Quasi-periodic Oscillations Frequency Research Articles

Detection of a variable QPO at ∼41 mHz in the Be/X-ray transient pulsar 4U 0115+634

We report the detection of quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) at ~41 mHz in the transient high-mass Be/X-ray binary pulsar 4U~0115+634 using data from the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observatory. The observations used in the present work were carried out during X-ray outbursts in 1999 March-April, 2004 September-October and 2008 March-April. This frequency of the newly detected QPO was found to vary in 27-46 mHz range. This ~41 mHz QPO was detected in four of the 36 pointed RXTE Proportional Counter Array (PCA) observations during 1999 outburst where as during 2004 and 2008 outbursts, it was detected in four and three times out of 33 and 26 observations, respectively. Though QPOs at ~2 mHz, and ~62 mHz were reported earlier, the ~41 mHz QPO and its first harmonic were detected for the first time in this pulsar. There are three RXTE/PCA observations where multiple QPOs were detected in the power density spectrum of 4U~0115+634. Simultaneous presence of multiple QPOs is rarely seen in accretion powered X-ray pulsars. Spectral analysis of all the pointed RXTE/PCA observations revealed that the 3-30 keV energy spectrum was well described by Negative and Positive Power-law with EXponential cutoff (NPEX) continuum model along with interstellar absorption and cyclotron absorption components. During the three X-ray outbursts, however, no systematic variation in any of the spectral parameters other than the earlier reported anti-correlation between cyclotron absorption energy and luminosity was seen. Presence of any systematic variation of QPO frequency and rms of QPO with source flux were also investigated yielding negative results.

ON THE NATURE OF THE mHz X-RAY QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS FROM ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE M82 X–1: SEARCH FOR TIMING-SPECTRAL CORRELATIONS

Using all the archival XMM-Newton X-ray (3-10 keV) observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) M82 X-1 we searched for a correlation between its variable mHz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) frequency and its hardness ratio (5-10 keV/3-5 keV), an indicator of the energy spectral power-law index. When stellar-mass black holes (StMBHs) exhibit Type-C low-frequency QPOs (~ 0.2-15 Hz) the centroid frequency of the QPO is known to correlate with the energy spectral index. The detection of such a correlation would strengthen the identification of M82 X-1's mHz QPOs as Type-C and enable a more reliable mass estimate by scaling its QPO frequencies to those of Type-C QPOs in StMBHs of known mass. We resolved the count rates and the hardness ratios of M82 X-1 and a nearby bright ULX (source 5/X42.3+59) through surface brightness modeling. We detected QPOs in the frequency range of 36-210 mHz during which M82 X-1's hardness ratio varied from 0.42-0.47. Our primary results are: (1) we do not detect any correlation between the mHz QPO frequency and the hardness ratio (a substitute for the energy spectral power-law index) and (2) similar to some accreting X-ray binaries, we find that M82 X-1's mHz QPO frequency increases with its X-ray count rate (Pearson's correlation coefficient = +0.97). The apparent lack of a correlation between the QPO centroid frequency and the hardness ratio poses a challenge to the earlier claims that the mHz QPOs of M82 X-1 are the analogs of the Type-C low-frequency QPOs of StMBHs. On the other hand, it is possible that the observed relation between the hardness ratio and the QPO frequency represents the saturated portion of the correlation seen in Type-C QPOs of StMBHs -- in which case M82 X-1's mHz QPOs can still be analogous to Type-C QPOs.

Discovery of twin kHz quasi-periodic oscillations in the low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701−407

We report the discovery of kHz quasi periodic oscillations (QPOs) in three Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) XTE J1701-407. In one of the observations we detect a kHz QPO with a characteristic frequency of 1153 +/- 5 Hz, while in the other two observations we detect twin QPOs at characteristic frequencies of 740 +/- 5 Hz, 1112 +/- 17 Hz and 740 +/- 11 Hz, 1098 +/- 5 Hz. All detections happen when XTE J1701-407 was in its high intensity soft state, and their single trial significance are in the 3.1-7.5 sigma range. The frequency difference in the centroid frequencies of the twin kHz QPOs (385 +/- 13 Hz) is one of the largest seen till date. The 3-30 keV fractional rms amplitude of the upper kHz QPO varies between ~18 % and ~30 %. XTE J1701-407, with a persistent luminosity close to 1 % of the Eddington limit, is among the small group of low luminosity kHz QPO sources and has the highest rms for the upper kHz QPO detected in any source. The X-ray spectral and variability characteristics of this source indicate its atoll source nature.

