave radiation, the ellipticity of the solid strangeon star increases due to the growing tidal field of its compact companion. Elastic energy is hence accumulated during the inspiral stage which might trigger a starquake before the merger when exceeds a critical value. The energy released during such starquakes is calculated and compared to the precursor observation of GRB211211A. The result shows that the energy might be insufficient for binary strangeon-star case unless the entire solid strangeon star shatters, and hence favors a black hole-strangeon star scenario for GRB211211A. The timescale of the precursor as well as the frequency of the observed quasi-periodic-oscillation have also been discussed in the starquake model.

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E. Zhou, Y. Gao, Y. Zhou, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
22/46

Comments: 10 pages, 7 figures; comments are welcome!

Lepto-hadronic interpretation of 2021 RS Ophiuchi nova outburst [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10735


Very high energy (VHE; 100 GeV $<$ E $\leq$ 100 TeV) and high energy (HE; 100 MeV $<$ E $\leq$ 100 GeV) gamma-rays were observed from the symbiotic recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph) during its outburst in August 2021, by various observatories such as High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC), and {\it Fermi}-Large Area Telescope (LAT). The models explored so far tend to favor a hadronic scenario of particle acceleration over an alternative leptonic scenario. This paper explores a time-dependent lepto-hadronic scenario to explain the emission from the RS Oph source region. We have used simultaneous low frequency radio data observed by various observatories, along with the data provided by H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and \textit{Fermi}-LAT, to explain the multi-wavelength (MWL) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) corresponding to 4 days after the outburst. Our results show that a lepto-hadronic interpretation of the source not only explains the observed HE-VHE gamma-ray data but the corresponding model synchrotron component is also consistent with the first 4 days of low radio frequency data, indicating the presence of non-thermal radio emission at the initial stage of nova outburst. We have also calculated the expected neutrino flux from the source region and discussed the possibility of detecting neutrinos.

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A. Sarkar, N. J., N. Roy, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
30/46

Comments: 18 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ)

Fast particle acceleration in 3D hybrid simulations of quasi-perpendicular shocks [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10511


We use hybrid (kinetic ions — fluid electrons) kinetic simulations to investigate particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification at non-relativistic, weakly magnetized, quasi-perpendicular shocks. Unlike 2D simulations, 3D runs show that protons develop a non-thermal tail spontaneously (i.e., from the thermal bath and without pre-existing magnetic turbulence). They are rapidly accelerated via shock drift acceleration up to a maximum energy determined by their escape upstream.

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L. Orusa and D. Caprioli
Fri, 19 May 23
33/46

Comments: 6 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to PRL

The LHAASO PeVatron bright sky: what we learned [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10526


The recent detection of 12 gamma-ray Galactic sources well above E > 100 TeV by the LHAASO observatory has been a breakthrough in the context of Cosmic Ray (CR) origin search. Although most of these sources are unidentified, they are often spatially correlated with leptonic accelerators, like pulsar and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). This dramatically affects the paradigm for which a gamma-ray detection at E > 100 TeV implies the presence of a hadronic accelerator of PeV particles (PeVatron). Moreover, the LHAASO results support the idea that sources other than the standard candidates, Supernova Remnants, can accelerate Galactic CRs. In this context, the good angular resolution of future Cherenkov telescopes, such as the ASTRI Mini-Array and CTA, and the higher sensitivity of future neutrino detectors, such as KM3NeT and IceCube-Gen2, will be of crucial importance. In this brief review, we want to summarize the efforts done up to now, from both theoretical and experimental points of view, to fully understand the LHAASO results in the context of the CR acceleration issue.

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M. Cardillo and A. Giuliani
Fri, 19 May 23
35/46

Comments: Accepted for the special Issue “High Energy Multi-Messenger Astrophysics: Latest Research and Reviews” of the journal “Applied Science”

Time-independent Simulations of Steady-State Accretion with Nuclear Burning [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10627


We construct a new formulation that allows efficient exploration of steady-state accretion processes onto compact objects. Accretion onto compact objects is a common scenario in astronomy. These systems serve as laboratories to probe the nuclear burning of the accreted matter. Conventional stellar evolution codes have been developed to simulate in detail the nuclear reactions on the compact objects. In order to follow the case of steady burning, however, using these codes can be very expensive as they are designed to follow a time-dependent problem. Here we introduce our new code $\textsc{StarShot}$, which resolves the structure of the compact objects for the case of stable thermonuclear burning, and is able to follow all nuclear species using an adaptive nuclear reaction network and adaptive zoning. Compared to dynamical codes, the governing equations can be reduced to time-independent forms under the assumption of steady-state accretion. We show an application to accreting low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with accretion onto a neutron-star as compact object. The computational efficiency of $\textsc{StarShot}$ allows to to explore the parameter space for stable burning regimes, and can be used to generate initial conditions for time-dependent evolution models.

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K. Tse, A. Heger, R. Hirai, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
36/46

Comments: 11 pages, 4 figures

Multiple Peaks and a Long Precursor in the Type IIn Supernova 2021qqp: An Energetic Explosion in a Complex Circumsteller Environment [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11168


We present detailed optical photometry and spectroscopy of the Type IIn supernova (SN) 2021qqp. Its unusual light curve is marked by a long gradual brightening (i.e., precursor) for about 300 days, a rapid increase in brightness for about 60 days, and then a sharp increase of about 1.6 mag in only a few days to a first peak of $M_r\approx -19.5$ mag. The light curve then turns over and declines rapidly, until it re-brightens to a second distinct and sharp peak with $M_r\approx -17.3$ mag centered at about 335 days after the first peak. The spectra are dominated by Balmer-series lines with a complex morphology that includes a narrow component with a width of $\approx 1300$ km s$^{-1}$ (first peak) and $\approx 2500$ km s$^{-1}$ (second peak) that we associate with the circumstellar medium (CSM), and a P Cygni component with an absorption velocity of $\approx 8500$ km s$^{-1}$ (first peak) and $\approx 5600$ km s$^{-1}$ (second peak) that we associate with the SN-CSM interaction shell. Using the bolometric light curve and velocity evolution, we construct an analytical model to extract the CSM profile and SN properties. We find two significant mass-loss episodes with peak mass loss rates of $\approx 10$ M$\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ and $\approx 5$ M$\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ about 0.8 and 2 years before explosion, and a total CSM mass of $\approx 2-4\,M_\odot$. We show that the most recent mass-loss episode can explain the precursor for the year preceding the explosion. The SN ejecta mass is constrained to be $M_{\rm SN}\approx 5-30\,M_\odot$ for an explosion energy of $E_{\rm SN}\approx (3-10)\times10^{51}\,{\rm erg}$. We discuss eruptive massive stars (luminous blue variable, pulsational pair instability) and an extreme stellar merger with a compact object as possible progenitor channels for generating the energetic explosion in the complex CSM environment.

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D. Hiramatsu, T. Matsumoto, E. Berger, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
37/46

Comments: 20 pages, 7 figures, submitted to ApJ

Afterglow polarizations in a stratified medium with effect of the equal arrival time surface [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10590


The environment of gamma-ray burst (GRB) has an important influence on the evolution of jet dynamics and of its afterglow. Here we investigate the afterglow polarizations in a stratified medium with the equal arrival time surface (EATS) effect. Polarizations of multi-band afterglows are predicted. The effects of the parameters of the stratified medium on the afterglow polarizations are also investigated. We found the influences of the EATS effect on the afterglow polarizations become important for off-axis detections and PD bumps move to later times with the EATS effect. Even the magnetic field configurations, jet structure and observational angles are fixed, polarization properties of the jet emission could still evolve. Here, we assume a large-scale ordered magnetic field in the reverse-shock region and a two-dimensional random field in the forward-shock region. Then PD evolution is mainly determined by the evolution of $f_{32}$ parameter (the flux ratio between the reverse-shock region and forward-shock region) at early stage and by the evolution of the bulk Lorentz factor $\gamma$ at late stage. Through the influences on the $f_{32}$ or $\gamma$, the observational energy band, observational angles, and the parameters of the stratified medium will finally affect the afterglow polarizations.

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M. Lan, X. Wu and Z. Dai
Fri, 19 May 23
38/46

Comments: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted by ApJ

The first X-ray look at SMSS J114447.77-430859.3: the most luminous quasar in the last 9 Gyr [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10745


SMSS\,J114447.77-430859.3 ($z=0.83$) has been identified in the SkyMapper Southern Survey as the most luminous quasar in the last $\sim 9\,\rm Gyr$. In this paper, we report on the eROSITA/Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) observations of the source from the eROSITA All Sky Survey, along with presenting results from recent monitoring performed using Swift, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR. The source shows a clear variability by factors of $\sim 10$ and $\sim 2.7$ over timescales of a year and of a few days, respectively. When fit with an absorbed power law plus high-energy cutoff, the X-ray spectra reveal a $\Gamma=2.2 \pm 0.2$ and $E_{\rm cut}=23^{+26}{-5}\,\rm keV$. Assuming Comptonisation, we estimate a coronal optical depth and electron temperature of $\tau=2.5-5.3\, (5.2-8)$ and $kT=8-18\, (7.5-14)\,\rm keV$, respectively, for a slab (spherical) geometry. The broadband SED is successfully modelled by assuming either a standard accretion disc illuminated by a central X-ray source, or a thin disc with a slim disc emissivity profile. The former model results in a black hole mass estimate of the order of $10^{10}\,M\odot$, slightly higher than prior optical estimates; meanwhile, the latter model suggests a lower mass. Both models suggest sub-Eddington accretion when assuming a spinning black hole, and a compact ($\sim 10\,r_{\rm g}$) X-ray corona. The measured intrinsic column density and the Eddington ratio strongly suggest the presence of an outflow driven by radiation pressure. This is also supported by variation of absorption by an order of magnitude over the period of $\sim 900\,\rm days$.

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E. Kammoun, Z. Igo, J. Miller, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
39/46

Comments: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Production of $p$-nuclei from $r$-process seeds: the $νr$-process [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11050


We present a new nucleosynthesis process that may take place on neutron-rich ejecta experiencing an intensive neutrino flux. The nucleosynthesis proceeds similarly to the standard $r$-process, a sequence of neutron-captures and beta-decays, however with charged-current neutrino absorption reactions on nuclei operating much faster than beta-decays. Once neutron capture reactions freeze-out the produced $r$-process neutron-rich nuclei undergo a fast conversion of neutrons into protons and are pushed even beyond the $\beta$-stability line producing the neutron-deficient $p$-nuclei. This scenario, which we denote as the $\nu r$-process, provides an alternative channel for the production of $p$-nuclei and the short-lived nucleus $^{92}$Nb. We discuss the necessary conditions posed on the astrophysical site for the $\nu r$-process to be realized in nature. While these conditions are not fulfilled by current neutrino-hydrodynamic models of $r$-process sites, future models, including more complex physics and a larger variety of outflow conditions, may achieve the necessary conditions in some regions of the ejecta.

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Z. Xiong, G. Martínez-Pinedo, O. Just, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
42/46

Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PRL

Peering into the tilted heart of Cyg X-1 with high-precision optical polarimetry [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10813


We present the high-precision optical polarimetric observations of black hole X-ray binary Cyg X-1, spanning several cycles of its 5.6 day orbital period. Week-long observations on two telescopes located in opposite hemispheres allowed us to track the evolution of the polarization within one orbital cycle with the highest temporal resolution to date. Using the field stars, we determine the interstellar polarization in the source direction and subsequently its intrinsic polarization. The optical polarization angle is aligned with that in the X-rays as recently obtained with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. Furthermore, it is consistent, within the uncertainties, with the position angle of the radio ejections. We show that the intrinsic PD is variable with the orbital period with the amplitude of $\sim$0.2% and discuss various sites of its production. Assuming the polarization arises from a single Thomson scattering of the primary star radiation by the matter that follows the black hole in its orbital motion, we constrain the inclination of the binary orbit $i>120^\circ$ and its eccentricity $e<0.08$. The asymmetric shape of the orbital profiles of Stokes parameters implies also the asymmetry of the scattering matter distribution about the orbital plane, which may arise from the tilted accretion disk. We compare our data to the polarimetric observations made over 1975-1987 and find good, within $1^\circ$, agreement between the intrinsic polarization angles. On the other hand, the PD decreased by 0.4% over half a century, suggesting the presence of secular changes in the geometry of accreting matter.

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V. Kravtsov, A. Veledina, A. Berdyugin, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
45/46

Comments: 12 pages, 18 figures

Jump-starting relativistic flows, and the M87 jet [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09879


We point out the dominant importance of plasma injection effects for relativistic winds from pulsars and black holes. We demonstrate that outside the light cylinder the magnetically dominated outflows while sliding along the helical magnetic field move in fact nearly radially with very large Lorentz factors $\gamma_0 \gg 1 $, imprinted into the flow during pair production within the gaps. Only at larger distances, $r \geq \gamma_0 (c/\Omega)$, the MHD acceleration $\Gamma \propto r$ takes over. As a result, Blandford-Znajek (BZ) driven outflows would produce spine-brightened images, contrary to observations of the edge-brightened jet in M87. We conclude that M87 jet is not BZ-driven. Other implications include: (i) variability time scale of emission even from non-blazar AGNe like M87 and Cen A can be much shorter than the BH spin period; (ii) the model explains blazar-like phenomena in clearly non-aligned AGNe; (iii) in PIC simulations of pulsars’ and black holes’ magnetospheres with pair production, the pairs should be injected with large Lorentz factors – this would drastically change the resulting magnetospheric and inner-wind structure, if compared with pair injection at rest; (iv) the model resolves the problem of cyclotron absorption in the Crab pulsar wind.

