Simultaneous Radio Observations Research Articles

Simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate 3FGL J1544.6−1125

ABSTRACT Transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) are neutron star systems that alternate between a rotation-powered radio millisecond pulsar state and an accretion disc-dominated low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB)-like state on multi-year time-scales. During the LMXB-like state, the X-ray emission from tMSPs switches between ‘low’ and ‘high’ X-ray brightness modes on a time-scale of seconds to minutes (or longer), while the radio emission shows variability on time-scales of roughly minutes. Coordinated Very Large Array (VLA) and Chandra observations of the nearby tMSP PSR J1023+0038 uncovered a clear anticorrelation between radio and X-ray luminosities such that the radio emission consistently peaks during the X-ray low modes. In addition, there are sometimes also radio/X-ray flares that show no obvious correlation. In this paper, we present simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of a promising tMSP candidate system, 3FGL J1544.6$-$1125, which shows optical, $\gamma$-ray, and X-ray phenomena similar to PSR J1023+0038, but which is challenging to study because of its greater distance. Using simultaneous VLA and Chandra observations, we find that the radio and X-ray emission are consistent with being anticorrelated in a manner similar to PSR J1023+0038. We discuss how our results help in understanding the origin of bright radio emission from tMSPs. The greater sensitivity of upcoming telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array will be crucial for studying the correlated radio/X-ray phenomena of tMSP systems.

Transitions in magnetic behavior at the substellar boundary

We aim to advance our understanding of magnetic activity and the underlying dynamo mechanism at the end of the main sequence. To this end, we have embarked on collecting simultaneous X-ray and radio observations for a sample of M7..L0 dwarfs in the solar neighborhood using XMM-Newton jointly with the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We supplemented the data from these dedicated campaigns with X-ray data from the all-sky surveys of the ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) on board the Russian Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma mission (SRG). Moreover, we complement this multiwavelength data set with rotation periods that we measured from light curves acquired with the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). We limited the sample to objects with rotation period of < 1 day, focusing on the study of a transition in magnetic behavior suggested by a drastic change in the radio detection rate at υ sin i ≈ 38 km s−1, corresponding to Prot ≈ 0.2 day for a typical ultracool dwarf (UCD) radius of R★ = 0.15 R⊙. Finally, to enlarge the target list, we have compiled archival X-ray and radio data for UCDs from the literature, and we have analyzed the abovementioned ancillary eROSITA and TESS observations for these objects’ analogous to the targets from our dedicated X-ray/radio campaigns. We compiled the most up to date radio/X-ray luminosity (LR,ν − Lx) relation for 26 UCDs with rotation periods (Prot) lower than 1 day, finding that rapid rotators lie the furthest away from the “Güdel-Benz” relation previously studied for earlier-type stars. Radio bursts are mainly (although not exclusively) experienced by very fast UCDs (Prot ≤ 0.2 day), while X-ray flares are seen by objects spanning the whole range of rotation. Finally, we examined the Lx/Lbol versus Prot relation, where our sample of UCDs spans a large activity level range, that is log(Lx/Lbol) = −5.5 to log(Lx/Lbol) = −3. Although they are all fast rotating, X-ray activity evidently decouples from that of normal dynamos. In fact, we found no evident relation between the X-ray emission and rotation, reinforcing previous speculations on a bimodal dynamo across late-type dwarfs. One radio-detected object, 2MJ0838, has a rotation period consistent with the range of auroral bursting sources; while it displays moderately circularly polarized emission, there is no temporal variation in the polarized flux. A radio flare from this object is interpreted as gyrosynchrotron emission, and it displays X-ray and optical flares. Among the ten UCDs observed with the dedicated X-ray/radio campaigns, we found a slowly rotating apparent auroral emitter (2MJ0752) that is also one of the X-ray brightest radio-detected UCDs. We speculate that this UCD is experiencing a transition in its magnetic behavior since it produces signatures expected from higher-mass M dwarfs along with emerging evidence of auroral emission.

