Hard X-ray Component Research Articles

An accretion disc with magnetic outflows triggered by a sudden mass accretion event in changing-look active galactic nucleus 1ES 1927+654

ABSTRACT 1ES 1927+654 was known as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy, which exhibited drastic variability recently in ultraviolet (UV)/optical and X-ray bands. An UV/optical outburst was observed in the end of 2017, and it reached the peak luminosity ∼50 d later. The high-cadence observations showed a rapid X-ray flux decline with complete disappearance of the power-law hard X-ray component when the soft X-ray thermal emission reached its lowest level about 150 d after the UV/optical peak. The power-law X-ray component reappeared with thermal X-ray emission brightening from its lowest flux within next ∼100 d. We assume an episodic accretion event taking place in the outer region of the disc surrounding a central black hole (BH), which is probably due to a red giant star tidally disrupted by the BH. The inner thin disc with corona is completely swept by the accretion event when the gas reaches the innermost circular stable orbit. The field threading the disrupted star is dragged inwards by the disc formed after the tidal disruption event, which accelerates outflows from the disc. The disc dimmed since a large fraction of the energy released in the disc is tapped into the outflows. The accretion rate of the episodic accretion event declines, and ultimately, it turns out to be a thin disc, which is inefficient for field advection, and the outflows are switched off. A thin disc with corona reappears later after the outburst.

Extended Hard X-Ray Emission in Highly Obscured AGNs

Kiloparsec-scale hard (>3 keV) X-ray continuum and fluorescent Fe Kα line emission has been recently discovered in nearby Compton-thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGNs), which opens new opportunities to improve AGN torus modeling and investigate how the central supermassive black hole interacts with and impacts the host galaxy. Following a pilot Chandra survey of nearby CT AGNs, we present in this paper the results of Chandra spatial analysis of five uniformly selected non-CT but still heavily obscured AGNs to investigate the extended hard X-ray emission by measuring the excess emission counts, excess fractions, and physical scales. Three of these AGNs show extended emission in the 3.0–7.0 keV band detected at >3σ above the Chandra point-spread function with total excess fractions ranging from ∼8% to 20%. The extent of the hard emission ranges from at least ∼250 pc to 1.1 kpc in radius. We compare these new sources with CT AGNs and find that CT AGNs appear to be more extended in the hard band than the non-CT AGNs. Similar to CT AGNs, the amounts of extended hard X-ray emission relative to the total emission of these obscured AGNs are not negligible. Together with other AGNs detected with extended hard X-ray emission in the literature, we further explore potential correlations between the extended hard X-ray component and AGN parameters. We also discuss the implications for torus modeling and AGN feedback. Considering potential contributions from X-ray binaries (XRBs) to the extended emission, we do not see strong XRB contamination in the overall sample.

X-ray properties of early-type stars in the Tarantula Nebula from T-ReX

ABSTRACT We reassess the historical LX/LBol relation for early-type stars from a comparison between T-ReX, the Chandra ACIS X-ray survey of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and contemporary spectroscopic analysis of massive stars obtained primarily from VLT/FLAMES, VLT/MUSE, and HST/STIS surveys. For 107 sources in common (some host to multiple stars), the majority of which are bolometrically luminous (40 per cent exceed 106L⊙), we find an average log LX/LBol = −6.90 ± 0.65. Excluding extreme systems Mk 34 (WN5h+WN5h), R140a (WC4+WN6+), and VFTS 399 (O9 IIIn+?), plus four WR sources with anomalously hard X-ray components (R130, R134, R135, Mk 53) and 10 multiple sources within the spatially crowded core of R136a, log LX/LBol = −7.00 ± 0.49, in good agreement with Galactic OB stars. No difference is found between single and binary systems, nor between O, Of/WN, and WR stars, although there does appear to be a trend towards harder X-ray emission from O dwarfs, through O (super)giants, Of/WN stars, and WR stars. The majority of known OB stars in the Tarantula are not detected in the T-ReX point source catalogue, so we have derived upper limits for all undetected OB stars for which log LBol/L⊙ ≥ 5.0. A survival analysis using detected and upper limit log LX/LBol values indicates no significant difference between luminous O stars in the LMC and the Carina Nebula. This analysis suggests that metallicity does not strongly influence LX/LBol. Plasma temperatures for single, luminous O stars in the Tarantula ($\overline{kT_{m}}=1.0$ keV) are higher than counterparts in Carina ($\overline{kT_{m}}=0.5$ keV).