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M. Lyutikov and A. Ibrahim
Thu, 18 May 23
5/67

Comments: N/A

Impact of radiative cooling on the magnetised geometrically thin accretion disk around Kerr black hole [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09698


It is believed that the spectral state transitions of the outbursts in X-ray binaries (XRBs) are triggered by the rise of the mass accretion rate due to underlying disc instabilities. Recent observations found that characteristics of disc winds are probably connected with the different spectral states, but the theoretical underpinnings of it are highly ambiguous. To understand the correlation between disc winds and the dynamics of the accretion flow, we have performed General Relativistic Magneto-hydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of an axisymmetric thin accretion disc with different accretion rates and magnetic field strengths. Our simulations have shown that the dynamics and the temperature properties depend on both accretion rates and magnetic field strengths. We later found that these properties greatly influence spectral properties. We calculated the average coronal temperature for different simulation models, which is correlated with high-energy Compton emission. Our simulation models reveal that the average coronal temperature is anti-correlated with the accretion rates, which is correlated with the magnetic field strengths. We also found that the structured component of the disc winds (Blandford-Payne disc wind) predominates as the accretion rates and magnetic field strengths increase. In contrast, the turbulent component of the disc winds ($B_{\rm tor}$ disc wind) predominates as the accretion rates and magnetic field strengths decrease. Our results suggest that the disc winds during an outburst in XRBs can only be understood if the magnetic field contribution varies over time (e.g., MAXI J1820+070).

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I. Dihingia, Y. Mizuno, C. Fromm, et. al.
Thu, 18 May 23
17/67

Comments: 15 pages, 16 figures

An optimized search for dark matter in the galactic halo with HAWC [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09861


The Galactic Halo is a key target for indirect dark matter detection. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory is a high-energy (~300 GeV to >100 TeV) gamma-ray detector located in central Mexico. HAWC operates via the water Cherenkov technique and has both a wide field of view of 2 sr and a >95% duty cycle, making it ideal for analyses of highly extended sources. We made use of these properties of HAWC and a new background-estimation technique optimized for extended sources to probe a large region of the Galactic Halo for dark matter signals. With this approach, we set improved constraints on dark matter annihilation and decay between masses of 10 and 100 TeV. Due to the large spatial extent of the HAWC field of view, these constraints are robust against uncertainties in the Galactic dark matter spatial profile.

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A. Albert, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, et. al.
Thu, 18 May 23
20/67

Comments: 19 pages, 14 figures

The geometry of the hot corona in MCG-05-23-16 constrained by X-ray polarimetry [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10213


We report on the second observation of the radio-quiet active galactic nucleus (AGN) MCG-05-23-16 performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The observation started on 2022 November 6 for a net observing time of 640 ks, and was partly simultaneous with NuSTAR (86 ks). After combining these data with those obtained in the first IXPE pointing on May 2022 (simultaneous with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) we find a 2-8 keV polarization degree $\Pi$ = 1.6 $\pm$ 0.7 (at 68 per cent confidence level), which corresponds to an upper limit $\Pi$ = 3.2 per cent (at 99 per cent confidence level). We then compare the polarization results with Monte Carlo simulations obtained with the MONK code, with which different coronal geometries have been explored (spherical lamppost, conical, slab and wedge). Furthermore, the allowed range of inclination angles is found for each geometry. If the best fit inclination value from a spectroscopic analysis is considered, a cone-shaped corona along the disc axis is disfavoured.

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D. Tagliacozzo, A. Marinucci, F. Ursini, et. al.
Thu, 18 May 23
25/67

Comments: 9 pages, 8 figures, 3 table. Submitted to MNRAS

Simple convective accretion flows (SCAFs): Explaining the $\approx-1$ density scaling of hot accretion flows around compact accretors [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09737


Recent simulations find that hot gas accretion onto compact accretors are often highly turbulent and diskless, and show power-law density profiles with slope $\alpha_\rho\approx-1$. These results are consistent with observational constraints, but do not match existing self-similar solutions of radiatively inefficient accretion flows. We develop a theory for this new class of accretion flows, which we dub simple convective accretion flows (SCAFs). We use a set of hydrodynamic simulations to provide a minimalistic example of SCAFs, and develop an analytic theory to explain and predict key flow properties. We demonstrate that the turbulence in the flow is driven locally by convection, and argue that radial momentum balance, together with an approximate up-down symmetry of convective turbulence, yields $\alpha_\rho=-1\pm~{\rm few}~0.1$. Empirically, for an adiabatic hydrodynamic flow with $\gamma\approx 5/3$, we get $\alpha_\rho\approx-0.8$; the resulting accretion rate (relative to the Bondi accretion rate), $\dot M/\dot M_{\rm B}\sim (r_{\rm acc}/r_{\rm B})^{0.7}$, agrees very well with the observed accretion rates in Sgr A*, M87*, and a number of wind-fed SgXBs. We also argue that the properties of SCAFs are relatively insensitive to additional physical ingredients such as cooling and magnetic field; this explains its common appearance across simulations of different astrophysical systems.

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W. Xu
Thu, 18 May 23
30/67

Comments: 16 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to AAS journals. Comments are welcome

The beaming effect for Fermi-LAT-detected FR-I radio galaxies [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10102


Our knowledge of Giga-electron volt (GeV) radio galaxies has been revolutionized by the Fermi-LAT Telescope, which provides an excellent opportunity to study the physical properties of GeV radio galaxies. According to the radio power and morphology, radio galaxies can be separated into Fanaroff-Riley Type I radio galaxies (FR-Is) and Type II radio galaxies (FR-IIs). In this paper, we consider the unification of FR-Is and BL Lacertae objects (BL Lacs), and assume FR-Is to be a standard candle to discuss the beaming effect for Fermi-LAT-detected FR-Is. Our main conclusions are as follows: (1) The estimated Doppler factors for 30 Fermi-LAT-detected FR-Is are in a range of $\delta_{\rm{I}}=0.88-7.49$. The average Doppler factor ($<\delta_{\rm{I}}>=2.56\pm0.30$) of the 30 FR-Is is smaller than that ($<\delta_{\rm{BL}}>=10.28\pm2.03$) of the 126 Fermi-LAT-detected BL Lacs, supporting the unification model that FR-Is are regarded as the misaligned BL Lacs with smaller Doppler factors; (2) We propose that different regions of FR-Is in the plot of the $\gamma$-ray luminosity against the photon spectral index $(\log L_{\gamma}-\alpha_{\rm{ph}})$ may indicate the different beaming effects; (3) The average Doppler factor of the 6 TeV FR-Is is similar to that of the 24 non-TeV FR-Is, which implies that the difference between the TeV and GeV emissions is not driven by the beaming effect in the Fermi-LAT-detected FR-I samples.

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X. Ye, X. Zeng, D. Huang, et. al.
Thu, 18 May 23
39/67

Comments: 15 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. publication in PASP

Alive and kicking: A new QPE phase in GSN 069 revealing a quiescent luminosity threshold for QPEs [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09717


X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are intense repeating soft X-ray bursts from the nuclei of nearby galaxies. Their physical origin is still largely unconstrained, and several theoretical models have been proposed to date. We present here results from a recent XMM-Newton observation of GSN 069, the galactic nucleus where QPEs were first discovered. After about two years of absence, QPEs have reappeared in GSN 069, and we detect two consecutive QPEs separated by a much shorter recurrence time than ever before. Moreover, their intensities and peak temperatures are remarkably different, a novel addition to the QPE phenomenology. We study the QPE spectral properties from all XMM-Newton observations assuming QPEs to either represent an additional emission component superimposed on that from the disc, or the transient evolution of the disc emission itself. In the former scenario, QPEs are consistent with black-body emission from a region that expands by a factor of 2-3 during the individual QPE evolution with radius of the order of that of the Sun at QPE peak. In the alternative non-additive scenario, QPEs originate from a region with an area 6-30 times smaller than the quiescent state X-ray emission, with the smallest regions corresponding to the hottest and most luminous eruptions. The QPE reappearance reveals that eruptions are only present below a quiescent luminosity threshold corresponding to an Eddington ratio of the order of 0.4 for a one million solar masses black hole. The disappearance of QPEs above threshold is most likely driven by the ratio of QPE to quiescence temperatures approaching unity at high quiescent luminosity, making QPE detection challenging, if not impossible, above threshold. We briefly discuss some of the consequences of our results on the proposed models for the QPE physical origin. [abridged]

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G. Miniutti, M. Giustini, R. Arcodia, et. al.
Thu, 18 May 23
42/67

Comments: accepted for publication as A&A Letter

Sustained super-Eddington accretion around neutron stars & black holes [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09919


Recently, it was shown that the formation of a photon-trapping surface might not be sufficient to ensure unimpeded super-Eddington (SE) accretion. In light of this finding, here we derive a condition such that sustained and unimpeded SE accretion could be achieved in optically thick slim accretion disks surrounding neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). For this, we calculate a semi-analytic approximation of the self-similar global radial velocity expression for an advection-dominated flow. Neglecting the influence of relativistic jets on the accretion flow, we find that for Eddington fraction $\dot{m} \gtrsim 1.5 (\epsilon/0.1)^{3/5}$ ($\epsilon$ being the accretion efficiency) sustained SE accretion might be possible in slim disks around BHs irrespective of their spin. The same condition holds for NSs when $\epsilon > 0.03$. The presence of a surface magnetic field might truncate the disk at the magnetosphere of the NS, resulting in lower efficiencies and consequently changing the condition to $\dot{m} > 0.013 \epsilon^{-19/31}$. Our approach suggests that sustained SE accretion might almost always be possible around NSs and BHs hosting accretion disks.

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S. Ghodla and J. Eldridge
Thu, 18 May 23
53/67

Comments: 7 pages, 4 Figures. To appear in MNRAS

Impact of scale-height derivative on general relativistic slim disks in tidal disruption events [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09970


We construct a numerical model of steady-state, general relativistic (GR) super-Eddington accretion flows in an optically thick, advection-dominated regime, motivated by tidal disruption events wherein super-Eddington accretion assumes a pivotal role. Our model takes into account the loss of angular momentum due to radiation and the scale-height derivative in the basic equations of the GR slim disk. For comparison purposes, we also provide a new analytical solution for a radiation-pressure-dominant GR slim disk, which neglects the angular momentum loss due to radiation and the scale-height derivative. We find that the radiation pressure enhances by incorporating the scale height derivative into the basic equations. As a result, the surface density near the disk’s inner edge decreases, whereas the disk temperature and scale height increase, brightening the disk spectrum in the soft X-ray waveband. Notably, an extremely high mass accretion rate significantly enhances the effect of the scale-height derivative, affecting the entire disk. In contrast, the inclusion of the radiation-driven angular momentum loss only slightly influences the disk surface density and temperature compared with the case of the scale-height derivative inclusion. The X-ray luminosity increases significantly due to scale height derivative for $\dot{M}/\dot{M}{\rm Edd} \gtrsim 2$. In addition, the increment is higher for the non-spinning black hole than the spinning black hole case, resulting in a one-order of magnitude difference for $\dot{M}/\dot{M}{\rm Edd}\gtrsim100$. We conclude that incorporating the scale-height derivative into a GR slim disk model is crucial as it impacts the disk structure and its resultant spectrum, particularly on a soft-X-ray waveband.

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T. Mageshwaran and K. Hayasaki
Thu, 18 May 23
58/67

Comments: 18 pages, 13 figures

Model of Cosmic Ray Propagation in the Milky Way at the Knee [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10251


We present a new model of anisotropic cosmic ray propagation in the Milky Way, where cosmic rays are injected at discrete transient sources in the disc and propagated in the Galactic magnetic field. In the framework of our model, we show that the cosmic ray spectrum is time-dependent and space-dependent around the energy of the knee. It has a major contribution of one or a few nearby recent sources at any given location in the Galaxy, in particular at the position of the Solar system. We find that the distribution of $\sim$ PeV cosmic rays in our Galaxy is significantly clumpy and inhomogeneous, and therefore substantially different from the smoother distribution of GeV cosmic rays. Our findings have important implications for the calculation and future interpretation of the diffuse Galactic gamma-ray and neutrino fluxes at very high energies.

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G. Giacinti and D. Semikoz
Thu, 18 May 23
62/67

Comments: 7 pages, 4 figures

Constraining the redshift of BL Lac VER J0521+211 [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09935


Observation of several very high energy (VHE) flaring events of the BL Lac object VER J0521+211 were reported by the VERITAS and MAGIC collaborations between 2009 and 2014. The redshift of this source is uncertain and several analysis have derived different limits for it. In the framework of the photohadronic model, and using three different extragalactic background light (EBL) models, we analyze seven independent VHE spectra of VER J0521+211 and determine the limiting values on its redshift. It is observed that the photohadronic scenario provides excellent fits to the reported observations. It is further observed that the photohadronic scenario, along with the EBL model of Dominguez et al., puts the most restrictive limits on the redshift z of VER J0521+211: 0.29 <= z <= 0.31 from the confidence level (CL) intervals at 2 sigma, or a more conservative 0.28 <= z <= 0.33, at 3 sigma.

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S. Sahu, B. Medina-Carrillo, G. Sánchez-Colón, et. al.
Thu, 18 May 23
63/67

Comments: 9 pages, two columns, 2 figures, 6 figures in Appendix, accepted in MNRAS

Unstable cosmic-ray nuclei constrain low-diffusion zones in the Galactic disk [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10337


Observations of the vicinity of a variety of galactic gamma-ray sources have indicated a local suppression of diffusivity of cosmic rays by up to three orders of magnitude. However, the impact of these low-diffusion zones on \emph{global} properties of cosmic-ray transport is however only poorly understood. Here, we argue that cosmic-ray nuclear ratios, like the boron-to-carbon ratio and relative abundances of Beryllium isotopes are sensitive to the filling fraction of such low-diffusion zones and hence their measurements can be used to constrain the typical sizes and ages of such regions. We have performed a careful parameter study of a cosmic-ray transport model that allows for different diffusion coefficients $\kappa_{\mathrm{disk}}$ and $\kappa_{\mathrm{halo}}$ in the galactic disk and halo, respectively. Making use of preliminary data from the AMS-02 experiment on the ratio of Beryllium isotopes, we find a $3.5 \sigma$ preference for a suppression of the diffusion coefficient in the disk with a best-fit value of $\kappa_{\mathrm{disk}}/\kappa_{\mathrm{halo}} = 0.20^{+0.10}_{-0.06}$. We forecast that with upcoming data from the HELIX balloon experiment, the significance could increase to $6.8 \sigma$. Adopting a coarse-graining approach, we find that such a strong suppression could be realised if the filling fraction of low-diffusion zones in the disk was $\sim 66 \, \%$. We conclude that the impact of regions of suppressed diffusion might be larger than usually assumed and ought to be taken into account in models of Galactic cosmic ray transport.