A Joint Microwave and Hard X-Ray Study toward Understanding the Transport of Accelerated Electrons During an Eruptive Solar Flare

The standard flare model, despite its success, is limited in comprehensively explaining the various processes involving nonthermal particles. One such missing ingredient is a detailed understanding of the various processes involved during the transport of accelerated electrons from their site of acceleration to different parts of the flare region. Here we use simultaneous radio and X-ray observations from the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array and the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays on board the Solar Orbiter, respectively, from two distinct viewing perspectives, to study the electron transport processes. Through detailed spectral modeling of the coronal source using radio data and footpoint sources using X-ray spectra, we compare the nonthermal electron distribution at the coronal and footpoint sources. We find that the flux of the nonthermal electrons precipitated at the footpoint is an order of magnitude greater than that trapped in the looptop, consistent with earlier works that primarily used X-ray for their studies. In addition, we find that the electron spectral indices obtained from X-ray footpoints are significantly softer than the spectral hardness of the nonthermal electron distribution in the corona. We interpret these differences based on transport effects and the difference in sensitivity of microwave and X-ray observations to different regimes of electron energies. Such an understanding is crucial for leveraging different diagnostic methods of nonthermal electrons simultaneously to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the electron acceleration and transport processes of solar flares.

A global view on star formation: The GLOSTAR Galactic plane survey

Context. Cygnus X is one of the closest and most active high-mass star-forming regions in our Galaxy, making it one of the best laboratories for studying massive star formation. Aims. We aim to investigate the properties of molecular gas structures on different linear scales with the 4.8 GHz formaldehyde (H2CO) absorption line in Cygnus X. Methods. As part of the GLOSTAR Galactic plane survey, we performed large-scale (7º×3º) simultaneous H2CO (11,0–11,1) spectral line and radio continuum imaging observations toward Cygnus X at λ ~6 cm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope. We used auxiliary HI, 13CO (1–0), dust continuum, and dust polarization data for our analysis. Results. Our Effelsberg observations reveal widespread H2CO (11,0–11,1) absorption with a spatial extent of ≳50 pc in Cygnus X for the first time. On large scales of 4.4 pc, the relative orientation between the local velocity gradient and the magnetic field tends to be more parallel at H2 column densities of ≳1.8×1022 cm−2. On the smaller scale of 0.17 pc, our VLA+Effelsberg combined data reveal H2CO (11,0–11,1) absorption only towards three bright HII regions. Our observations demonstrate that H2CO (11,0–11,1) is optically thin in general. The kinematic analysis supports the assertion that molecular clouds generally exhibit supersonic motions on scales of 0.17−4.4 pc. We show a non-negligible contribution of the cosmic microwave background radiation to the extended absorption features in Cygnus X. Our observations suggest that H2CO (11,0–11,1) can trace molecular gas with H2 column densities of ≳5 × 1021 cm−2 (i.e., AV ≳ 5). The ortho-H2CO fractional abundance with respect to H2 has a mean value of 7.0 × 10−10. A comparison of the velocity dispersions on different linear scales suggests that the velocity dispersions of the dominant −3 km s−1 velocity component in the prominent DR21 region are nearly identical on scales of 0.17−4.4 pc, which deviates from the expected behavior of classic turbulence.

A variable corona during the transition from type-C to type-B quasi-periodic oscillations in the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070

ABSTRACT We analyse a Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer observation of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 during a transition from type-C to type-B quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). We find that below ∼2 keV, for the type-B QPOs the rms amplitude is lower and the magnitude of the phase lags is larger than for the type-C QPOs. Above that energy, the rms and phase-lag spectra of the type-B and type-C QPOs are consistent with being the same. We perform a joint fit of the time-averaged spectra of the source, and the rms and phase-lag spectra of the QPOs with the time-dependent Comptonization model vkompth to study the geometry of the corona during the transition. We find that the data can be well fitted with a model consisting of a small and a large corona that are physically connected. The sizes of the small and large coronae increase gradually during the type-C QPO phase whereas they decrease abruptly at the transition to type-B QPO. At the same time, the inner radius of the disc moves inward at the QPO transition. Combined with simultaneous radio observations showing that discrete jet ejections happen around the time of the QPO transition, we propose that a corona that expands horizontally during the type-C QPO phase, from ∼104 km ($\sim 800\, R_{\rm g}$) to 105 km ($\sim 8000\, R_{\rm g}$) overlying the accretion disc, transforms into a vertical jet-like corona extending over ∼104 km ($\sim 800\, R_{\rm g}$) during the type-B QPO phase.

Simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of the magnetar Swift J1818.0−1607

ABSTRACT Swift J1818.0−1607 is a radio-emitting magnetar that was discovered in X-ray outburst in 2020 March. Starting 4 d after this outburst, we began a nearly 5-month multifrequency observing campaign at 2.2, 8.4, and 32 GHz using telescopes in the NASA Deep Space Network. Using a dual-frequency observing mode, we were able to observe Swift J1818.0−1607 simultaneously at either 2.2 and 8.4 GHz or 8.4 and 32 GHz. Over the course of the campaign, we find that the flux density increases substantially and the spectrum changes from uncharacteristically steep (α < −2.2) to the essentially flat (α ≈ 0) spectrum typical of radio-emitting magnetars. In addition to the expected profile evolution on time-scales of days to months, we find that Swift J1818.0−1607 also exhibits mode switching where the pulse profile changes between two distinct shapes on time-scales of seconds to minutes. For two of the radio observations, we also had accompanying X-ray observations using the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer telescope that occurred on the same day. We find a near anti-alignment (0.40 phase cycles) between the peaks of the radio and X-ray pulse profiles, which is most likely explained by an intrinsic misalignment between the X-ray- and radio-emitting regions.

Compact and Variable Radio Emission from an Active Galaxy with Supersoft X-Ray Emission

RX J1301.9+2747 is a unique active galaxy with a supersoft X-ray spectrum that lacks significant emission at energies above 2 keV. In addition, it is one of few galaxies displaying quasiperiodic X-ray eruptions that recur on a timescale of 13–20 ks. We present multiepoch radio observations of RX J1301.9+2747 using GMRT, Very Large Array (VLA), and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The VLBA imaging at 1.6 GHz reveals a compact radio emission unresolved at a scale of <0.7 pc, with a brightness temperature of T b > 5 × 107 K. The radio emission is variable by more than a factor of 2.5 over a few days, based on the data taken from VLA monitoring campaigns. The short-term radio variability suggests that the radio emitting region has a size as small as 8 × 10−4 pc, resulting in an even higher brightness temperature of T b ∼ 1012 K. A similar limit on the source size can be obtained if the observed flux variability is not intrinsic and caused by the interstellar scintillation effect. The overall radio spectrum is steep with a time-averaged spectral index α = −0.78 ± 0.03 between 0.89 and 14 GHz. These observational properties rule out a thermal or star formation origin of the radio emission, and appear to be consistent with the scenario of episodic jet ejections driven by a magnetohydrodynamic process. Simultaneous radio and X-ray monitoring observations down to a cadence of hours are required to test whether the compact and variable radio emission is correlated with the quasiperiodic X-ray eruptions.

The first seven months of the 2020 X-ray outburst of the magnetar SGR J1935+2154

ABSTRACT The magnetar SGR J1935+2154 underwent a new active episode on 2020 April 27–28, when a forest of hundreds of X-ray bursts and a large enhancement of the persistent flux were detected. For the first time, a radio burst with properties similar to those of fast radio bursts and with a X-ray counterpart was observed from this source, showing that magnetars can power at least a group of fast radio bursts. In this paper, we report on the X-ray spectral and timing properties of SGR J1935+2154 based on a long-term monitoring campaign with Chandra, XMM–Newton, NuSTAR, Swift, and NICER covering a time-span of ∼7 months since the outburst onset. The broad-band spectrum exhibited a non-thermal power-law component (Γ ∼ 1.2) extending up to ∼20–25 keV throughout the campaign and a blackbody component with temperature decreasing from ∼1.5 keV at the outburst peak to ∼0.45 keV in the following months. We found that the luminosity decay is well described by the sum of two exponential functions, reflecting the fast decay (∼1 d) at the early stage of the outburst followed by a slower decrease (∼30 d). The source reached quiescence about ∼80 d after the outburst onset, releasing an energy of ∼6 × 1040 erg during the outburst. We detected X-ray pulsations in the XMM–Newton data sets and derived an average spin-down rate of ∼3.5 × 10−11 s s−1 using the spin period measurements derived in this work and three values reported previously during the same active period. Moreover, we report on simultaneous radio observations performed with the Sardinia Radio Telescope. No evidence for periodic or single-pulse radio emission was found.

The Study of Unusual Emission from PSR B1859+07 using FAST

We present simultaneous broad-band radio observations on the abnormal emission mode from PSR B1859+07 using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). This pulsar shows peculiar emission, which takes the form of occasional shifts of emission to an early rotational phase and mode change of emission at the normal phase. We confirm all these three emission modes with our data sets, including the B (burst) and Q (quiet) modes of the non-shifted pulses and the emission shift mode with a quasi-periodicity of 155 pulses. We also identify a new type of emission shift event, which has emission at the normal phase during the event. We studied polarization properties of these emission modes in detail, and found that they all have similar polarization angle curve, indicating the emissions of all these three modes are from the same emission height.