Thermal Instability in Radiation Hydrodynamics: Instability Mechanisms, Position-dependent S-curves, and Attenuation Curves

Local thermal instability can plausibly explain the formation of multiphase gas in many different astrophysical environments, but the theory of local TI is only well-understood in the optically thin limit of the equations of radiation hydrodynamics (RHD). Here, we lay groundwork for transitioning from this limit to a full RHD treatment assuming a gray opacity formalism. We consider a situation where the gas becomes thermally unstable due to the hardening of the radiation field when the main radiative processes are free–free cooling and Compton heating. We identify two ways in which this can happen: (i) when the Compton temperature increases with time, through a rise in either the intensity or energy of a hard X-ray component; and (ii) when attenuation reduces the flux of the thermal component such that the Compton temperature increases with depth through the slab. Both ways likely occur in the broad-line region of active galactic nuclei where columns of gas can be ionization-bounded. In such instances where attenuation is significant, thermal equilibrium solution curves become position-dependent and it no longer suffices to assess the stability of an irradiated column of gas at all depths using a single equilibrium curve. We demonstrate how to analyze a new equilibrium curve—the attenuation curve—for this purpose, and we show that, by Field’s instability criterion, a negative slope along this curve indicates that constant-density slabs are thermally unstable whenever the gas temperature increases with depth.

Fast Radio Bursts and Their High-energy Counterparts from Magnetar Magnetospheres

Abstract The recent discovery of a Galactic fast radio burst (FRB) occurring simultaneously with an X-ray burst (XRB) from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154 implies that at least some FRBs arise from magnetar activities. We propose that FRBs are triggered by crust fracturing of magnetars, with the burst event rate depending on the magnetic field strength in the crust. Since the crust-fracturing rate is relatively higher in polar regions, FRBs are more likely to be triggered near the directions of multipolar magnetic poles. Crust fracturing produces Alfvén waves, forming a charge-starved region in the magnetosphere and leading to nonstationary pair plasma discharges. An FRB is produced by coherent plasma radiation due to nonuniform pair production across magnetic field lines. Meanwhile, the FRB-associated XRB is produced by the rapid relaxation of the external magnetic field lines. In this picture, the sharp-peak hard X-ray component in association with FRB 200428 is from a region between adjacent trapped fireballs, and its spectrum with a high cutoff energy is attributed to resonant Compton scattering. The persistent X-ray emission is from a hot spot heated by the magnetospheric activities, and its temperature evolution is dominated by magnetar surface cooling. Within this picture, magnetars with stronger fields tend to produce brighter and more frequent repeated bursts.

X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Highly Magnetized Pulsar PSR J1846-0258, Its Wind Nebula, and Hosting Supernova Remnant Kes 75

Abstract We present broadband X-ray spectroscopy of the energetic components that make up the supernova remnant (SNR) Kesteven 75 using concurrent 2017 August 17–20 XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations, during which the pulsar PSR J1846−0258 is found to be in the quiescent state. The young remnant hosts a bright pulsar wind nebula powered by the highly energetic ( erg s−1) isolated, rotation-powered pulsar, with a spin-down age of only . Its inferred magnetic field (B s = 4.9 × 1013 G) is the largest known for these objects, and is likely responsible for intervals of flare and burst activity, suggesting a transition between/to a magnetar state. The pulsed emission from PSR J1846−0258 is well-characterized in the 2–50 keV range by a power-law model with photon index ΓPSR = 1.24 ± 0.09 and a 2–10 keV unabsorbed flux of (2.3 ± 0.4) × 10−12 erg s−1 cm−2. We find no evidence for an additional non-thermal component above 10 keV in the current state, as would be typical for a magnetar. Compared to the Chandra pulsar spectrum, the intrinsic pulsed fraction is 71 ± 16% in 2–10 keV band. A power-law spectrum for the pulsar wind nebulae (PWN) yields ΓPWN = 2.03 ± 0.02 in the 1–55 keV band, with no evidence of curvature in this range, and a 2–10 keV unabsorbed flux (2.13 ± 0.02) × 10−11 erg s−1 cm−2. The NuSTAR data reveal evidence for a hard X-ray component dominating the SNR spectrum above 10 keV that we attribute to a dust-scattered PWN component. We model the dynamical and radiative evolution of the Kes 75 system to estimate the birth properties of the neutron star, the energetics of its progenitor, and properties of the PWN. This suggests that the progenitor of Kes 75 was originally in a binary system which transferred most of its mass to a companion before exploding.