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H. Jacobs, P. Mertsch and V. Phan
Thu, 18 May 23
64/67

Comments: 15 pages,10 figures, prepared for submission to MNRAS

Neutron star kicks and implications for their rotation at birth [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08920


Neutron stars are born out of core-collapse supernovae, and they are imparted natal kicks at birth as a consequence of asymmetric ejection of matter and possibly neutrinos. Unless the force resulting from the kicks is exerted exactly at their center, it will also cause the neutron star to rotate. In this paper, we discuss the possibility that neutron stars may receive off-center natal kicks at birth, which imprint a natal rotation. In this scenario, the observed pulsar spin and transverse velocity in the Galaxy are expected to correlate. We develop a model of the natal rotation imparted to neutron stars and constrain it by the observed population of pulsars in our Galaxy. At $90\%$ confidence, we find that the location of the off-center kick is $R_{\rm kick}=1.12^{+4.79}_{-0.97}$\,km. Our result is robust when considering pulsars with different observed periods, transverse velocities, and ages. Our constraint can be used as a guide for core-collapse simulations of massive stars.

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G. Fragione and A. Loeb
Wed, 17 May 23
3/67

Comments: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table

Imprint of magnetic obliquity in apparent spin-down of radio pulsars [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09184


Numerical simulations predict that the spin-down rate of a single rotation-powered neutron star depends on the angle $\alpha$ between its spin and magnetic axes as $P\dot P \propto \mu^2 (k_0 + k_1\sin^2\alpha)$, where $P$ is the star spin period, $\mu$ is its magnetic moment, while $k_0 \sim k_1 \sim 1$. Here we describe a simple observational test for this prediction based on the comparison of spin-down rates of 50 nearly orthogonal (with $\alpha$ close to 90 deg) and 27 nearly aligned (with $\alpha$ close to 0 deg) pulsars. We found, that the apparent pulsar spin-down is consistent with the theory if assumed, that magnetic moments of orthogonal rotators are systematically larger than those of aligned ones for $\sim 0.15..0.2$ dex. Also, as a by-product of the analysis, we provide yet another constraint on the average braking index of radio pulsars as $1 \le n \le 4$ with formal significance not worse than 99\%.

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A. Biryukov and G. Beskin
Wed, 17 May 23
8/67

Comments: MNRAS accepted

SN 2016ije: An SN 2002es-like Type Ia Supernova Exploded in a Metal-poor and Low-surface Brightness Galaxy [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09417


We have conducted photometric and spectroscopic observations of the peculiar Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2016ije that was discovered through the Tsinghua-NAOC Transient Survey. This peculiar object exploded in the outskirts of a metal-poor, low-surface brightness galaxy (i.e., $M_{g}$ = $-$14.5 mag). Our photometric analysis reveals that SN~2016ije is subluminous ($M_{B,\rm{max}}$ = $-$17.65$\pm$0.06 mag) but exhibits relatively broad light curves (${\Delta}m_{15}(B)$ = 1.35$\pm$0.14 mag), similar to the behavior of SN~2002es. Our analysis of the bolometric light curve indicates that only 0.14$\pm$0.04 $M_{\odot}$ of $^{56}$Ni was synthesized in the explosion of SN~2016ije, which suggests a less energetic thermonuclear explosion when compared to normal SNe~Ia, and this left a considerable amount of unburned materials in the ejecta. Spectroscopically, SN~2016ije resembles other SN~2002es-like SNe~Ia, except that the ejecta velocity inferred from its carbon absorption line ($\sim$ 4500~km~s$^{-1}$) is much lower than that from silicon lines ($\sim$ 8300~km~s$^{-1}$) at around the maximum light. Additionally, most of the absorption lines are broader than other 02es-like SNe Ia. These peculiarities suggest the presence of significant unburned carbon in the inner region and a wide line-forming region along the line of sight. These characteristics suggest that SN 2016ije might originate from the violent merger of a white dwarf binary system, when viewed near an orientation along the iron-group-element cavity caused by the companion star.

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Z. Li, T. Zhang, X. Wang, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
9/67

Comments: 25 pages, 13 figures

Wind-Reprocessed Transients from Stellar-mass Black Hole Tidal Disruption Events [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08905


Tidal disruptions of stars by stellar-mass black holes are expected to occur frequently in dense star clusters. Building upon previous studies that performed hydrodynamic simulations of these encounters, we explore the formation and long-term evolution of the thick, super-Eddington accretion disks formed. We build a disk model that includes fallback of material from the tidal disruption, accretion onto the black hole, and disk mass losses through winds launched in association with the super-Eddington flow. We demonstrate that bright transients are expected when radiation from the central engine powered by accretion onto the black hole is reprocessed at large radii by the optically-thick disk wind. By combining hydrodynamic simulations of these disruption events with our disk+wind model, we compute light curves of these wind-reprocessed transients for a wide range of stellar masses and encounter penetration depths. We find typical peak bolometric luminosities of roughly $10^{41}-10^{44}\,$erg/s (depending mostly on accretion physics parameters) and temperatures of roughly $10^5-10^6\,$K, suggesting peak emission in the ultraviolet/blue bands. We predict all-sky surveys such as the Vera Rubin Observatory and ULTRASAT will detect up to thousands of these events per year in dense star clusters out to distances of several Gpc.

Read this paper on arXiv…

K. Kremer, B. Mockler, A. Piro, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
13/67

Comments: 16 Pages, 13 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcome!

Constraining the cosmic-ray pressure in the inner Virgo Cluster using H.E.S.S. observations of M 87 [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09607


The origin of the gamma-ray emission from M87 is currently a matter of debate. This work aims to localize the VHE (100 GeV-100 TeV) gamma-ray emission from M87 and probe a potential extended hadronic emission component in the inner Virgo Cluster. The search for a steady and extended gamma-ray signal around M87 can constrain the cosmic-ray energy density and the pressure exerted by the cosmic rays onto the intra-cluster medium, and allow us to investigate the role of the cosmic rays in the active galactic nucleus feedback as a heating mechanism in the Virgo Cluster. H.E.S.S. telescopes are sensitive to VHE gamma rays and have been utilized to observe M87 since 2004. We utilized a Bayesian block analysis to identify M87 emission states with H.E.S.S. observations from 2004 until 2021, dividing them into low, intermediate, and high states. Because of the causality argument, an extended ($\gtrsim$kpc) signal is allowed only in steady emission states. Hence, we fitted the morphology of the 120h low state data and found no significant gamma-ray extension. Therefore, we derived for the low state an upper limit of 58″(corresponding to $\approx$4.6kpc) in the extension of a single-component morphological model described by a rotationally symmetric 2D Gaussian model at 99.7% confidence level. Our results exclude the radio lobes ($\approx$30 kpc) as the principal component of the VHE gamma-ray emission from the low state of M87. The gamma-ray emission is compatible with a single emission region at the radio core of M87. These results, with the help of two multiple-component models, constrain the maximum cosmic-ray to thermal pressure ratio $X_{{CR,max.}}$$\lesssim$$0.32$ and the total energy in cosmic-ray protons (CRp) to $U_{CR}$$\lesssim$5$\times10^{58}$ erg in the inner 20kpc of the Virgo Cluster for an assumed CRp power-law distribution in momentum with spectral index $\alpha_{p}$=2.1.

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H. Collaboration, F. Aharonian, F. Benkhali, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
15/67

Comments: 15 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A. Corresponding authors: Victor Barbosa Martins, Stefan Ohm, Cornelia Arcaro, Natalia .Zywucka, Mathieu de Naurois

Identifying Disappearance of a White Dwarf Binary with LISA [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09061


We discuss the prospect of identifying a white dwarf binary merger by monitoring disappearance of its nearly monochromatic gravitational wave. For a ten-year operation of the laser interferometer space antenna (LISA), the chance probability of observing such an event is roughly estimated to be 20%. By simply using short-term coherent signal integrations, we might determine the merger time with an accuracy of $\sim $3-10 days. Also considering its expected sky localizability $\sim0.1$-$ 0.01 {\rm deg^2}$, LISA might make an interesting contribution to the multi-messenger study on a merger event.

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N. Seto
Wed, 17 May 23
20/67

Comments: 6 pages, 1 figure

Hunting for gamma-ray emission from Fast Radio Bursts [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09428


Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are a recently discovered class of GHz-band, ms-duration, Jy-level-flux astrophysical transients, which origin is still a mystery. Exploring their gamma-ray counterpart is crucial for constraining their origin and emission mechanism. Thanks to more than 13 years of gamma-ray data collected by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope, and to more than 1000 FRB events, one of the largest sample created as of today, we perform the largest and deepest search for gamma-ray emission from FRB sources to date. In addition to the study of individual FRB events on different time-scales (from few seconds up to several years), we performed, for the first time, a stacking analysis on the full sample of FRB events as well as a search for triplet photons in coincidence with the radio event. We do not detect significant emission, reporting the most stringent constraints, on short time scales, for the FRB-like emission from SGR 1935+2154 with $E<10^{41}$ erg, corresponding to a factor $<10^7$ with respect to the emitted radio energy. For the stacked signal of steady emission from all repeaters, the obtained upper limit (UL) on the FRBs luminosity ($L<1.6\times10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$) is more than two orders of magnitudes lower than those derived from the individual sources. Finally, no individual or triplet photons have been significantly associated with FRB events. We derived the LAT ms energy sensitivity to be $E<10^{47}$ (D$_L$/150 Mpc)$^2$ erg, ruling out a gamma-ray-to-radio energy ratio greater than $10^9$ on ms timescales. The results reported here represent the most stringent UL reported so far on the high-energy emission from FRBs on short and long time scales, as well as on cumulative emission and individual photon searches. While the origin of FRBs is still unclear, our work provides important constraints for FRB modeling, which might shed light on their emission mechanism.

Read this paper on arXiv…

G. Principe, L. Venere, M. Negro, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
22/67

Comments: 18 pages, 15 figures, Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics

Physics of Binary Star Evolution — from Stars to X-ray Binaries and Gravitational Wave Sources [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09388


The majority of all stars are members of a binary system. The evolution of such binary stars and their subsequent production of pairs of compact objects in tight orbits, such as double neutron stars and double black holes, play a central role in modern astrophysics, Binary evolution leads to the formation of different types of violent cosmic events such as novae, supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, mass transfer and accretion processes in X-ray binaries, and the formation of exotic radio millisecond pulsars. In some cases, the binary systems terminate as spectacular collisions between neutron stars and/or black holes. These collisions lead to powerful emission of gravitational waves, as detected by LIGO since 2015. The coming decade is expected to reveal a large number of discoveries of binary compact systems, as well as their progenitors and merger remnants, from major instruments such as the radio Square-Kilometre Array; the gravitational wave observatories LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA-IndIGO and LISA; the astrometric space observatory Gaia; the James Webb Space Telescope; and the X-ray space observatories eXTP, STROBE-X, and Athena. In this light, it is important to have a modern textbook on the physics of binary stars evolution, from ordinary stars to X-ray binaries and gravitational wave sources. The scope of this book is that the reader (student or educated expert) will learn the physics of binary interactions, from stellar birth to compact objects, and relate this knowledge to the latest observations. The reader will learn about stellar structure and evolution, and detailed binary interactions covering a broad range of phenomena, including mass transfer and orbital evolution, formation and accretion onto compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes), and their observational properties. Exercises are provided throughout the book.

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T. Tauris and E. Heuvel
Wed, 17 May 23
23/67

Comments: 20 pages, 3 figures. Preprint of preface, introductory chapter, and table of content of the 864-pages textbook “Physics of Binary Star Evolution – From Stars to X-ray Binaries and Gravitational Wave Sources”, by Thomas Tauris and Ed van den Heuvel, to be published by Princeton University Press in June 2023

On a discontinuity at the base of the transition layer located between the Keplerian accretion disk and the compact object [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08930


We study the geometry of the transition layer (TL) between the classical Keplerian accretion disk (the TL outer boundary) and the compact object at the TL inner boundary. Our goal is to demonstrate using the hydrodynamical formalism that the TL is created along with a shock due to a discontinuity and to an adjustment of the Keplerian disk motion to a central object. We apply hydrodynamical equations to describe a plasma motion near a central object in the TL. We point out that before matter accretes to a central object the TL cloud is formed between an adjustment radius and the TL inner boundary which is probably a site where the emergent Compton spectrum comes from. Using a generalization of the Randkine-Hugoniot relation and a solution of the azimutal force balance equation we have reproduced the geometric characteristics of TL.