A magnetic reconnection model for quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole systems

The quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in black hole (BH) systems with different scales are interpreted based on the magnetic reconnection of large-scale magnetic fields generated by toroidal electric currents flowing in the inner region of the accretion disk, where the current density is assumed to be proportional to the mass density of the accreting plasma. The magnetic connection (MC) is taken into account in resolving dynamic equations describing the accretion disk, in which the MC between the inner and outer disk regions, between the plunging region and the disk, and between the BH horizon and the disk are involved. It turns out that a single QPO frequency associated with several BH systems with different scales can be fitted by invoking the magnetic reconnection due to the MC between the inner and outer regions of the disk, including the BH binaries XTE J1859+226, XTE J1650−500 and GRS 1915+105 and the massive BHs in NGC 5408 X-1 and RE J1034+396. In addition, the X-ray spectra corresponding to the QPOs for these sources are fitted based on the typical disk-corona model.

SOFT LAGS IN NEUTRON STAR kHz QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS: EVIDENCE FOR REVERBERATION?

High frequency soft reverberation lags have now been detected from stellar mass and super massive black holes. Their interpretation involves reflection of a hard source of photons onto an accretion disk, producing a delayed reflected emission, with a time lag consistent with the light travel time between the irradiating source and the disk. Independently of the location of the clock, the kHz Quasi-Periodic Oscillation (QPO) emission is thought to arise from the neutron star boundary layer. Here, we search for the signature of reverberation of the kHz QPO emission, by measuring the soft lags and the lag energy spectrum of the lower kHz QPOs from 4U1608-52. Soft lags, ranging from ~15 to ~40 microseconds, between the 3-8 keV and 8-30 keV modulated emissions are detected between 565 and 890 Hz. The soft lags are not constant with frequency and show a smooth decrease between 680 Hz and 890 Hz. The broad band X-ray spectrum is modeled as the sum of a disk and a thermal comptonized component, plus a broad iron line, expected from reflection. The spectral parameters follow a smooth relationship with the QPO frequency, in particular the fitted inner disk radius decreases steadily with frequency. Both the bump around the iron line in the lag energy spectrum, and the consistency between the lag changes and the inferred changes of the inner disk radius, from either spectral fitting or the QPO frequency, suggest that the soft lags may indeed involve reverberation of the hard pulsating QPO source on the disk.

Magneto-elastic oscillations of neutron stars: exploring different magnetic field configurations

We study magneto-elastic oscillations of highly magnetized neutron stars (magnetars) which have been proposed as an explanation for the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) appearing in the decaying tail of the giant flares of soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs). We extend previous studies by investigating various magnetic field configurations, computing the Alfv\'en spectrum in each case and performing magneto-elastic simulations for a selected number of models. By identifying the observed frequencies of 28 Hz (SGR 1900+14) and 30 Hz (SGR 1806-20) with the fundamental Alfv\'en QPOs, we estimate the required surface magnetic field strength. For the magnetic field configurations investigated (dipole-like poloidal, mixed toroidal-poloidal with a dipole-like poloidal component and a toroidal field confined to the region of field lines closing inside the star, and for poloidal fields with an additional quadrupole-like component) the estimated dipole spin-down magnetic fields are between 8x10^14 G and 4x10^15 G, in broad agreement with spin-down estimates for the SGR sources producing giant flares. A number of these models exhibit a rich Alfv\'en continuum revealing new turning points which can produce QPOs. This allows one to explain most of the observed QPO frequencies as associated with magneto-elastic QPOs. In particular, we construct a possible configuration with two turning points in the spectrum which can explain all observed QPOs of SGR 1900+14. Finally, we find that magnetic field configurations which are entirely confined in the crust (if the core is assumed to be a type I superconductor) are not favoured, due to difficulties in explaining the lowest observed QPO frequencies (f<30 Hz).