Is Extended Hard X-Ray Emission Ubiquitous in Compton-thick AGN?

Abstract The recent Chandra discovery of extended ∼kiloparsec-scale hard (>3 keV) X-ray emission in nearby Compton-thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGN) opens a new window to improving AGN torus modeling and investigating how the central supermassive black hole interacts with and impacts the host galaxy. Since there are only a handful of detections so far, we need to establish a statistical sample to determine the ubiquity of the extended hard X-ray emission in CT AGN and quantify the amount and extent of this component. In this paper, we present the spatial analysis results of a pilot Chandra imaging survey of seven nearby ( 0.006 < z < 0.013 ) CT AGN selected from the Swift-BAT spectroscopic AGN survey. We find that five out of the seven CT AGN show extended emission in the 3–7 keV band detected at >3σ above the Chandra point-spread function (PSF), with ∼12%–22% of the total emission in the extended components. ESO 137-G034 and NGC 3281 display biconical ionization structures with extended hard X-ray emission reaching kiloparsec scales (∼1.9 and 3.5 kpc in diameter). The other three show extended hard X-ray emission above the PSF out to at least ∼360 pc in radius. We find a trend that a minimum 3–7 keV count rate of 0.01 counts s−1 and total excess fraction >20% are required to detect a prominent extended hard X-ray component. Given that this extended hard X-ray component appears to be relatively common in this uniformly selected CT AGN sample, we further discuss the implications for torus modeling and AGN feedback.

A Compton-thick nucleus in the dual active galactic nuclei of Mrk 266

We present the results from our analysis of NuSTAR data of the luminous infrared galaxy Mrk 266, which contains two nuclei, south-western (SW) and north-eastern (NE), which were resolved in previous Chandra imaging. Combining this with the Chandra data, we intepret the hard X-ray spectrum obtained from a NuSTAR observation to result from a steeply rising flux from a Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the SW nucleus which is very faint in the Chandra band, confirming the previous claim. This hard X-ray component is dominated by reflection, and its intrinsic 2–10 keV luminosity is likely to be ∼1 × 1043 erg s−1. Although it is bright in soft X-ray, only a moderately absorbed NE nucleus has a 2–10 keV luminosity of 4 × 1041 erg s−1, placing it in the low-luminosity AGN class. These results have implications for understanding the detectability and duty cycles of emission from dual AGN in heavily obscured mergers.

X-ray emission from the mixed-morphology supernova remnant HB 9

Abstract We present the results of a spectral analysis of the central region of the mixed-morphology supernova remnant HB 9. A prior Ginga observation of this source detected a hard X-ray component above 4 keV, and the origin of this particular X-ray component is still unknown. Our results demonstrate that the extracted X-ray spectra are best represented by a model consisting of a collisional ionization equilibrium plasma with a temperature of ∼0.1–0.2 keV (interstellar matter component) and an ionizing plasma with a temperature of ∼0.6–0.7 keV and an ionization timescale of >1 × 1011 cm−3 s (ejecta component). No significant X-ray emission was found in the central region above 4 keV. The recombining plasma model reported by a previous work does not explain our spectra.