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L. Titarchuk and I. Kalashnikov
Wed, 17 May 23
30/67

Comments: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

X-ray polarization observations of IC 4329A with IXPE: Constraining the geometry of the X-ray corona [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09365


X-ray polarimetry is a powerful tool to probe the geometry of the hot X-ray corona in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Here, we present our results on the characterisation of the X-ray polarization of the radio-quiet Seyfert-type AGN IC 4329A at a redshift of $z$ = 0.016. This is based on observations carried out by the {\it Imaging X-ray Polarimeter (IXPE)}. {\it IXPE} observed IC 4329A on January 5, 2023, for a total observing time of 458 ks. From the model-independent analysis, we found a polarization degree ($\Pi_{X}$) of 3.7$\pm$1.5$\%$ and a polarization position angle ($\Psi_{X}$) of 61$^{\circ}$$\pm$12$^{\circ}$ in the 2$-$8 keV energy range (at 1$\sigma$ confidence level). This is also in agreement with the values of $\Pi_{X}$ and $\Psi_{X}$ of 4.7$\pm$2.2$\%$ and 71$^{\circ}$ $\pm$14$^{\circ}$ respectively obtained from spectro-polarimetric analysis of the I, Q and U Stokes spectra in the 2$-$8 keV energy band (at the 90$\%$ confidence). The value of $\Pi_X$ in the 2-8 keV band obtained from the model-independent analysis is lower than the minimum detectable polarization (MDP) value of 4.5$\%$. However, $\Pi_X$ obtained from spectro-polarimetric analysis in the 2-8 keV band is larger than the MDP value. In the 3-5 keV band, we found $\Pi_X$ of 6.5 $\pm$ 1.8, which is larger than the MDP value of 5.5$\%$. The observed moderate value of $\Pi_{X}$ obtained from the analysis of the {\it IXPE} data in the 3$-$5 keV band argues against a spherical lamp$-$post geometry for the X-ray corona in IC 4329A; however, considering simulations, the observed polarization measurements tend to favour a conical shape geometry for the corona. This is the first time measurement of X-ray polarization in IC 4329A. Measurements of the X-ray polarization in many such radio-quiet AGN will help in constraining the geometry of the X-ray corona in AGN.

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I. Pal, C. Stalin, R. Chatterjee, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
51/67

Comments: 7 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to the Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Modelling supernova nebular lines in 3D with $\texttt{ExTraSS}$ [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08933


We present $\texttt{ExTraSS}$ (EXplosive TRAnsient Spectral Simulator), a newly developed code aimed at generating 3D spectra for supernovae in the nebular phase by using modern multi-dimensional explosion models as input. It is well established that supernovae are asymmetric by nature, and that the morphology is encoded in the line profiles during the nebular phase, months after the explosion. In this work, we use $\texttt{ExTraSS}$ to study one such simulation of a $3.3\,M_\odot$ He-core explosion ($M_\text{ejecta}=1.3\,M_\odot$, $E_\text{kin}=1.05\times10^{51}\,$erg) modelled with the $\texttt{Prometheus-HotB}$ code and evolved to the homologous phase. Our code calculates the energy deposition from the radioactive decay of $^{56}$Ni $\rightarrow$ $^{56}$Co $\rightarrow$ $^{56}$Fe and uses this to determine the Non-Local-Thermodynamic-Equilibrium temperature, excitation and ionization structure across the nebula. From the physical condition solutions we generate the emissivities to construct spectra depending on viewing angles. Our results show large variations in the line profiles with viewing angles, as diagnosed by the first three moments of the line profiles; shifts, widths, and skewness. We compare line profiles from different elements, and study the morphology of line-of-sight slices that determine the flux at each part of a line profile. We find that excitation conditions can sometimes make the momentum vector of the ejecta emitting in the excited states significantly different from that of the bulk of the ejecta of the respective element, thus giving blueshifted lines for bulk receding material, and vice versa. We compare the 3.3 $M_\odot$ He-core model to observations of the Type Ib supernova SN 2007Y.

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B. Baal, A. Jerkstrand, A. Wongwathanarat, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
54/67

Comments: 20 pages, 15 Figures 2 Tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Apparent dispersion in pulsar braking index measurements caused by timing noise [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09079


Stochastic temporal wandering of the spin frequency $\nu$ of a rotation-powered pulsar (i.e.~the achromatic component of timing noise unrelated to interstellar propagation) affects the accuracy with which the secular braking torque can be measured. Observational studies confirm that pulsars with anomalous braking indices $\vert n \vert = \vert \nu \ddot{\nu} / \dot{\nu}^2 \vert \gg 1$ exhibit elevated levels of timing noise, where an overdot symbolizes a derivative with respect to time. Here it is shown, through analytic calculations and Monte Carlo simulations involving synthetic data and modern Bayesian timing techniques, that the variance $\langle n^2 \rangle$ of the measured $n$ scales with the square of the timing noise amplitude $\sigma_{\ddot{\nu}}$. The anomalous regime $\langle n^2 \rangle \gg 1$ corresponds to $ \sigma_{\ddot{\nu}}^2 \gg 10^{-60} (\gamma_{\ddot{\nu}}/10^{-6} \, {\rm s^{-1}})^2 (\dot{\nu} / 10^{-14} \, {\rm Hz \, s^{-1}})^4 (\nu / 1 \, {\rm Hz})^{-2} (T_{\rm obs} / 10^8 \, {\rm s}) \, {\rm Hz}^2{\rm s}^{-5 }$, where $\gamma_{\ddot{\nu}}$ is a stellar damping time-scale, and $T_{\rm obs}$ is the total observing time. When the inequality in the above condition is reversed, $n$ is dominated by the secular braking torque, and timing measurements return $n\sim 3$, if the secular braking torque is electromagnetic. The variance $\langle n^2 \rangle$ is greater, when the stochastic process driving spin fluctuations differs from the red noise model (e.g. power-law spectral density) assumed in the timing solution.

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A. Vargas and A. Melatos
Wed, 17 May 23
65/67

Comments: N/A

A new emission mode of PSR B1859+07 [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08505


Previous studies have identified two emission modes in PSR B1859+07: a normal mode that has three prominent components in the average profile, with the trailing one being the brightest, and an anomalous mode (i.e. the A mode) where emissions seem to be shifted to an earlier phase. Within the normal mode, further analysis has revealed the presence of two sub-modes, i.e. the cW mode and cB mode, where the central component can appear either weak or bright. As for the anomalous mode, a new bright component emerges in the advanced phase while the bright trailing component in the normal mode disappears. New observations of PSR B1859+07 by using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) have revealed the existence of a previously unknown emission mode, dubbed as the Af mode. In this mode, all emission components seen in the normal and anomalous modes are detected. Notably, the mean polarization profiles of both the A and Af modes exhibit an orthogonal polarization angle jump in the bright leading component. The polarization angles for the central component in the original normal mode follow two distinct orthogonal polarization modes in the A and Af modes respectively. The polarization angles for the trailing component show almost the same but a small systematic shift in the A and Af modes, roughly following the values for the cW and cB modes. Those polarization features of this newly detected emission mode imply that the anomalous mode A of PSR B1859+07 is not a result of phase shift" orswooshes” of normal components, but simply a result of the varying intensities of different profile components. Additionally, subpulse drifting has been detected in the leading component of the Af mode.

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T. Wang, P. Wang, J. Han, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
8/83

Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in RAA

Outflows from Short-Lived Neutron-Star Merger Remnants Can Produce a Blue Kilonova [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07738


We present a 3D general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a short-lived neutron star remnant formed in the aftermath of a binary neutron star merger. The simulation uses an M1 neutrino transport scheme to track neutrino-matter interactions and is well-suited to studying the resulting nucleosynthesis and kilonova emission. We find that the ejecta in our simulations under-produce $r$-process abundances beyond the second $r$-process peak. For sufficiently long-lived remnants, these outflows \textit{alone} can produce blue kilonovae, including the blue kilonova component observed for AT2017gfo.

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S. Curtis, P. Bosch, P. Mösta, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
14/83

Comments: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJL

The Maximum Energy of Shock-Accelerated Cosmic Rays [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07697


Identifying the accelerators of Galactic cosmic ray protons (CRs) with energies up to a few PeV ($10^{15}$ eV) remains a theoretical and observational challenge. Supernova remnants (SNRs) represent strong candidates, as they provide sufficient energetics to reproduce the CR flux observed at Earth. However, it remains unclear whether they can accelerate particles to PeV energies, particularly after the very early stages of their evolution. This uncertainty has prompted searches for other source classes and necessitates comprehensive theoretical modeling of the maximum proton energy, $E_{\rm max}$, accelerated by an arbitrary shock. While analytic estimates of $E_{\rm max}$ have been put forward in the literature, they do not fully account for the complex interplay between particle acceleration, magnetic field amplification, and shock evolution. This paper uses a multi-zone, semi-analytic model of particle acceleration based on kinetic simulations to place constraints on $E_{\rm max}$ for a wide range of astrophysical shocks. In particular, we develop relationships between $E_{\rm max}$, shock velocity, size, and ambient medium. We find that SNRs can only accelerate PeV particles under a select set of circumstances, namely, if the shock velocity exceeds $\sim 10^4$ km s$^{-1}$ and escaping particles drive magnetic field amplification. However, older, slower SNRs may still produce observational signatures of PeV particles due to populations accelerated when the shock was younger. Our results serve as a reference for modelers seeking to quickly produce a self-consistent estimate of the maximum energy accelerated by an arbitrary astrophysical shock.

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R. Diesing
Tue, 16 May 23
16/83

Comments: 11 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ

TeV halos and the role of pulsar wind nebulae as sources of cosmic ray positrons [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08019


The recent detection of the Geminga PWN by HAWC in the multi-TeV band allows us to infer precious information about the transport of pairs in the immediate surroundings of the pulsar and on the spectrum of pairs contributed by a Geminga-like pulsar to the spectrum of pairs in the cosmic radiation. Moreover, this detection allows us to address the issue of how typical are the so-called TeV halos associated to PWNe. Our calculations confirm the need to have suppressed diffusion in a region of at least $20-50\,$pc around the pulsar, and are used here to infer precious constraints on the spectrum of pairs accelerated at the termination shock: more specifically, we discuss the conditions under which such a spectrum is consistent with that typically expected in a PWN and how it gets modified once it escapes the halo. Finally, we discuss the implications of the existence of a TeV halo around Geminga in terms of acceleration of protons in the pulsar environment, a topic of profound relevance for the whole field of particle acceleration and physics of pulsars.

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B. Schroer, C. Evoli and P. Blasi
Tue, 16 May 23
26/83

Comments: 15 pages, accepted for publication in PRD

Peculiar Spectral Evolution of the Type I Supernova 2019eix: A Possible Double Detonation from a Helium Shell on a Sub-Chandrasekhar-mass White Dwarf [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07708


We present photometric and spectroscopic data for the nearby Type I supernova (SN Ia) 2019eix (originally classified as a SN Ic), from its discovery day up to 100 days after maximum brightness. Before maximum light SN 2019eix resembles a typical SN Ic, albeit lacking the usual \ion{O}{1} feature. Its lightcurve is similar to the typical SN Ic with decline rates of ($\Delta M_{15,V}= 0.84$) and absolute magnitude of $M_{V}= -18.35$. However, after maximum light this SN has unusual spectroscopic features, a large degree of line blending, significant line blanketing in the blue ($\lambda < 5000$\AA), and strong Ca II absorption features during and after peak brightness. These unusual spectral features are similar to models of sub-luminous thermonuclear explosions, specifically double-detonation models of SNe Ia. Photometrically SN 2019eix appears to be somewhat brighter with slower decline rates than other double detonation candidates. We modeled the spectra using the radiative transfer code TARDIS using SN 1994I (a SN Ic) as a base model to see whether we could reproduce the unusual features of SN 2019eix and found them to be consistent with the exception of the \ion{O}{1} feature. We also compared SN 2019eix with double detonation models and found them to match the observations of SN 2019eix best, but failed to reproduce its full photometric and spectroscopic evolution.

Read this paper on arXiv…

E. Gonzalez, D. Howell, J. Burke, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
44/83

Comments: 24 pages, 16 figures, submitted to ApJ

Fission and fusion of heavy nuclei induced by the passage of a radiation-mediated shock in BNS mergers [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08575


We compute the structure of a Newtonian, multi-ion radiation-mediated shock for different compositions anticipated in various stellar explosions, including supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and binary neutron star mergers, using a multi-fluid RMS model that incorporates a self-consistent treatment of electrostatic coupling between the different plasma constituents. We find a significant velocity separation between ions having different charge-to-mass ratios in the immediate shock downstream and demonstrate that in fast enough shocks ion-ion collisions can trigger fusion and fission events at a relatively large rate. Our analysis does not take into account potential kinetic effects, specifically, anomalous coupling through plasma microturbulence, that can significantly reduce the velocity spread downstream, below the activation energy for nuclear reactions. A rough estimate of the scale separation in RMS suggests that for shocks propagating in BNS merger ejecta, the anomalous coupling length may exceed the radiation length, allowing a considerable composition change behind the shock via inelastic collisions of $\alpha$ particles with heavy elements at shock velocities $\beta_u\gtrsim0.2$. Moreover, a sufficient abundance of free neutrons upstream of the shock can also trigger fission through neutron capture reactions downstream. The resultant change in the composition profile may affect the properties of the early kilonova emission. The implications for other exploding systems are also briefly discussed.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Granot, A. Levinson and E. Nakar
Tue, 16 May 23
58/83

Comments: N/A

Multi-messenger observations of core-collapse supernovae: Exploiting the standing accretion shock instability [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07688


The gravitational wave (GW) and neutrino signals from core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are expected to carry pronounced imprints of the standing accretion shock instability (SASI). We investigate whether the correlation between the SASI signatures in the GW and neutrino signals could be exploited to enhance the detection efficiency of GWs. We rely on a benchmark full-scale three-dimensional CCSN simulation with zero-age main sequence mass of $27\ M_\odot$. Two search strategies are explored: 1.~the inference of the SASI frequency range and/or time window from the neutrino event rate detectable at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory; 2.~the use of the neutrino event rate to build a matched filter template. We find that incorporating information from the SASI modulations of the IceCube neutrino event rate can increase the detection efficiency compared to standard GW excess energy searches up to $30\%$ for nearby CCSNe. However, we do not find significant improvements in the overall GW detection efficiency for CCSNe more distant than $1.5$~kpc. We demonstrate that the matched filter approach performs better than the unmodeled search method, which relies on a frequency bandpass inferred from the neutrino signal. The improved detection efficiency provided by our matched filter method calls for additional work to outline the best strategy for the first GW detection from CCSNe.