The Coaxial L-P Cryogenic Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

The design and characterization of the coaxial dual-band L-P radio astronomical receiver for the prime focus of the Sardinia radio telescope are presented. The main feature of this receiver is to allow simultaneous radio astronomical observations in the P (305 &#x2013; 410 MHz) and L (1.3 &#x2013; 1.8 GHz) frequency bands. This functionality, which has been requested by the Pulsar research group at the National Institute for Astrophysics to estimate, among the others, the ionospheric dispersion in Pulsar observation, is currently missing in any other radio astronomical facility throughout the world. Also, single band operation is ensured by the proposed design both in linear and circular polarization, making this L-P receiver an ideal instrument for a wide range of radio astronomical and space applications. Some components of the receiver chain have been housed inside a cryostat and refrigerated at 20 K to reduce the noise temperature, resulting in a good performance compared to the receivers of other large radio telescopes. Several challenging issues have been faced in the design, mainly due to the large dimension and weight of the overall structure to be mounted in the prime focus position. Moreover, the design of the cryostat was constrained by the limited space available in the direction of the optical axis inside the focal cabin of the radio telescope, requiring a compact and light realization of the components of the receiver chain. This called for a home-made design of several devices, requiring a strong collaborative effort by researchers, engineers, and astronomers.

Confirmation of Geminid meteor parameters via simultaneous 3-point radio observations of meteor head echoes using VHF ham radio waves and low-powered ham devices

Confirmation of Geminid meteor parameters via simultaneous 3-point radio observations of meteor head echoes using VHF ham radio waves and low-powered ham devices

Radio and X-ray observations of giant pulses from XTE J1810 − 197

ABSTRACT We present the results of two years of radio and X-ray monitoring of the magnetar XTE J1810 − 197 since the radio re-activation in late 2018. Single pulse analysis of radio observations from the Lovell and MkII telescopes at 1564 MHz and the Effelsberg telescope at 6 GHz has resulted in the detection of a total of 91 giant pulses (GPs) between MJDs 58858 and 59117. These GPs appear to be confined to two specific phase ranges (0.473 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.502 and 0.541 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.567). We also observe that the first detection of GP emission corresponds to a minimum in the spin-down rate. Simultaneous radio and X-ray observations were performed on MJDs 59009 and 59096. The 0.5–10 keV X-ray spectrum from NICER is well characterized by a two-component blackbody model that can be interpreted as two hot spots on the polar cap of the neutron star. The blackbody temperature decreases with time, consistent with the previous outburst, while the change in the pulsed fraction does not follow the same trend as was seen in the previous outburst. The radio and X-ray flux of XTE J1810 − 197 are correlated during the initial phase of the outburst (MJD 58450 – MJD 58550) and an increase in the radio flux is observed later that may be correlated to the onset of GPs. We argue that the disparity in the evolution of the current outburst compared to the previous one can be attributed to a change in geometry of the neutron star.

Simultaneous X-ray and radio observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate CXOU J110926.4–650224

We present the results of simultaneous observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar (tMSP) candidate CXOU J110926.4–650224 with the XMM-Newton satellite and the MeerKAT telescope. The source was found at an average X-ray luminosity of LX ≃ 7 × 1033 erg s−1 over the 0.3−10 keV band (assuming a distance of 4 kpc) and displayed a peculiar variability pattern in the X-ray emission, switching between high, low and flaring modes on timescales of tens of seconds. A radio counterpart was detected at a significance of 7.9σ with an average flux density of ≃33 μJy at 1.28 GHz. It showed variability over the course of hours and emitted a ≃10-min long flare just a few minutes after a brief sequence of multiple X-ray flares. No clear evidence for a significant correlated or anticorrelated variability pattern was found between the X-ray and radio emissions over timescales of tens of minutes and longer. CXOU J110926.4–650224 was undetected at higher radio frequencies in subsequent observations performed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, when the source was still in the same X-ray sub-luminous state observed before, down to a flux density upper limit of 15 μJy at 7.25 GHz (at 3σ). We compare the radio emission properties of CXOU J110926.4–650224 with those observed in known and candidate tMSPs and discuss physical scenarios that may account for its persistent and flaring radio emissions.