Fast quasi-periodic oscillations in the eclipsing polar VV Puppis from VLT and XMM-Newton observations

We present high time resolution optical photometric data of the polar VV Puppis obtained simultaneously in three filters (u′, HeII λ4686, r′) with the ULTRACAM camera mounted at the ESO-VLT telescope. An analysis of a long 50 ks XMM-Newton observation of the source, retrieved from the database, is also provided. Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are clearly detected in the optical during the source bright phase intervals when the accreting pole is visible, confirming the association of the QPOs with the basis of the accretion column. QPOs are detected in the three filters at a mean frequency of ∼0.7 Hz with a similar amplitude ∼1%. Mean orbitally-averaged power spectra during the bright phase show a rather broad excess with a quality factor Q = ν/Δν = 5−7 but smaller data segments commonly show a much higher coherency with Q up to 30. The X-ray Multi-mirror Mission XMM (0.5–10 keV) observation provides the first accurate estimation of the hard X-ray component with a high kT ∼ 40 keV temperature and confirms the high extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-soft/hard ratio in the range of 4−15 for VV Pup. The detailed X-ray orbital light curve displays a short Δϕ ≃ 0.05 ingress into self-eclipse of the active pole, indicative of an accretion shock height of ∼75 km. No significant X-ray QPOs are detected with an amplitude upper limit of ∼30% in the range 0.1–5 Hz. Detailed hydrodynamical numerical simulations of the post-shock accretion region with parameters consistent with VV Pup demonstrate that the expected frequencies from radiative instability are identical for X-rays and optical regime at values ν ∼ 40–70 Hz, more than one order magnitude higher than observed. This confirms previous statements suggesting that present instability models are unable to explain the full QPO characteristics within the parameters commonly known for polars.

Comparison of SEDs of very massive radio-loud and radio-quiet AGN

ABSTRACT The main objective of this work is to establish and interpret the dominant spectral components and their differences in radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) AGN with very massive black holes, and accreting at moderate rates. Such a sample is selected from the Swift/BAT catalogue of AGN having determined optical spectra types and hosting black holes with masses $\rm \gt 10^{8.5}\, M_{\odot }$. We confirm our previous results, that radio loudness distribution of Swift/BAT AGN is bimodal and that radio galaxies are about two times X-ray louder than their RQ counterparts. We show that the average X-ray loudness (defined as a ratio of luminosity in the 14–195 keV band to that at 12 μm) of Type 1 and Type 2 AGN is very similar. This similarity holds for both RL and RQ subsamples and indicates negligible dependence of the observed X-ray luminosities on the inclination angle in both populations. In both the radiative output is dominated by mid-IR and hard X-ray components, and relatively weak UV luminosities indicate large amounts of dust in polar regions.

Selecting Parameters of Detectors When Recognizing Materials Based on the Separation of Soft and Hard X-Ray Components

An approach to choosing the materials and thicknesses of detectors and an intermediate filter is considered in a material recognition method based on single X-raying of a test object with separate detection of soft and hard photons. The approach combines the maximum sensitivity to changes in the effective atomic number and the minimum error of its estimation. An example is given of selecting the parameters of the detectors and intermediate filter for X-ray energies in the range from 100 to 300 keV.

A Long Decay of X-Ray Flux and Spectral Evolution in the Supersoft Active Galactic Nucleus GSN 069

Abstract GSN 069 is an optically identified very low-mass active galactic nuclei (AGN) that shows supersoft X-ray emission. The source is known to exhibit a huge X-ray outburst, with flux increased by more than a factor of ∼240 compared to the quiescence state. We report its long-term evolution in the X-ray flux and spectral variations over a timescale of ∼decade, using both new and archival X-ray observations from the XMM-Newton and Swift. The new Swift observations detected the source in its lowest level of X-ray activity since the outburst, a factor of ∼4 lower in the 0.2–2 keV flux than that obtained with the XMM-Newton observations nearly eight years ago. Combining with the historical X-ray measurements, we find that the X-ray flux is decreasing slowly. There seemed to be spectral softening associated with the drop of X-ray flux. In addition, we find evidence for the presence of a weak, variable, hard X-ray component, in addition to the dominant thermal blackbody emission reported before. The long decay of X-ray flux and spectral evolution, as well as the supersoft X-ray spectra, suggest that the source could be a tidal disruption event (TDE), though a highly variable AGN cannot be fully ruled out. Further continued X-ray monitoring would be required to test the TDE interpretation, by better determining the flux evolution in the decay phase.