Read this paper on arXiv…

M. Drago, H. Andresen, I. Palma, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
63/83

Comments: N/A

Tidal Spin-up of Black Hole Progenitor Stars [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08356


Gravitational wave observations indicate the existence of merging black holes (BHs) with high spin ($a\gtrsim0.3$), whose formation pathways are still an open question. A possible way to form those binaries is through the tidal spin-up of a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star by its BH companion. In this work, we investigate this scenario by directly calculating the tidal excitation of oscillation modes in WR star models, determining the tidal spin-up rate, and integrating the coupled spin-orbit evolution for WR-BH binaries. We find that for short-period orbits and massive WR stars, the tidal interaction is mostly contributed by standing gravity modes, in contrast to Zahn’s model of travelling waves which is frequently assumed in the literature. The standing modes are less efficiently damped than traveling waves, meaning that prior estimates of tidal spin-up may be overestimated. We show that tidal synchronization is rarely reached in WR-BH binaries, and the resulting BH spins have $a \lesssim 0.4$ for all but the shortest period ($P_{\rm orb} ! \lesssim 0.5 \, {\rm d}$) binaries. Tidal spin-up in lower-mass systems is more efficient, providing an anti-correlation between the mass and spin of the BHs, which could be tested in future gravitational wave data. Non-linear damping processes are poorly understood but may allow for more efficient tidal spin-up. We also discuss a new class of gravito-thermal modes that appear in our calculations.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Ma and J. Fuller
Tue, 16 May 23
68/83

Comments: Revised after referee report from ApJ. Comments welcome

Implications of Spectra and Polarizations of Fast Radio Bursts: From Perspective of Radiation Mechanisms [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08649


The extremely high brightness temperatures of fast radio bursts (FRBs) imply that the radiation process must be coherent, but the radiation mechanism is still unknown. The observed properties of narrow spectra and polarization distributions could be used to constrain the radiation mechanism of FRBs. In this work, we discuss the implications of the spectra and polarizations of FRBs from the perspective of intrinsic radiation mechanisms. We first analyze the observed relative spectral bandwidth of radio bursts from an FRB repeater. Furthermore, we generally discuss the properties of the spectra and polarization of the radiation mechanisms involving the relativistic particle’s perpendicular acceleration, which depends on the relation between the particle’s deflection angle $\psi$ and the radiation beaming angle $1/\gamma$. We find that: (1) If the narrow spectra of FRBs are attributed to the intrinsic radiation mechanism of a single particle, the condition of $\gamma\psi\ll1$ would be necessary, in which scenario, the observed number fraction between linearly and circularly polarized bursts of some FRB repeaters might be due to the propagation effects; (2) Coherent process by multiple particles with some special distributions can lead to a narrow spectrum even for the scenario with $\gamma\psi\gg1$; (3) If the observed number fraction between linearly and circularly polarized bursts is attributed to the radiation mechanism with $\gamma\psi\gg1$, the cumulative distributions of the linear and circular polarization degrees would mainly depend on the particle’s beaming distribution.

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Y. Yang
Tue, 16 May 23
71/83

Comments: 14 pages, 12 figures, 1 table. Submitted to MNRAS. Comments welcome!!

UltraCompCAT: a comprehensive Catalogue of Ultra-Compact and Short Orbital Period X-ray Binaries [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07691


Ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) are a distinctive but elusive family of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) characterised by their tight orbits and degenerate donor stars. Here we present UltraCompCAT, the first online and comprehensive catalogue of UCXBs. The initial version of UltraCompCAT comprises 49 sources, including 20 ‘confirmed’ UCXBs (those with a measured orbital period shorter than 80 min) and 25 systems that we label as ‘candidate’ based on their multi-wavelength phenomenology. For completeness, we also include four LMXBs with orbital periods in the range of 80 to 120 min, since they might be related (e.g. close progenitors) or even part of the UCXB population that evolved towards longer periods. We discuss the orbital period and Galactic distribution of the catalogue’s sample. We provide evidence for the presence of at least two separate groups of UCXBs. One formed by persistent systems with orbital periods shorter than 30 min and a second group of transient objects (70 per cent) with periods in the range of 40 to 60 min. We show that the former group is dominated by sources formed in globular clusters, while the latter accounts for the (known) UCXB population in the Galactic field. We discuss the possible evolutionary channels for both groups.

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M. Padilla, J. Corral-Santana, A. Borghese, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
78/83

Comments: Submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysics (see online catalogue here this https URL )

Dynamics of the clumps partially disrupted from a planet around a neutron star [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08142


Tidal disruption events are common in the Universe, which may occur in various compact star systems and could account for many astrophysical phenomena. Depending on the separation between the central compact star and its companion, either a full disruption or a partial disruption may occur. The partial disruption of a rocky planet around a neutron star can produce kilometer-sized clumps, but the main portion of the planet can survive. The dynamical evolution of these clumps is still poorly understood. In this study, the characteristics of partial disruption of a rocky planet in a highly elliptical orbit around a neutron star is investigated. The periastron of the planet is assumed to be very close to the neutron star so that it would be partially disrupted by tidal force every time it passes through the periastron. It is found that the fragments generated in the process will change their orbits on a time scale of a few orbital periods due to the combined influence of the neutron star and the remnant planet, and will finally collide with the central neutron star. Possible outcomes of the collisions are discussed.

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A. Kurban, X. Zhou, N. Wang, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
79/83

Comments: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables

The X-ray binaries in M83: will any of them form gravitational wave sources for LIGO/VIRGO/KAGRA? [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08640


There are 214 X-ray point-sources ($L_{\rm X}>10^{35} \mathrm{erg/s}$) identified as X-ray binaries (XRBs) in the nearby spiral galaxy M83. Since XRBs are powered by accretion onto a neutron star or a black hole from a companion/donor star these systems are promising progenitors of merging double compact objects (DCOs): black hole – black hole (BH-BH), black hole – neutron star (BH-NS), or neutron star – neutron star (NS-NS) systems. The connection (i.e. XRBs evolving into DCOs) may provide some hints to the yet unanswered question: what is the origin of the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA mergers? Available observations do not allow to determine what will be the final fate of the XRBs observed in M83. Yet, we can use evolutionary model of isolated binaries to reproduce the population of XRBs in M83 by matching model XRBs numbers/types/luminosities to observations. Knowing the detailed properties of M83 model XRBs (donor/accretor masses, their evolutionary ages and orbits) we follow their evolution to the death of donor stars to check whether any merging DCOs are formed. Although all merging DCOs in our isolated binary evolution model go through the XRB phase (defined as reaching X-ray luminosity from RLOF/wind accretion onto NS/BH above $10^{35}$ erg/s), only very few XRBs evolve to form merging (in Hubble time) DCOs. For M83 with its solar-like metallicity stars and continiuous star-formation we find that only $\sim 1-2\%$ of model XRBs evolve into merging DCOs depending on the adopted evolutionary physics. This is caused by (i) merger of donor star with compact object during common envelope phase, (ii) binary disruption at the supernova explosion of donor star, (iii) formation of a DCO on a wide orbit (merger time longer than Hubble time).

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I. Kotko and K. Belczynski
Tue, 16 May 23
82/83

Comments: 11 pages, 1 figure, submitted to A&A

UV signatures of magnetar formation and their crucial role for Gravitational Wave detection [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07761


The emission from shock breakouts (SBOs) represents the earliest electromagnetic (EM) signal emitted by cataclysmic events involving the formation or the merger of neutron stars (NSs). As such, SBOs carry unique information on the structure of their progenitors and on the explosion energy. The characteristic~SBO emission is expected in the UV range, and its detection is one of the key targets of~the ULTRASAT satellite. Among SBO sources, we focus on a specific class involving the formation of fast spinning magnetars in the core-collapse (CC) of massive stars. Fast spinning magnetars are expected to produce a specific signature in the early UV supernova light curve, powered by the extra spin energy quickly released by the NS. Moreover, they are considered as optimal candidates for the emission of long-transient gravitational wave (GW) signals, the detection of which requires early EM triggers to boost the sensitivity of dedicated GW search pipelines. We calculate early supernova UV light curves in the presence of a magnetar central engine, as a function of the explosion energy, ejecta mass and magnetar parameters. We then estimate the ULTRASAT detection horizon (z < 0.15) as a function of the same physical parameters, and the overall expected detection rate finding that magnetar-powered SBOs may represent up to 1/5 of the total events detected by ULTRASAT. Moreover, at the expected sensitivity of the LIGO/Virgo/Kagra O5 science run, one such event occurring within 5 Mpc will providean ideal trigger for a GW long transient search. Future GW detectors like the Einstein Telescope will push the horizon for joint EM-GW detections to 35-40 Mpc.

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S. Menon, D. Guetta and S. Dall’Osso
Tue, 16 May 23
83/83

Comments: 7 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to ApJ

The extremely X-ray luminous quasar CFHQS J142952+544717 at $z=6.18$ under Chandra high-angular resolution lens [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07544


We present the first X-ray observation at sub-arcsecond resolution of the high-redshift ($z=6.18$) quasar CFHQS J142952+544717 (J1429). The ~100 net-count 0.3-7 keV spectrum obtained from $\sim 30$ ksec Chandra exposure is best fit by a single power-law model with a photon index $\Gamma=2.0\pm0.2$ and no indication of an intrinsic absorber, implying a 3.6-72 keV rest-frame luminosity $L_{\rm X}=(2.3^{+0.6}{-0.5})\times10^{46}$ erg s$^{-1}$. We identify a second X-ray source at 30 arcsec, distance from J1429 position, with a soft ($\Gamma\simeq 2.8$) and absorbed (equivalent hydrogen column density $N{\rm H} <13.4\times 10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$) spectrum, which likely contaminated J1429 spectra obtained in lower angular resolution observations. Based on the analysis of the Chandra image, the bulk of the X-ray luminosity is produced within the central $\sim 3$ kpc region, either by the disk/corona system, or by a moderately aligned jet. In this context, we discuss the source properties in comparison with samples of low- and high-redshift quasars. We find indication of a possible excess of counts over the expectations for a point-like source in a 0.5 arcsec-1.5 arcsec ($\sim 3-8$ kpc) annular region. The corresponding X-ray luminosity at J1429 redshift is $4\times 10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$. If confirmed, this emission could be related to either a large-scale X-ray jet, or a separate X-ray source.

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G. Migliori, A. Siemiginowska, M. Sobolewska, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
6/53

Comments: 8 pages, 3 figures, submitted on March 3 2023, assigned on March 6 2023, waiting for the first referee report

Identifying Extended PeVatron Sources via Neutrino Shower Detection [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07043


Identifying the Milky Way’s very high energy hadronic cosmic-ray accelerators — the PeVatrons — is a critical problem. While gamma-ray observations reveal promising candidate sources, neutrino detection is needed for certainty, and this has not yet been successful. Why not? There are several possibilities, as we delineated in a recent paper [T. Sudoh and J. F. Beacom, Phys. Rev. D 107, 043002 (2023)]. Here we further explore the possibility that the challenges arise because PeVatrons have a large angular extent, either due to cosmic-ray propagation effects or due to clusters of sources. We show that while extended neutrino sources could be missed in the commonly used muon-track channel, they could be discovered in the all-flavor shower channel, which has a lower atmospheric-neutrino background flux per solid angle. Intrinsically, showers are quite directional and would appear so in water-based detectors like the future KM3NeT, even though they are presently badly smeared by light scattering in ice-based detectors like IceCube. Our results motivate new shower-based searches as part of the comprehensive approach to identifying the Milky Way’s hadronic PeVatrons.

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T. Sudoh and J. Beacom
Mon, 15 May 23
7/53

Comments: Main text 9 pages, 5 figures. Comments are welcome

A multi-messenger model for neutron star – black hole mergers [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07582


We present a semi-analytic model for predicting kilonova light curves from the mergers of neutron stars with black holes (NSBH). The model is integrated into the MOSFiT platform, and can generate light curves from input binary properties and nuclear equation-of-state considerations, or incorporate measurements from gravitational wave (GW) detectors to perform multi-messenger parameter estimation. The rapid framework enables the generation of NSBH kilonova distributions from binary populations, light curve predictions from GW data, and statistically meaningful comparisons with an equivalent BNS model in MOSFiT. We investigate a sample of kilonova candidates associated with cosmological short gamma-ray bursts, and demonstrate that they are broadly consistent with being driven by NSBH systems, though most have limited data. We also perform fits to the very well sampled GW170817, and show that the inability of an NSBH merger to produce lanthanide-poor ejecta results in a significant underestimate of the early ($\lesssim 2$ days) optical emission. Our model indicates that NSBH-driven kilonovae may peak up to a week after merger at optical wavelengths for some observer angles. This demonstrates the need for early coverage of emergent kilonovae in cases where the GW signal is either ambiguous or absent; they likely cannot be distinguished from BNS mergers by the light curves alone from $\sim 2$ days after the merger. We also discuss the detectability of our model kilonovae with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).

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B. Gompertz, M. Nicholl, J. Smith, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
11/53

Comments: 13 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to MNRAS. The model code is available through MOSFiT at this https URL

On the nature of M31 gamma-ray halo in its relation to dark matter annihilation [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07590


The present work analyzes various aspects of M31 gamma-ray halo emission in its relation to annihilating dark matter (DM). The main aspect is the predicted effect of asymmetry of the intensity of emission due to inverse Compton scattering (ICS) of a possible population of relativistic electrons and positrons ($e^\pm$) in the galactic halo on starlight photons. This asymmetry is expected to exist around the major galactic axis, and arises due to anisotropy of the interstellar radiation field and the inclination of M31. ICS emission and its asymmetry were modeled by GALPROP code for the trial case of $e^\pm$ generated by annihilating weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with various properties. The asymmetry was obtained to appear at photon energies above $\sim$ 0.1 MeV. Morphological and spectral properties of the asymmetry were studied in detail. Potential observational detection of the asymmetry may allow to infer the leptonic fraction in the emission generation mechanism, thus providing valuable inferences for understanding the nature of M31 gamma-ray halo emission. Specific asymmetry predictions were made for the recently claimed DM interpretation of the outer halo emission. The paper also studied the role of secondary — ICS and bremsstrahlung — emissions due to DM annihilation for that interpretation. And, finally, the latter was shown to be in significant tension with the recently derived WIMP constraints by radio data on M31.