Quasi-periodic oscillation envelopes and frequency locking in rapidly vibrated nonlinear systems with time delay

The effect of time-delayed feedback and fast harmonic excitation (FHE) on stationary periodic vibration and quasi-periodic responses in a parametric and self-excited weakly nonlinear oscillator is analyzed in this paper. The method of direct partition of motion and two stages of multiple scales analysis are conducted to obtain analytical approximation for quasi-periodic oscillation envelopes and frequency-locking area near primary resonance. A parameter study shows that, in the absence or the presence of high-frequency excitation, time-delayed feedback may reduce significantly the amplitude and the envelopes of quasi-periodic oscillations leading to a quasi synchronization of the response over the whole frequency range around the resonance. The results presented for the parameters tested agree well with results obtained by numerical simulation.

MASS-ANGULAR-MOMENTUM RELATIONS IMPLIED BY MODELS OF TWIN PEAK QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS

Twin peak quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) appear in the X-ray power-density spectra of several accreting low-mass neutron star (NS) binaries. Observations of the peculiar Z-source Circinus X-1 display unusually low QPO frequencies. Using these observations, we have previously considered the relativistic precession (RP) twin peak QPO model to estimate the mass of central NS in Circinus X-1. We have shown that such an estimate results in a specific mass-angular-momentum (M-j) relation rather than a single preferred combination of M and j. Here we confront our previous results with another binary, the atoll source 4U 1636-53 that displays the twin peak QPOs at very high frequencies, and extend the consideration to various twin peak QPO models. In analogy to the RP model, we find that these imply their own specific M-j relations. We explore these relations for both sources and note differences in the chi-square behavior that represent a dichotomy between high- and low-frequency sources. Based on the RP model, we demonstrate that this dichotomy is related to a strong variability of the model predictive power across the frequency plane. This variability naturally comes from the radial dependence of characteristic frequencies of orbital motion. As a consequence, the restrictions on the models resulting from observations of low-frequency sources are weaker than those in the case of high-frequency sources. Finally we also discuss the need for a correction to the RP model and consider the removing of M-j degeneracies, based on the twin peak QPO-independent angular momentum estimates.

The energy dependence of the centroid frequency of the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in XTE J1550-564

In this paper, we investigate the energy dependence of the centroid frequency of the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs; 0.08-20 Hz) in XTE J1550-564. We have used the observational data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer during the first half part of the 1998-1999 outburst. We have found that the centroid frequency of the fundamental QPO did not vary with photon energy when its QPO frequency was less than similar to 0.4-0.8 Hz and it did not increase much when its frequency was between similar to 0.8 and similar to 3.3 Hz. However, it clearly increased with photon energy when it was larger than similar to 3.3 Hz. The most interesting point is that it increased much more quickly with photon energy when its centroid frequency was between similar to 6 and similar to 8.5 Hz. Subsequently, its rising rate dropped sharply when its frequency was larger than similar to 8.5 Hz. We have also investigated the dependence of the first-harmonic and subharmonic QPO frequency on photon energy. We have found that for more than 70 per cent of the subharmonic QPO observations, the frequency increased with the photon energy, while the rest did not change obviously. Meanwhile, similar to 60 per cent of the first-harmonic QPOs exhibited a negative correlation between their frequencies and photon energy, while the remaining correlations were irregular. For the amplitudes of the QPOs, complicated dependences on photon energy were also found. The amplitudes of the first-harmonic and subharmonic QPOs have shown a similar correlation with photon energy (i.e. their amplitudes increased with photon energy until similar to 6-7 keV, beyond which the amplitudes decreased). By contrast, the fundamental QPO amplitude increased until similar to 10 keV and became saturated toward higher energies. These newly discovered patterns of the dependence of QPOs on photon energy cannot be easily explained in the currently existing frames of QPO models. Therefore, they provide an important insight into our understanding of QPO physics.