Energy-dependent intensity variation of the persistent X-ray emission of magnetars observed with Suzaku

Abstract The emission mechanism of magnetars is still controversial even though various observational and theoretical studies have been made. In order to investigate mechanisms of both the persistent X-ray emission and the burst emission of the magnetars, we propose a model in which the persistent X-ray emission consists of numerous micro-bursts of various sizes. If this model is correct, root mean square (rms) intensity variations of the persistent emission would exceed the values expected from the Poisson distribution. Using Suzaku archive data of 11 magnetars (22 observations), the rms intensity variations were calculated from 0.2 keV to 70 keV. As a result, we found significant excess rms intensity variations from all 11 magnetars. We suppose that numerous micro-bursts constituting the persistent X-ray emission cause the observed variations, suggesting that the persistent X-ray emission and the burst emission have identical emission mechanisms. In addition, we found that the rms intensity variations clearly increase toward higher energy bands for four magnetars (six observations). The energy-dependent rms intensity variations imply that the soft thermal component and the hard X-ray component are emitted from different regions far apart from each other.

ВЫБОР ПАРАМЕТРОВ ДЕТЕКТОРОВ В МЕТОДЕ РАСПОЗНАВАНИЯ МАТЕРИАЛОВ НА ОСНОВЕ РАЗДЕЛЕНИЯ МЯГКОЙ И ЖЕСТКОЙ СОСТАВЛЯЮЩИХ РЕНТГЕНОВСКОГО ИЗЛУЧЕНИЯ

ВЫБОР ПАРАМЕТРОВ ДЕТЕКТОРОВ В МЕТОДЕ РАСПОЗНАВАНИЯ МАТЕРИАЛОВ НА ОСНОВЕ РАЗДЕЛЕНИЯ МЯГКОЙ И ЖЕСТКОЙ СОСТАВЛЯЮЩИХ РЕНТГЕНОВСКОГО ИЗЛУЧЕНИЯ

Magnetars

Magnetars are young and highly magnetized neutron stars that display a wide array of X-ray activity including short bursts, large outbursts, giant flares, and quasi-periodic oscillations, often coupled with interesting timing behavior including enhanced spin-down, glitches, and antiglitches. The bulk of this activity is explained by the evolution and decay of an ultrastrong magnetic field, stressing and breaking the neutron-star crust, which in turn drives twists of the external magnetosphere and powerful magnetospheric currents. The population of detected magnetars has grown to about 30 objects and shows unambiguous phenomenological connection with highly magnetized radio pulsars. Recent progress in magnetar theory includes explanation of the hard X-ray component in the magnetar spectrum and development of surface heating models, explaining the sources’ remarkable radiative output.

The rotation-powered nature of some soft gamma-ray repeaters and anomalous X-ray pulsars

We investigate the possibility that some SGRs/AXPs could be canonical rotation-powered pulsars using realistic NS structure parameters instead of fiducial values. We show that realistic NS parameters lowers the estimated value of the magnetic field and radiation efficiency, $L_X/\dot{E}_{\rm rot}$, with respect to estimates based on fiducial NS parameters. We show that nine SGRs/AXPs can be described as canonical pulsars driven by the NS rotational energy, for $L_X$ computed in the soft (2--10~keV) X-ray band. We compute the range of NS masses for which $L_X/\dot{E}_{\rm rot}<1$. We discuss the observed hard X-ray emission in three sources of the group of nine potentially rotation-powered NSs. This additional hard X-ray component dominates over the soft one leading to $L_X/\dot{E}_{\rm rot}>1$ in two of them. We show that 9 SGRs/AXPs can be rotation-powered NSs if we analyze their X-ray luminosity in the soft 2--10~keV band. Interestingly, four of them show radio emission and six have been associated with supernova remnants (including Swift J1834.9-0846 the first SGR observed with a surrounding wind nebula). These observations give additional support to our results of a natural explanation of these sources in terms of ordinary pulsars. Including the hard X-ray emission observed in three sources of the group of potential rotation-powered NSs, this number of sources with $L_X/\dot{E}_{\rm rot}<1$ becomes seven. It remains open to verification 1) the accuracy of the estimated distances and 2) the possible contribution of the associated supernova remnants to the hard X-ray emission.