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A. Egorov
Mon, 15 May 23
16/53

Comments: 15 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to Phys. Rev. D

Modelling the variable emission states of $γ$-ray emitting Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07443


$\gamma$-ray-emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies ($\gamma$-NLS1) constitute an intriguing small population of Active Galactic Nuclei with $\gamma$-ray emission resembling low power flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ), but with differing physical properties. They are jetted, $\gamma$/radio-loud Seyfert galaxies, with relatively low black hole masses, accreting at exceptionally high, near-Eddington rates. Certain of these sources exhibit highly variable emission states on relatively short time scales, the physical origin of which remains elusive. In this work, varying emission states of two bona-fide NLS1s, 1H 0323+342 and PMN J0948+0022, and one little studied FSRQ/intermediate object, B2 0954+25A, are examined. For each source, we analyzed quasi-simultaneous multiwavelength data for different states of $\gamma$-ray activity and present the results of their broad-band emission modelling, taking into account all available physical constraints to limit the range of the model parameters. Two different scenarios are discussed, in the framework of a one-zone leptonic model, where the high energy emission is due to the inverse Compton scattering of the disc and broad line region (BLR) or torus photons by relativistic electrons within the jet. The transition from low to high state is well described by variations of the jet parameters, leaving the external photon fields unchanged. The parameterisation favours an emission scenario with particle injection on a stationary shock inside the jet. When considering all physical constraints, the disc & BLR scenario is preferred for all three sources. We use the multi-epoch modelling to characterize total jet powers and discuss the intrinsic nature of $\gamma$-NLS1 galaxies and FSRQs.

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A. Luashvili, C. Boisson, A. Zech, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
18/53

Comments: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Drop in the hard pulsed fraction and a candidate cyclotron line in IGR J16320-4751 seen by NuSTAR [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07068


We report on a timing and spectral analysis of a 50-ks NuSTAR observation of IGR J16320-4751 (= AX J1631.9-4752); a high-mass X-ray binary hosting a slowly-rotating neutron star. In this observation from 2015, the spin period was 1,308.8+/-0.4 s giving a period derivative dP/dt ~ 2E-8 s s-1 when compared with the period measured in 2004. In addition, the pulsed fraction decreased as a function of energy, as opposed to the constant trend that was seen previously. This suggests a change in the accretion geometry of the system during the intervening 11 years. The phase-averaged spectra were fit with the typical model for accreting pulsars: a power law with an exponential cutoff. This left positive residuals at 6.4 keV attributable to the known iron K-alpha line, as well as negative residuals around 14 keV from a candidate cyclotron line detected at a significance of 5-sigma. We found no significant differences in the spectral parameters across the spin period, other than the expected changes in flux and component normalizations. A flare lasting around 5 ks was captured during the first half of the observation where the X-ray emission hardened and the local column density decreased. Finally, the binary orbital period was refined to 8.9912+/-0.0078 d thanks to Swift/BAT monitoring data from 2005-2022.

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A. Bodaghee, A. Chiu, J. Tomsick, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
21/53

Comments: 17 pages, 11 figures, Referee-revised version accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

IceCube: Neutrinos from Active Galaxies [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07086


The IceCube project transformed a cubic kilometer of transparent, natural Antarctic ice into a Cherenkov detector. It discovered neutrinos of TeV-PeV energy originating beyond our Galaxy with an energy flux that exceeds the one of high-energy gamma rays of extragalactic origin. Unlike at any other wavelength of light, extragalactic neutrinos outshine the nearby sources in our own Milky way. Updated measurements of the diffuse cosmic neutrino flux indicate that the high-energy gamma rays produced by the neutral pions that accompany cosmic neutrinos lose energy in the sources and are likely to be observed at MeV energy, or below. After the reanalysis of 10 years of archival data with an improved data selection and enhanced data analysis methods, the active galaxy NGC 1068 emerged as the hottest spot in the neutrino sky map. It is also the most significant source in a search at the positions of 110 preselected high-energy gamma-ray sources. Additionally, we find evidence for neutrino emission from the active galaxies PKS 1424+240 and TXS 0506+056. TXS 0506+056 had already been identified as a neutrino source in a multimessenger campaign triggered by a neutrino of 290 TeV energy and, by the independent observation of a neutrino burst in 2014 from this source in archival IceCube data. The observations point to active galaxies as the sources of cosmic neutrinos, and cosmic rays, with the gamma-ray-obscured dense cores near the supermassive black holes at their center as the sites where neutrinos originate, typically within $10\sim100$ Schwarzschild radii.

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F. Halzen
Mon, 15 May 23
26/53

Comments: contribution to the 2023 Electroweak session of the 57th Rencontres de Moriond

Prospects of detecting soft X-ray emission from typical WHIM filaments around massive clusters and the Coma cluster soft excess [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07579


While hot ICM in galaxy clusters makes these objects powerful X-ray sources, the cluster’s outskirts and overdense gaseous filaments might give rise to much fainter sub-keV emission. Cosmological simulations show a prominent “focusing” effect of rich clusters on the space density of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) filaments up to a distance of $\sim 10\,{\rm Mpc}$ ($\sim$ turnaround radius, $r_{ta}$) and beyond. Here, we use Magneticum simulations to characterize their properties in terms of integrated emission measure for a given temperature and overdensity cut and the level of contamination by the more dense gas. We suggest that the annuli $(\sim 0.5-1)\times \,r_{ta}$ around massive clusters might be the most promising sites for the search of the gas with overdensity $\lesssim 50$. We model spectral signatures of the WHIM in the X-ray band and identify two distinct regimes for the gas at temperatures below and above $\sim 10^6\,{\rm K}$. Using this model, we estimate the sensitivity of X-ray telescopes to the WHIM spectral signatures. We found that the WHIM structures are within reach of future high spectral resolution missions, provided that the low-density gas is not extremely metal-poor. We then consider the Coma cluster observed by SRG/eROSITA during the CalPV phase as an example of a nearby massive object. We found that beyond the central $r\sim 40’$ ($\sim 1100\,{\rm kpc}$) circle, where calibration uncertainties preclude clean separation of the extremely bright cluster emission from a possible softer component, the conservative upper limits are about an order of magnitude larger than the levels expected from simulations.

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E. E.Churazov, I. I.I.Khabibullin, K. K.Dolag, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
27/53

Comments: Submitted to MNRAS

How do supernova remnants cool? — I. Morphology, optical emission lines, and shocks [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07652


Supernovae (SNe) inject $\sim 10^{51}$ erg in the interstellar medium, thereby shocking and heating the gas. A substantial fraction of this energy is later lost via radiative cooling. We present a post-processing module for the FLASH code to calculate the cooling radiation from shock-heated gas using collisional excitation data from MAPPINGS V. When applying this tool to a simulated SN remnant (SNR), we find that most energy is emitted in the EUV. However, optical emission lines ($[$O III$]$, $[$N II$]$, $[$S II$]$, H${\alpha}$, H${\beta}$) are usually best observable. Our shock detection scheme shows that [S II] and [N II] emissions arise from the thin shell surrounding the SNR, while [O III], H$\rm \alpha$, and H$\rm \beta$ originate from the volume-filling hot gas inside the SNR bubble. We find that the optical emission lines are affected by the SNR’s complex structure and its projection onto the plane of the sky because the escaping line luminosity can be reduced by 10 — 80\% due to absorption along the line-of-sight. Additionally, the subtraction of contaminating background radiation is required for the correct classification of an SNR on the oxygen or sulphur BPT diagrams. The electron temperature and density obtained from our synthetic observations match well with the simulation but are very sensitive to the assumed metallicity.

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E. Makarenko, S. Walch, S. Clarke, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
30/53

Comments: 18 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

A QPO in Mkn 421 from Archival RXTE Data [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07510


We report a 325(-7, +8) day quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the X-ray emission of the blazar Mkn 421, based on data obtained with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The QPO is seen prominently in the ASM data (at least 15 cycles), due to the fact that it has had near-continuous sampling for more than a decade. The PCA data, where the sampling is not uniform and shows many large gaps, provide supporting evidence at lower significance. This QPO is present in both the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) and All-Sky Monitor (ASM) light curves, however it is far more secure (32 sigma significance) in the ASM data since much of the PCA data are from target-of-opportunity flare observations and thus have substantial gaps. QPOs are an important observable in accretion disks, can be modulated by various orbital timescales, and may be generated by a number of mechanisms. They have been studied extensively in X-ray binaries, and should be present in active galactic nuclei (AGN) if they are governed by a common set of physical principles. In jetted sources, QPOs can probe jet-disk interactions or helical oscillations. This QPO previously has been claimed intermittently in X-ray, radio and gamma-ray data, but the continuous, 15-year extent (1996-2011) of the ASM observations (in which Mkn 421 is the brightest AGN observed) provides a unique window. The QPO appears present for nearly the entire extent of the ASM observations. We explore various physical origins and modulating mechanisms, particularly interpretations of the QPO as a result of disk-jet interactions, either due to an accretion disk limit cycle, jet instabilities or helical motions. Limit-cycle related oscillations would not interact with either Keplerian or Lense-Thirring modulated oscillations, however those associated with jet instabilities or helical motions in the jet would likely be modulated by Lense-Thirring precession.

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E. Smith, L. Oramas and E. Perlman
Mon, 15 May 23
33/53

Comments: 10 pages, 8 figures, ApJ, in press

Evolutionary Increase of the orbital Separation and Change of the Roche Lobe Size in SS433 [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07093


We present results of long-term photometric monitoring of SS433 which proves a secular evolutionary increase of the orbital period of SS433 at a rate of $(1.14\pm 0.25)\times 10^{-7}$ s~s$^{-1}$. Using a physical model of non-conservative mass transfer in SS433 through a supercritical accretion disc around the compact companion, we reliably confirm that the binary mass ratio in SS433, $q=M_x/M_v$ is $\gtrsim 0.8$. For an optical star mass $M_v\sim 10 M_\odot$ the compact object in SS433 is a black hole with mass $M_{BH}\gtrsim 8 M_\odot$. We discuss evolutionary implications of the found orbital period increase in SS433 — a secular change in the orbital separation and a size of the Roche lobe of the optical star. We show that for the mass-loss rate $dM_v/dt\sim 10^{-4}-3\times 10^{-5} M_\odot$ per year and an optical star mass $M_v \sim 10-15 M_\odot$ the found orbital period increase implies the corresponding orbital separation increase while the Roche lobe size can shrink or expand around a mean constant value depending on the optical star mass-loss rate which may be modulated with the precessional period.

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A. Cherepashchuk, A. Belinski, A. Dodin, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
41/53

Comments: 19 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in New Astronomy

Deducing Neutron Star Equation of State from Telescope Spectra with Machine-learning-derived Likelihoods [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07442


The interiors of neutron stars reach densities and temperatures beyond the limits of terrestrial experiments, providing vital laboratories for probing nuclear physics. While the star’s interior is not directly observable, its pressure and density determine the star’s macroscopic structure which affects the spectra observed in telescopes. The relationship between the observations and the internal state is complex and partially intractable, presenting difficulties for inference. Previous work has focused on the regression from stellar spectra of parameters describing the internal state. We demonstrate a calculation of the full likelihood of the internal state parameters given observations, accomplished by replacing intractable elements with machine learning models trained on samples of simulated stars. Our machine-learning-derived likelihood allows us to perform maximum a posteriori estimation of the parameters of interest, as well as full scans. We demonstrate the technique by inferring stellar mass and radius from an individual stellar spectrum, as well as equation of state parameters from a set of spectra. Our results are more precise than pure regression models, reducing the width of the parameter residuals by 11.8% in the most realistic scenario. The neural networks will be released as a tool for fast simulation of neutron star properties and observed spectra.

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D. Farrell, P. Baldi, J. Ott, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
42/53

Comments: 18 pages, 8 figures

Interplanetary scintillation and pulsar pulse statistics [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07422


The effect of interplanetary plasma on pulsed pulsar radiation passing through is considered. The pulses of two rotating radio transients (J0609+16, J1132+25) and a pulsar (B0320+39) detected on the Large Phased Array (Pushchino observatory) were analyzed. It is shown that in observations at the frequency of 111 MHz, on elongations of 20o-40o, both an increase and a decrease in the number of received pulses are observed. The change in the number of pulses is explained by the distortion of the energy distribution of pulses due to interplanetary scintillation. These changes in the number of observed pulses are in qualitative agreement with the expected dependence of the scintillation index on the observed sources elongation. Analytical expressions are obtained that allow estimating the effective modulation index from observations of individual pulses for the power distribution of pulses by energy.

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S. Tyul’bashev, I. Chashei and M. Kitaeva
Mon, 15 May 23
43/53

Comments: accepted to MNRAS, 5 pages, 3 figures

The Spatially Resolved Properties of the GW170817 Host Galaxy [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07281


GW170817 is the unique gravitational-wave (GW) event that is associated to the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart GRB 170817A. NGC 4993 is identified as the host galaxy of GW170817/GRB 170817A. In this paper, we particularly focus on the spatially resolved properties of NGC 4993. We present the photometric results from the comprehensive data analysis of the high spatial-resolution images in the different optical bands. The morphological analysis reveals that NGC 4993 is a typical early-type galaxy without significant remnants of major galaxy merger. The spatially resolved stellar population properties of NGC 4993 suggest that the galaxy center has passive evolution with the outskirt formed by gas accretion. We derive the merging rate of the compact object per galaxy by a co-evolution scenario of supermassive black hole and its host galaxy. If the galaxy formation is at redshift 1.0, the merging rate per galaxy is $3.2\times 10^{-4}$ to $7.7\times 10^{-5}$ within the merging decay time from 1.0 to 5.0 Gyr. The results provide the vital information for the ongoing GW EM counterpart detections. The HST data analysis presented in this paper can be also applied for the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) research in the future.