The effect of frame dragging on the iron Kα line in X-ray binaries

The clear characteristic timescale picked out by the low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) seen in many black hole and neutron star binaries has the potential to provide a very powerful diagnostic of the inner regions of the accretion flow. However, this potential cannot be realised without a quantitative model for the QPO. We have recently shown that the same truncated disc/hot inner flow geometry which is used to interpret the spectral transitions can also directly produce the QPO from Lense-Thirring (vertical) precession of the hot inner flow. This correctly predicts both the frequency and spectrum of the QPO, and the tight correlation of these properties with the total spectrum of the source via a changing truncation radius between the disc and hot flow. This model predicts a unique iron line signature as a vertically tilted flow illuminates different azimuths of the disc as it precesses. The iron line arising from this rotating illumination is blue shifted when the flow irradiates the approaching region of the spinning disc and red shifted when the flow irradiates the receding region of the disc. This gives rise to a characteristic rocking of the iron line on the QPO frequency which is a necessary (and probably sufficient) test of a Lense-Thirring origin. This is also an independent test of disc truncation models for the low/hard state, as vertical precession cannot occur if there is a disc in the midplane. We show that it may be possible to observe this effect using archival data from the Rossi X-ray timing explorer (RXTE) or XMM Newton. However, a clean test requires a combination of moderate resolution and good statistics, such as would be available from a long XMM-Newton observation or with data from the proposed ESA mission LOFT.

The origin of the most probable 3:2 twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) frequency ratio in the micro-quasars

In the present study, we notice that within a few gravitational radii, where the X-ray emission originates, the perturbations in the accretion disk may excite high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). The vertical and the radial disk oscillations frequencies due to the perturbation exhibit a 3:2 twin-peak ratio which is most commonly detected in the X-ray fluxes in many Galactic micro-quasars. The high frequency QPOs happen most likely if the oscillations occur very close to the center. We further notice that the perturbations originate in the neighborhood of the shock transition or from a discontinuity in the disk, and could be the possible mechanism to excite the high frequency QPOs. The shocks are more probable in the X-ray emission region and may form very close to the horizon particularly, when the black hole spin is very high. Studying the shock locations as a function of the black hole spin in a fully general relativistic inviscid transonic accretion flows, we calculate the disk oscillation frequencies and their ratios in that perturbed orbit. Further, from the spin dependence, we estimate the ‘most probable spin interval’ in the micro-quasars by considering the 1/M scaling hypothesis in high frequency QPOs. Finally, we find the spin (a) interval which lies for XTE 1550-564, at a∼(0.89–0.99), for the GRO 1655-40, at a∼(0.96–0.99) and for the GRS 1915+105, at a∼(0.74–0.999). The uncertainty in the mass analysis corresponds to the above spin intervals.

The correlations between kHz and LF QPOs in the NSXBs

AbstractWe study the correlations between low frequency (LF) and kHz quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) for 20 neutron star X-ray bianaries (NSXBs). We find that both upper and lower kHz QPOs correlate with the LF QPOs. However, the correlations show 5 parallel branches in the kHz QPO frequency vs. LF QPO frequency relation diagram. We notice that the source will jump from one parallel branch to another when different harmonic frequency of the LF QPO is used to plot the correlation between kHz and LF QPOs. We infer that the parallel branches maybe due to the multi-harmonic QPOs in the NSXBs.

QPO in RE J1034+396: model constraints from observed trends

We analyze the time variability of the X-ray emission of RE J1034+396, an active galactic nucleus with the first firm detection of a quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO). Based on the results of a wavelet analysis, we find a drift in the QPO central frequency. The change in the QPO frequency correlates with the change in the X-ray flux with a short time delay. Linear structures such as shocks, spiral waves, or very distant flares seem to be a favored explanation for this particular QPO event.

LOW-FREQUENCY (11 mHz) OSCILLATIONS IN H1743-322: A NEW CLASS OF BLACK HOLE QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS?

We report the discovery of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) at ~11 mHz in two RXTE observations and one Chandra observation of the black hole candidate H1743-322. The QPO is observed only at the beginning of the 2010 and 2011 outbursts at similar hard colour and intensity, suggestive of an accretion state dependence for the QPO. Although its frequency appears to be correlated with X-ray intensity on timescales of a day, in successive outbursts eight months apart we measure a QPO frequency that differs by less than ~2.2 mHz while the intensity had changed significantly. We show that this ~11 mHz QPO is different from the so-called Type-C QPOs seen in black holes and that the mechanisms that produce the two flavours of variability are most probably independent. After comparing this QPO with other variability phenomena seen in accreting black holes and neutron stars, we conclude that it best resembles the so-called "1 Hz" QPOs seen in dipping neutron star systems, although having a significantly lower (1-2 orders of magnitude) frequency. If confirmed, H1743-322 is the first black hole showing this type of variability. Given the unusual characteristics and the hard-state dependence of the ~11 mHz QPO, we also speculate whether these oscillations could instead be related to the radio jets observed in H1743-322. A systematic search for this type of low-frequency QPOs in similar systems is needed to test this speculation. In any case, it remains unexplained why these QPOs have only been seen in the last two outbursts of H1743-322.