XMM-Newtonobservation of the supernova remnant Kes 78 (G32.8-0.1): Evidence of shock-cloud interaction

The Galactic supernova remnant Kes 78 is surrounded by dense molecular clouds, whose projected position overlaps with the extended HESS gamma-ray source HESS J1852-000. The X-ray emission from the remnant has been recently revealed by Suzaku observations, which have shown indications for a hard X-ray component in the spectra, possibly associated with synchrotron radiation. We aim at describing the spatial distribution of the physical properties of the X-ray emitting plasma and at revealing the effects of the interaction of the remnant with the inhomogeneous ambient medium. We also aim at investigating the origin of the gamma-ray emission, which may be Inverse Compton radiation associated with X-ray synchrotron emitting electrons or hadronic emission originating from the impact of high energy protons on the nearby clouds. We analyzed an XMM-Newton EPIC observation of Kes 78 by performing image analysis and spatially resolved spectral analysis on a set of three regions. We tested our findings against the observations of the 12CO and 13CO emission in the environment of the remnant. We revealed the complex X-ray morphology of Kes 78 and found variations of the spectral properties of the plasma, with significantly denser and cooler material at the eastern edge of the remnant, which we interpret as a signature of interaction with a molecular cloud. We also exclude the presence of narrow filaments emitting X-ray synchrotron radiation. Assuming that the very high energy gamma-ray emission is associated with Kes 78, the lack of synchrotron emission rules out a leptonic origin. A hadronic origin is further supported by evidence for interaction of the remnant with a dense molecular cloud in its eastern limb.

Origin of X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Emission from the Galactic Central Region

Abstract We study a possible connection between different non-thermal emissions from the inner few parsecs of the Galaxy. We analyze the origin of the gamma-ray source 2FGL J1745.6−2858 (or 3FGL J1745.6−2859c) in the Galactic Center (GC) and the diffuse hard X-ray component recently found by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, as well as the radio emission and processes of hydrogen ionization from this area. We assume that a source in the GC injected energetic particles with power-law spectrum into the surrounding medium in the past or continues to inject until now. The energetic particles may be protons, electrons, or a combination of both. These particles diffuse to the surrounding medium and interact with gas, magnetic field, and background photons to produce non-thermal emissions. We study the spectral and spatial features of the hard X-ray emission and gamma-ray emission by the particles from the central source. Our goal is to examine whether the hard X-ray and gamma-ray emissions have a common origin. Our estimations show that, in the case of pure hadronic models, the expected flux of hard X-ray emission is too low. Despite the fact that protons can produce a non-zero contribution in gamma-ray emission, it is unlikely that they and their secondary electrons can make a significant contribution in hard X-ray flux. In the case of pure leptonic models, it is possible to reproduce both X-ray and gamma-ray emissions for both transient and continuous supply models. However, in the case of the continuous supply model, the ionization rate of molecular hydrogen may significantly exceed the observed value.

TWO DISTINCT-ABSORPTION X-RAY COMPONENTS FROM TYPE IIn SUPERNOVAE: EVIDENCE FOR ASPHERICITY IN THE CIRCUMSTELLAR MEDIUM

ABSTRACT We present multi-epoch X-ray spectral observations of three Type IIn supernovae (SNe), SN 2005kd, SN 2006jd, and SN 2010jl, acquired with Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and Swift. Previous extensive X-ray studies of SN 2010jl have revealed that X-ray spectra are dominated by thermal emission, which likely arises from a hot plasma heated by a forward shock propagating into a massive circumstellar medium (CSM). Interestingly, an additional soft X-ray component was required to reproduce the spectra at a period of ∼1–2 years after the SN explosion. Although this component is likely associated with the SN, its origin remained an open question. We find a similar, additional soft X-ray component from the other two SNe IIn as well. Given this finding, we present a new interpretation for the origin of this component; it is thermal emission from a forward shock essentially identical to the hard X-ray component, but directly reaches us from a void of the dense CSM. Namely, the hard and soft components are responsible for the heavily and moderately absorbed components, respectively. The co-existence of the two components with distinct absorptions as well as the delayed emergence of the moderately absorbed X-ray component could be evidence for asphericity of the CSM. We show that the X-ray spectral evolution can be qualitatively explained by considering a torus-like geometry for the dense CSM. Based on our X-ray spectral analyses, we estimate the radius of the torus-like CSM to be on the order of ∼5 × 1016 cm.