Read this paper on arXiv…

Y. Li, J. Mao, J. Qin, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
45/53

Comments: RAA accepted

Drop in the hard pulsed fraction and a candidate cyclotron line in IGR J16320-4751 seen by NuSTAR [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07068


We report on a timing and spectral analysis of a 50-ks NuSTAR observation of IGR J16320-4751 (= AX J1631.9-4752); a high-mass X-ray binary hosting a slowly-rotating neutron star. In this observation from 2015, the spin period was 1,308.8+/-0.4 s giving a period derivative dP/dt ~ 2E-8 s s-1 when compared with the period measured in 2004. In addition, the pulsed fraction decreased as a function of energy, as opposed to the constant trend that was seen previously. This suggests a change in the accretion geometry of the system during the intervening 11 years. The phase-averaged spectra were fit with the typical model for accreting pulsars: a power law with an exponential cutoff. This left positive residuals at 6.4 keV attributable to the known iron K-alpha line, as well as negative residuals around 14 keV from a candidate cyclotron line detected at a significance of 5-sigma. We found no significant differences in the spectral parameters across the spin period, other than the expected changes in flux and component normalizations. A flare lasting around 5 ks was captured during the first half of the observation where the X-ray emission hardened and the local column density decreased. Finally, the binary orbital period was refined to 8.9912+/-0.0078 d thanks to Swift/BAT monitoring data from 2005-2022.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Bodaghee, A. Chiu, J. Tomsick, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
48/53

Comments: 17 pages, 11 figures, Referee-revised version accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

Spectroscopic Searches for Evolutionary Orbital Period Changes in WR+OB Binaries: The case of CQ Cep and CX Cep [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07105


We present the results of spectroscopic observations of two eclipsing WR+OB-type systems – CQ Cep and CX Cep, performed in 2020-2023 with a low-resolution slit spectrograph TDS ($\lambda\lambda= 3660-7410$\AA, $R = 1300-2500$) on 2.5-m telescope of the SAI MSU Caucasian Mountain Observatory. For CQ Cep, the radial velocity curves of a WN6 star are constructed, the problem of visibility of spectroscopic traces of an OB star is discussed and the components’ mass ratio $q\sim 0.6$ is estimated. For CX Cep, the radial velocity curves are constructed for both the WN5 and O5 components enabling their masses and circular orbit elements to be refined. The comparison of the radial velocity curves of these systems obtained in different epochs allowed us to derive the orbital period change rate $\dot{P}$ by the spectroscopic method, which is found to be in good agreement with estimates obtained by comparing the moments of primary eclipse minima: $\dot{P} = -0.0151\pm0.0013$ s yr$^{-1}$ for CQ Cep and $\dot{P} = 0.054\pm0.009$ s yr$^{-1}$ for CX Cep. The prospects of applicability of the spectroscopic dynamical method for studying the orbital evolution of Galactic WR+OB binaries and related objects are considered. We also discuss the effect of finite sizes of stars with stellar wind mass loss in close binary systems on their orbital evolution.

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I. Shaposhnikov, A. Cherepashchuk, A. Dodin, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
52/53

Comments: 13 pages, 8 figures, 11 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Phase Transition Phenomenology with Nonparametric Representations of the Neutron Star Equation of State [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07411


Astrophysical observations of neutron stars probe the structure of dense nuclear matter and have the potential to reveal phase transitions at high densities. Most recent analyses are based on parametrized models of the equation of state with a finite number of parameters and occasionally include extra parameters intended to capture phase transition phenomenology. However, such models restrict the types of behavior allowed and may not match the true equation of state. We introduce a complementary approach that extracts phase transitions directly from the equation of state without relying on, and thus being restricted by, an underlying parametrization. We then constrain the presence of phase transitions in neutron stars with astrophysical data. Current pulsar mass, tidal deformability, and mass-radius measurements disfavor only the strongest of possible phase transitions (latent energy per particle $\gtrsim 100\,\mathrm{MeV}$). Weaker phase transitions are consistent with observations. We further investigate the prospects for measuring phase transitions with future gravitational-wave observations and find that catalogs of \result{$O(100)$} events will (at best) yield Bayes factors of $\sim 10:1$ in favor of phase transitions even when the true equation of state contains very strong phase transitions. Our results reinforce the idea that neutron star observations will primarily constrain trends in macroscopic properties rather than detailed microscopic behavior. Fine-tuned equation of state models will likely remain unconstrained in the near future.

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R. Essick, I. Legred, K. Chatziioannou, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
53/53

Comments: 18 pages (+12 pages of references and appendix), 17 figures, 5 tables

Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission from GeV to PeV energies in light of up-to-date cosmic ray measurements [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06948


The diffuse gamma-ray emission between 10 and 1000 TeV from the Galactic plane was recently measured precisely by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), which is very useful in constraining the propagation and interaction of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. On the other hand, new measurements of CR spectra reach a very high precision up to 100 TeV energies, revealing multiple spectral structures of various species. In this work, we confront the model prediction of the diffuse gamma-ray emission, based on up-to-date measurements of the local cosmic ray spectra and simplified propagation setup, with the measurements of diffuse gamma-rays. To better constrain the low-energy part of the model, we analyze Fermi-LAT data to extract the diffuse emission between 1 and 500 GeV from the same sky regions of LHAASO. Compared with the prediction, we find that clear excesses between several GeV and ~60 TeV of the diffuse emission exist. Possible reasons to explain the excesses may include unresolved sources or more complicated propagation models. We illustrate that an exponential-cutoff-power-law component with an index of -2.40 and cutoff energy of ~30 TeV is able to account for such excesses.

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R. Zhang, X. Huang, Z. Xu, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
7/53

Comments: N/A

Propagation effects at low frequencies seen in the LOFAR long-term monitoring of the periodically active FRB 20180916B [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06393


LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) has previously detected bursts from the periodically active, repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20180916B down to unprecedentedly low radio frequencies of 110 MHz. Here we present 11 new bursts in 223 more hours of continued monitoring of FRB 20180916B in the 110-188 MHz LOFAR band. We place new constraints on the LOFAR activity width $w = 4.3^{+0.7}{-0.2}$ day, and phase centre $\phi{\mathrm{c}}^{\mathrm{LOFAR}} = 0.67^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$ in its 16.33-day activity cycle, strengthening the evidence for its frequency-dependent activity cycle. Propagation effects like Faraday rotation and scattering are especially pronounced at low frequencies and constrain properties of FRB 20180916B’s local environment. We track variations in scattering and time-frequency drift rates, and find no evidence for trends in time or activity phase. Faraday rotation measure (RM) variations seen between June 2021 and August 2022 show a fractional change $>$50% with hints of flattening of the gradient of the previously reported secular trend seen at 600 MHz. The frequency-dependent window of activity at LOFAR appears stable despite the significant changes in RM, leading us to deduce that these two effects have different causes. Depolarization of and within individual bursts towards lower radio frequencies is quantified using LOFAR’s large fractional bandwidth, with some bursts showing no detectable polarization. However, the degree of depolarization seems uncorrelated to the scattering timescales, allowing us to evaluate different depolarization models. We discuss these results in the context of models that invoke rotation, precession, or binary orbital motion to explain the periodic activity of FRB 20180916B.

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A. Gopinath, C. Bassa, Z. Pleunis, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
13/53

Comments: 17 pages, 10 figures, Submitted to MNRAS

Searching for temporary gamma-ray dark blazars associated with IceCube neutrinos [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06729


Tensions between the diffuse gamma-ray sky observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and the diffuse high-energy neutrino sky detected by the IceCube South Pole Neutrino Observatory question our knowledge about high-energy neutrino sources in the gamma-ray regime. While blazars are among the most energetic persistent particle accelerators in the Universe, studies suggest that they could account for up to for 10-30% of the neutrino flux measured by IceCube. Our recent results highlighted that the associated IceCube neutrinos arrived in a local gamma-ray minimum (dip) of three strong neutrino point-source candidates. We increase the sample of neutrino-source candidates to study their gamma-ray light curves. We generate the one-year Fermi-LAT light curve for 8 neutrino source candidate blazars (RBS 0958, GB6 J1040+0617, PKS 1313-333, TXS 0506+056, PKS 1454-354, NVSS J042025-374443, PKS 0426-380 and PKS 1502+106), centered on the detection time of the associated IceCube neutrinos. We apply the Bayesian block algorithm on the light curves to characterize their variability. Our results indicate that GB6 J1040+0617 was in the phase of high gamma-ray activity, while none of the other 7 neutrino source candidates were statistically bright during the detection of the corresponding neutrinos and that indeed even most of the times neutrinos arrived in a faint gamma-ray phase of the light curves. This suggests that the 8 source-candidate blazars (associated with 7 neutrino events) in our reduced sample are either not the sources of the corresponding IceCube neutrinos, or that an in-source effect (e.g. suppression of gamma rays due to high gamma-gamma opacity) complicates the multimessenger scenario of neutrino emission for these blazars.

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E. Kun, I. Bartos, J. Tjus, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
17/53

Comments: 13 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to A&A

A Leptonic Model for Neutrino Emission From Active Galactic Nuclei [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06375


It is often stated that the observation of high-energy neutrinos from an astrophysical source would constitute a smoking gun for the acceleration of hadronic cosmic rays. Here, we point out that there exists a purely leptonic mechanism to produce TeV-scale neutrinos in astrophysical environments. In particular, very high energy synchrotron photons can scatter with X-rays, exceeding the threshold for muon-antimuon pair production. When these muons decay, they produce neutrinos without any cosmic-ray protons or nuclei being involved. In order for this mechanism to be efficient, the source in question must feature both kG-scale magnetic fields and a high density of keV-scale photons. As an example, we consider the active galaxy NGC 1068, which IceCube has recently detected as a source of TeV-scale neutrinos. We find that the neutrino emission observed from this source could potentially be generated through muon pair production for reasonable choices of physical parameters.

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D. Hooper and K. Plant
Fri, 12 May 23
18/53

Comments: 4 pages, 2 figures

Interpreting the GeV-TeV Gamma-Ray Spectra of Local Giant Molecular Clouds using GEANT4 Simulation [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06693


Recently, the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray satellite has detected six Giant Molecular Clouds (GMCs) located in the Gould Belt and the Aquila Rift regions. In half of these objects (Taurus, Orion A, Orion B), the observed gamma-ray spectrum can be explained using the Galactic diffused Cosmic Ray (CR) interactions with the gas environments. In the remaining three GMCs (Rho Oph, Aquila Rift, Cepheus), the origin of the gamma-ray spectrum is still not well established. We use the GEometry ANd Tracking (GEANT4) simulation framework in order to simulate gamma-ray emission due to CR/GMC interaction in these three objects, taking into account the gas density distribution inside the GMCs. We find that propagation of diffused Galactic CRs inside these GMCs can explain the Fermi-LAT detected gamma-ray spectra. Further, our estimated TeV-PeV fluxes are consistent with the HAWC upper limits, available for the Aquila Rift GMC. As last step, we compute the total neutrino flux estimated for these GMCs and compare it with the IceCube detection sensitivity.

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A. Roy, J. Joshi, M. Cardillo, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
30/53

Comments: 17 pages, 9 figures, Comments Welcome

XTE J1906+090: a persistent low luminosity Be X-ray Binary [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06689


We present new results from INTEGRAL and Swift observations of the hitherto poorly studied and unidentified X-ray source XTE J1906+090. A bright hard X-ray outburst (luminosity of $\sim$10$^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$ above 20 keV) has been discovered with INTEGRAL observations in 2010, this being the fourth outburst ever detected from the source. Such events are sporadic, the source duty cycle is in the range (0.8–1.6)% as inferred from extensive INTEGRAL and Swift monitoring in a similar hard X-ray band. Using five archival unpublished Swift/XRT observations, we found that XTE J1906+090 has been consistently detected at a persistent low X-ray luminosity value of $\sim$10$^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$, with limited variability (a factor as high as 4). Based on our findings, we propose that XTE J1906+090 belongs to the small and rare group of persistent low luminosity Be X-ray Binaries.

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V. Sguera, L. Sidoli, A. Bird, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
33/53

Comments: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 7 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables

Swift J1644+57 as an off-axis Jet [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06370


One of the intriguing puzzles concerning Swift J1644+57, the first jetted tidal disruption event (TDE) discovered, is the constant increase in its jet energy, as implied by radio observations. During the first two hundred days the jet energy has increased by an order of magnitude. We suggest that the jet was viewed slightly off-axis. In this case, the apparent energy increase arises due to the slowing down of the jet and the corresponding broadening of its beaming cone. Using equipartition analysis, we infer an increasing jet energy as a larger region of the jet is observed. A simple off-axis model accounts nicely for the multi-wavelength radio observations, resolving this long-standing puzzle. The model allows us to self-consistently evolve the synchrotron signature from an off-axis jet as a function of time. It also allows us to estimate, for the first time, the beaming angle of the jet, $\theta_0 \approx 21^{\circ}$. This implies that the prompt phase of Swift J1644+57 involved super Eddington jet luminosity. We also present a closure relation between the spectral and temporal flux for off-axis jets, which can be used to test whether a given radio transient is off-axis or not.