A MULTI-EPOCH TIMING AND SPECTRAL STUDY OF THE ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY NGC 5408 X-1 WITHXMM-Newton

We present results of new XMM-Newton observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 5408 X-1, one of the few ULXs to show quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO). We detect QPOs in each of four new (~ 100 ks) pointings, expanding the range of frequencies observed from 10 - 40 mHz. We compare our results with the timing and spectral correlations seen in stellar-mass black hole systems, and find that the qualitative nature of the timing and spectral behavior of NGC 5408 X-1 is similar to systems in the steep power-law state exhibiting Type-C QPOs. However, in order for this analogy to quantitatively hold we must only be seeing the so-called saturated portion of the QPO frequency - photon index (or disk flux) relation. Assuming this to be the case, we place a lower limit on the mass of NGC 5408 X-1 of > 800 solar masses. Alternatively, the QPO frequency is largely independent of the spectral parameters, in which case a close analogy with the Type-C QPOs in stellar systems is problematic. Measurement of the source's timing properties over a wider range of energy spectral index is needed to definitively resolve this ambiguity. We searched all the available data for both a broad Fe emission line as well as high frequency QPO analogs (0.1 - 1 Hz), but detected neither. We place upper limits on the equivalent width of any Fe emission feature in the 6 - 7 keV band, and of the amplitude (rms) of a high frequency QPO analog of approximately 10 eV and approximately 4%, respectively.

KHz QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS FROM THE 2000 AND 2010 X-RAY TRANSIENTS LOCATED IN THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER TERZAN 5: EXO1745–248 AND IGR J17480–2446

EXO1745-248 is a transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary located in the globular cluster Terzan 5. It was in outburst in 2000 and displayed during one Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observation a highly coherent quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) at frequencies between 670 and 715 Hz. Applying a maximum likelihood method to fit the X-ray power density spectrum, we show that the QPO can be detected on segments as short as T=48 seconds. We find that its width is consistent with being constant, while previous analysis based on longer segment duration (200 s) found it variable. If the QPO frequency variations in EXO1745-248 follows a random walk (i.e. the contribution of the drift to the measured width increases like square root of T), we derive an intrinsic width of about 2.3 Hz. This corresponds to an intrinsic quality factor of about 297+/-50 at 691 Hz. We also show that Q is consistent with being constant between 2.5 and 25 keV. IGR J17480-2446 is another X-ray transient located in Terzan 5. It is a very interesting object showing accretion powered pulsations and burst oscillations at 11 Hz. We report on the properties of its kHz QPOs detected between October 18th and October 23rd, soon after the source had moved from the so-called Atoll to the Z state. Its QPOs are typical of persistent Z sources; in the sense that they have low Q factors (about 30) and low RMS amplitudes (about 5 %). The highest frequency (at 870 Hz), if orbital, sets a lower limit on the inner disk radius of about 18.5 km, and an upper limit to the dipole moment of the magnetic field 5 x 10^26 G cm^3.

Accretion flow dynamics during the evolution of timing and spectral properties of GX 339-4 during its 2010–11 outburst