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P. Beniamini, T. Piran and T. Matsumoto
Fri, 12 May 23
34/53

Comments: 9 pages, 8 figures. Submitted

Does Nature allow formation of ultra-compact black hole X-ray binaries via accretion-induced collapse of neutron stars? [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06550


The formation path to ultra-compact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) with black hole (BH) accretors is still unclear. In the classical formation scenario, it is difficult to eject the massive envelope of the progenitor star of the BH via common envelope process. Given that some neutron stars (NSs) in binary systems evidently have birth masses close to $\sim 2.0\;M_\odot$, we explore here the possibility that BH-UCXBs may form via accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of accreting NSs, assuming that these previously evolved in LMXBs to masses all the way up to the maximum limit of a NS. We demonstrate this formation path by modelling a few cases of NS-UCXBs with initial NS masses close to the maximum mass of a NS that evolve into BH-UCXBs after the NS accretes material from its He~WD companion. We follow the evolution of the post-AIC BH-UCXB and, based on simple arguments, we anticipate that there is about one BH-UCXB with an AIC origin and a He~WD donor within the current sample of known UCXBs and that 2–5 such BH-UCXBs may be detected in gravitational waves by LISA. In addition, we find that the X-ray luminosity of NS-UCXBs near their orbital period minimum exceeds $\sim 10^{39}\;{\rm erg\;s^{-1}}$ and thus such systems may appear as ultraluminous X-ray sources.

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H. Chen, T. Tauris, X. Chen, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
38/53

Comments: ApJ accepted, 12 pages, 3 figures

Testing the linear relationship between black hole mass and variability timescale in low-luminosity AGN at submillimeter wavelengths [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06529


The variability of submillimeter emission provides a useful tool to probe the accretion physics in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei. We accumulate four years of observations using Submillimeter Array for Centaurus A, NGC 4374, NGC 4278, and NGC 5077 and one year of observations for NGC 4552 and NGC 4579. All sources are variable. We measure the characteristic timescale at which the variability is saturated by modeling these sources’ light curve as a damped random walk. We detect a timescale for all the sources except NGC 4552. The detected timescales are comparable to the orbital timescale at the event horizon scale for most sources. Combined with previous studies, we show a correlation between the the timescale and the black hole mass over three orders of magnitude. This discovery suggests the sub-mm emission is optically thin with the emission originating from the event horizon. The mass scaling relationship further suggests that a group of radio sources with a broadband spectrum that peaks at submillimeter wavelengths have similar inner accretion physics. Sources that follow this relationship may be good targets for high-resolution imaging with the Event Horizon Telescope.

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B. Chen, G. Bower, J. Dexter, et. al.
Fri, 12 May 23
41/53

Comments: 18 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication by ApJ

3D evolution of neutron star magnetic-fields from a realistic core-collapse turbulent topology [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06342


We present the first 3D fully coupled magneto-thermal simulations of neutron stars (including the most realistic background structure and microphysical ingredients so far) applied to a very complex initial magnetic field topology in the crust, similar to what recently obtained by proto-neutron star dynamo simulations. In such configurations, most of the energy is stored in the toroidal field, while the dipolar component is a few percent of the mean magnetic field. This initial feature is maintained during the long-term evolution (1e6 yr), since the Hall term favours a direct cascade (compensating for Ohmic dissipation) rather than a strong inverse cascade, for such an initial field topology. The surface dipolar component, responsible for the dominant electromagnetic spin-down torque, does not show any increase in time, when starting from this complex initial topology. This is at contrast with the timing properties of young pulsars and magnetars which point to higher values of the surface dipolar fields. A possibility is that the deep-seated magnetic field (currents in the core) is able to self-organize in large scales (during the collapse or in the early life of a neutron star). Alternatively, the dipolar field might be lower than is usually thought, with magnetosphere substantially contributing to the observed high spin-down, via e.g., strong winds or strong coronal magnetic loops, which can also provide a natural explanation to the tiny surface hotspots inferred from X-ray data.

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C. Dehman, D. Viganò, S. Ascenzi, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
4/55

Comments: 8 pages, 6 figures, submitted for publication in MNRAS, comments are welcome

1100 Days in the Life of the Supernova 2018ibb — the Best Pair-Instability Supernova Candidate, to date [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.05796


Abridged – Stars with ZAMS masses between 140 and $260 M_\odot$ are thought to explode as pair-instability supernovae (PISNe). During their thermonuclear runaway, PISNe can produce up to several tens of solar masses of radioactive nickel, resulting in luminous transients similar to some superluminous supernovae (SLSNe). Yet, no unambiguous PISN has been discovered so far. SN2018ibb is a H-poor SLSN at $z=0.166$ that evolves extremely slowly compared to the hundreds of known SLSNe. Between mid 2018 and early 2022, we monitored its photometric and spectroscopic evolution from the UV to the NIR with 2-10m class telescopes. SN2018ibb radiated $>3\times10^{51} \rm erg$ during its evolution, and its bolometric light curve reached $>2\times10^{44} \rm erg\,s^{-1}$ at peak. The long-lasting rise of $>93$ rest-frame days implies a long diffusion time, which requires a very high total ejected mass. The PISN mechanism naturally provides both the energy source ($^{56}$Ni) and the long diffusion time. Theoretical models of PISNe make clear predictions for their photometric and spectroscopic properties. SN2018ibb complies with most tests on the light curves, nebular spectra and host galaxy, potentially all tests with the interpretation we propose. Both the light curve and the spectra require 25-44 $M_\odot$ of freshly nucleosynthesised $^{56}$Ni, pointing to the explosion of a metal-poor star with a He-core mass of 120-130 $M_\odot$ at the time of death. This interpretation is also supported by the tentative detection of [Co II]$\lambda$1.025$\mu$m, which has never been observed in any other PISN candidate or SLSN before. Powering by a central engine, such as a magnetar or a black hole, can be excluded with high confidence. This makes SN2018ibb by far the best candidate for being a PISN, to date.

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S. Schulze, C. Fransson, A. Kozyreva, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
9/55

Comments: Submitted to A&A, 44 pages, main text 38 pages, 37 figures, 16 Tables

Implications of pulsar timing array observations for LISA detections of massive black hole binaries [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.05955


Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will open complementary observational windows on massive black-hole binaries (MBHBs), i.e., with masses in the range $\sim 10^6 – 10^{10}\,$ M${\odot}$. While PTAs may detect a stochastic gravitational-wave background from a population of MBHBs, during operation LISA will detect individual merging MBHBs. To demonstrate the profound interplay between LISA and PTAs, we estimate the number of MBHB mergers that one can expect to observe with LISA by extrapolating direct observational constraints on the MBHB merger rate inferred from PTA data. For this, we postulate that the common noise currently detected in PTAs is an astrophysical background sourced by a single MBHB population. We then constrain the LISA detection rate, $\mathcal{R}$, in the mass-redshift space by combining our Bayesian-inferred merger rate with LISA’s sensitivity to spin-aligned, inspiral-merger-ringdown waveforms. Using an astrophysically-informed formation model, we predict a 95$\%$ upper limit on the detection rate of $\mathcal{R} < 134\,{\rm yr}^{-1}$ for binaries with total masses in the range $10^7 – 10^8\,$ M${\odot}$. For higher masses, i.e., $>10^8\,$ M$_{\odot}$, we find $\mathcal{R} < 2\,(1)\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ using an astrophysically-informed (agnostic) formation model, rising to $11\,(6)\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ if the LISA sensitivity bandwidth extends down to $10^{-5}$ Hz. Forecasts of LISA science potential with PTA background measurements should improve as PTAs continue their search.

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N. Steinle, H. Middleton, C. Moore, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
10/55

Comments: N/A

Unpacking merger jets: a Bayesian analysis of GW170817, GW190425 and electromagnetic observations of short gamma-ray bursts [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06275


We present a novel fully Bayesian analysis to constrain short gamma-ray burst jet structures associated with cocoon, wide-angle and simple top-hat jet models, as well as the binary neutron star merger rate. These constraints are made given the distance and inclination information from GW170817, observed flux of GRB170817A, observed rate of short gamma-ray bursts detected by Swift, and the neutron star merger rate inferred from LIGO’s first and second observing runs. A separate analysis is conducted where a fitted short gamma-ray burst luminosity function is included to provide further constraints. The jet structure models are further constrained using the observation of GW190425 and we find that the assumption that it produced a GRB170817-like short gamma-ray burst that went undetected due to the jet geometry is consistent with previous observations. We find and quantify evidence for low luminosity and wide-angled jet structuring in the short gamma-ray burst population, independently from afterglow observations, with log Bayes factors of $0.45{-}0.55$ for such models when compared to a classical top-hat jet. Slight evidence is found for a Gaussian jet structure model over all others when the fitted luminosity function is provided, producing log Bayes factors of $0.25{-}0.9\pm0.05$ when compared to the other models. However without considering GW190425 or the fitted luminosity function, the evidence favours a cocoon-like model with log Bayes factors of $0.14\pm0.05$ over the Gaussian jet structure. We provide new constraints to the binary neutron star merger rates of $1{-}1300$Gpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$ or $2{-}680$Gpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$ when a fitted luminosity function is assumed.

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F. Hayes, I. Heng, G. Lamb, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
20/55

Comments: 18 pages, 8 figures

Jet-powered turbulence in common envelope evolution [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06266


We conduct a three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulation of a common envelope evolution (CEE) where a neutron star (NS) spirals-in inside the envelope of a red supergiant (RSG) star in a predetermined orbit. We find that the jets shed pairs of vortices in an expanding spiral pattern, inflate two expanding spirally-shaped low-density bubbles, one above and one below the equatorial plane, and deposit angular momentum to the envelope. In the simulation we do not include the gravity of the NS such that all effects we find are solely due to the jets that the spiralling-in NS launches. The angular momentum that the jets deposit to the envelope is of the same order of magnitude as the orbital angular momentum and has the same direction. The turbulence that the jets induce in the common envelope might play a role in transporting energy and angular momentum. The jet-deposited energy that is radiated away (a process not studied here) leads to a transient event that is termed common envelope jets supernova (CEJSN) and might mimic an energetic core collapse supernova. The turbulence and the spiral pattern that we explore here might lead to bumps in the late light curve of the CEJSN when different segments of the ejected envelope collide with each other. This study emphasises the roles that jets can play in CEE (including jets launched by black hole companions) and adds to the rich variety of processes in CEJSN events.

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S. Hillel, R. Schreier and N. Soker
Thu, 11 May 23
26/55

Comments: Will be submitted in two days to allow for comments

Multi-Messenger Diagnostics of the Engine behind Core-Collapse Supernovae [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06134


Core-collapse supernova explosions play a wide role in astrophysics by producing compact remnants (neutron stars, black holes) and the synthesis and injection of many heavy elements into their host Galaxy. Because they are produced in some of the most extreme conditions in the universe, they can also probe physics in extreme conditions (matter at nuclear densities and extreme temperatures and magnetic fields). To quantify the impact of supernovae on both fundamental physics and our understanding of the Universe, we must leverage a broad set of observables of this engine. In this paper, we study a subset of these probes using a suite of 1-dimensional, parameterized mixing models: ejecta remnants from supernovae, ultraviolet, optical and infra-red lightcurves, and transient gamma-ray emission. We review the other diagnostics and show how the different probes tie together to provide a more clear picture of the supernova engine.

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C. Fryer, E. Burns, A. Hungerford, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
34/55

Comments: 21 pages, 11 figures

The spin measurement of MAXI J0637-430: a black hole candidate with high disk density [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.05914


The Galactic black hole candidate MAXI J0637-430 was first discovered by $\textit{MAXI/GSC}$ on 2019 November 02. We study the spectral properties of MAXI J0637-430 by using the archived $\textit{NuSTAR}$ data and $\textit{Swift}$/XRT data. After fitting the eight spectra by using a disk component and a powerlaw component model with absorption, we select the spectra with relatively strong reflection components for detailed X-ray reflection spectroscopy. Using the most state-of-art reflection model $\tt{relxillCp}$, the spectral fitting measures a black hole spin $\textit{a}{\rm{*}} > 0.72$ and the inclination angle of the accretion disk $i$ = $46.1{-5.3}^{+4.0}$ degrees, at 90 per cent confidence level. In addition, the fitting results show an extreme supersolar iron abundance. Combined with the fitting results of the reflection model $\tt{reflionx_hd}$, we consider that this unphysical iron abundance may be caused by a very high density accretion disk ( $n_{\rm{e}} > 2.34 \times 10^{21}$ $\rm{cm}^{-3}$ ) or a strong Fe K$\alpha$ emission line. The soft excess is found in the soft state spectral fitting results, which may be an extra free-free heating effect caused by high density of the accretion disk. Finally, we discuss the robustness of black hole spin obtained by X-ray reflection spectroscopy. The result of relatively high spin is self-consistent with broadened Fe K$\alpha$ line. Iron abundance and disk density have no effect on the spin results.

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N. Jia, Y. Feng, Y. Song, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
35/55

Comments: submitted to Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics

MeerKAT caught a Mini Mouse: serendipitous detection of a young radio pulsar escaping its birth sit [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06130


In MeerKAT observations pointed at a Galactic X-ray binary located on the Galactic plane we serendipitously discovered a radio nebula with cometary-like morphology. The feature, which we named the Mini Mouse' based on its similarity with the previously discoveredMouse’ nebula, points back towards the previously unidentified candidate supernova remnant G45.24$+$0.18. We observed the location of the Mini Mouse with MeerKAT in two different observations, and we localised with arcsecond precision the 138 ms radio pulsar PSR J1914+1054g, recently discovered by the FAST telescope, to a position consistent with the head of the nebula. We confirm a dispersion measure of about 418 pc cm$^{-3}$ corresponding to a distance between 7.8 and 8.8 kpc based on models of the electron distribution. Using our accurate localisation and 2 period measurements spaced 90 days apart we calculate a period derivative of (2.7 $\pm$ 0.3) $\times$ 10 $^{-14}$ s s$^{-1}$. We derive a characteristic age of approximately 82 kyr and a spin down luminosity of 4$\times$10$^{35}$ erg s$^{-1}$, respectively. For a pulsar age comparable with the characteristic age, we find that the projected velocity of the neutron star is between 320 and 360 km/s if it was born at the location of the supernova remnant. The size of the proposed remnant appears small if compared with the pulsar characteristic age, however the relatively high density of the environment near the Galactic plane could explain a suppressed expansion rate and thus a smaller remnant.

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S. Motta, J. Turner, B. Stappers, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
44/55

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication on MNRAS