The Galactic black-hole candidate GX 339-4 exhibited several outbursts at regular intervals of \sim 2-3 years in the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) era. After remaining in an almost quiescent state for 3 years, it again became X-ray active in 2010 January, continuing to be so over the next \sim 14 months. We study the timing and spectral properties of the black hole candidate (BHC) during its recent outburst using RXTE PCA data, starting from 2010 January 12 to 2011 March 6. Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the mass accretion processes and properties of the accretion disk of the black hole candidate. The PCA spectra of 2.5-25 keV are mainly fitted with a combination of two components, namely, a disk black body and a power-law. The entire outburst as observed by RXTE, is divided into 4 spectral states, namely, hard, hard-intermediate, soft-intermediate, and soft. Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) were found in 3 out of the 4 states, namely hard, hard-intermediate, and soft-intermediate. The QPO frequencies increase monotonically from 0.102 Hz to 5.692 Hz in the rising phase of the outburst, while during the declining phase QPO frequencies decrease monotonically from 6.420 to 1.149 Hz. The recent outburst of GX 339-4 gives us an opportunity to understand the evolution of the two-component accretion rates starting from the onset to the end of the outburst phase. We found that the QPO frequency variation could be explained by the propagating oscillatory shock model (POS) and the hardness versus intensity variation can be reproduced if we assume that higher viscosity causes the conversion of a low angular momentum disk component into a Keplerian component during the outburst phase. The decline phase starts because of the reduction in the viscosity.

ANTI-CORRELATED TIME LAGS IN THE Z SOURCE GX 5-1: POSSIBLE EVIDENCE FOR A TRUNCATED ACCRETION DISK

We investigate the nature of the inner accretion disk in the neutron star source GX 5-1 by making a detailed study of time lags between X-rays of different energies. Using the cross-correlation analysis, we found anti-correlated hard and soft time lags of the order of a few tens to a few hundred seconds and the corresponding intensity states were mostly the horizontal branch (HB) and upper normal branch (NB). The model independent and dependent spectral analysis showed that during these time lags the structure of accretion disk significantly varied. Both eastern and western approaches were used to unfold the X-ray continuum and systematic changes were observed in soft and hard spectral components. These changes along with a systematic shift in the frequency of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) made it substantially evident that the geometry of the accretion disk is truncated. Simultaneous energy spectral and power density spectral study shows that the production of the horizontal branch oscillations (HBOs) are closely related to the Comptonizing region rather than the disk component in the accretion disk. We found that as the HBO frequency decreases from the hard apex to upper HB, the disk temperature increases along with an increase in the coronal temperature which is in sharp contrast with the changes found in black hole binaries where the decrease in QPO frequency is accompanied by a decrease in the disk temperature and a simultaneous increase in the coronal temperature. We discuss the results in the context of re-condensation of coronal material in the inner region of the disk.

DISKOSEISMOLOGY AND QPOs CONFRONT BLACK HOLE SPIN

We compare the determinations of the angular momentum of stellar mass black holes via the continuum and line methods with those from diskoseismology. The assumption being tested is that one of the QPOs (quasi-periodic oscillations) in each binary X-ray source is produced by the fundamental g-mode. This should be the most robust and visible normal mode of oscillation of the accretion disk, and therefore its absence should rule out diskoseismology as the origin of QPOs. The comparisons are consistent with the second highest frequency QPO being produced by this g-mode, but are not consistent with models in which one QPO frequency is that of the innermost stable circular orbit.

On kHz oscillations and characteristic frequencies of accreting magnetospheres

When an accreting star is close to rotational equilibrium between the dipole component of the stellar magnetic field and the accretion disk, the star's rotation rate is roughly of the order of the Keplerean rotation rate at the inner boundary of the disk, estimated as the conventional Alfven radius. A range of frequencies higher than this equilibrium rotation frequency can naturally arise if the accretion flow is channeled by higher multipoles of the star's magnetic field. The higher multipole components of the magnetic field will balance the material stresses of the accretion flow at radii closer to the star. The Kepler frequencies associated with these generalized Alfven radii increase with the order of the multipole. Other frequency bands, like the epicyclic frequencies associated with the accretion flow, may in turn be higher than the Kepler frequencies. We present expressions for the spectrum of higher frequencies arising due to these effects. Kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillation frequencies that are much higher than the rotation rate of the neutron star, as observed from the recently discovered 11 Hz (P = 90 ms) X-ray pulsar IGR J17480-2446 in the globular cluster Terzan 5, may be due to modulation of the accretion rate by the excitation of these modes in the accretion flow. The very high QPO frequencies observed from the soft gamma repeaters SGR 1806-20 (P = 5.2 s) and SGR 1900+14 (P = 7.5 s) may also correspond to these characteristic frequencies if SGRs accrete from fallback disks around them.