MIGHTEE: total intensity radio continuum imaging and the COSMOS/XMM-LSS Early Science fields

ABSTRACT MIGHTEE is a galaxy evolution survey using simultaneous radio continuum, spectropolarimetry, and spectral line observations from the South African MeerKAT telescope. When complete, the survey will image ∼20 deg2 over the COSMOS, E-CDFS, ELAIS-S1, and XMM-Newton Large Scale Structure field (XMM-LSS) extragalactic deep fields with a central frequency of 1284 MHz. These were selected based on the extensive multiwavelength data sets from numerous existing and forthcoming observational campaigns. Here, we describe and validate the data processing strategy for the total intensity continuum aspect of MIGHTEE, using a single deep pointing in COSMOS (1.6 deg2) and a three-pointing mosaic in XMM-LSS (3.5 deg2). The processing includes the correction of direction-dependent effects, and results in thermal noise levels below 2 $\mathrm{\mu }$Jy beam−1 in both fields, limited in the central regions by classical confusion at ∼8 arcsec angular resolution, and meeting the survey specifications. We also produce images at ∼5 arcsec resolution that are ∼3 times shallower. The resulting image products form the basis of the Early Science continuum data release for MIGHTEE. From these images we extract catalogues containing 9896 and 20 274 radio components in COSMOS and XMM-LSS, respectively. We also process a close-packed mosaic of 14 additional pointings in COSMOS and use these in conjunction with the Early Science pointing to investigate methods for primary beam correction of broad-band radio images, an analysis that is of relevance to all full-band MeerKAT continuum observations, and wide-field interferometric imaging in general. A public release of the MIGHTEE Early Science continuum data products accompanies this article.

Detection of a parsec-scale jet in a radio-quiet narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy with highly accreting supermassive black hole

ABSTRACT The jet in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is a key ingredient in understanding the co-evolution of galaxies and their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Unfortunately, the mechanism of jet launching and collimation is still elusive. The observational evidence of decreasing radio loudness with increasing Eddington ratio implies that the jet should be coupled with the accretion process. To further explore the relationship between the jet and accretion, it is necessary to extend our knowledge of the jet to an extreme end of the Eddington ratio distribution of AGN. Using Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), we report the detection of the parsec-scale radio structure in Mrk 335, a radio-quiet narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy with an Eddington ratio close to/above unity. The VLBA image at 1.5 GHz reveals an elongated structure extending ∼20 pc in north–south direction with a peak flux density of 1.98 ± 0.05 mJy beam−1 and radio brightness temperatures as high as 6 × 107 K. This feature provides a strong evidence of a parsec-scale (bipolar) jet launched from a highly accreting SMBH. We discuss the result by comparing Mrk 335 with other highly accreting systems, e.g. Galactic black holes and tidal disruption events, and recall the discovery of collimated corona in the vicinity of SMBH in Mrk 335 by previous X-ray observations, whose relation to the parsec-scale radio jet should be explored by future simultaneous X-ray spectroscopy and high resolution radio observations.

The MAVERIC Survey: Simultaneous Chandra and VLA observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate NGC 6652B

ABSTRACT Transitional millisecond pulsars are millisecond pulsars that switch between a rotation-powered millisecond pulsar state and an accretion-powered X-ray binary state, and are thought to be an evolutionary stage between neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries and millisecond pulsars. So far, only three confirmed systems have been identified in addition to a handful of candidates. We present the results of a multiwavelength study of the low-mass X-ray binary NGC 6652B in the globular cluster NGC 6652, including simultaneous radio and X-ray observations taken by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and optical spectroscopy and photometry. This source is the second brightest X-ray source in NGC 6652 ($L_{\textrm {X}}\sim 1.8 \times 10^{34}{\, \mathrm{erg\, s}^{-1}}$) and is known to be variable. We observe several X-ray flares over the duration of our X-ray observations, in addition to persistent radio emission and occasional radio flares. Simultaneous radio and X-ray data show no clear evidence of anticorrelated variability. Optical spectra of NGC 6652B indicate variable, broad H α emission that transitions from double-peaked emission to absorption over a time-scale of hours. We consider a variety of possible explanations for the source behaviour, and conclude that based on the radio and X-ray luminosities, short time-scale variability and X-ray flaring, and optical spectra, NGC 6652B is best explained as a transitional millisecond pulsar candidate that displays prolonged X-ray flaring behaviour. However, this could only be confirmed with observations of a change to the rotation-powered millisecond pulsar state.

Detection of a 20-min time lag observed from Sgr A* between 8 and 10 GHz with the VLA

ABSTRACT We report the detection and analysis of a radio flare observed on 17 April 2014 from Sgr A* at 9 GHz using the VLA in its A-array configuration. This is the first reported simultaneous radio observation of Sgr A* across 16 frequency windows between 8 and 10 GHz. We cross-correlate the lowest and highest spectral windows centred at 8.0 and 9.9 GHz, respectively, and find the 8.0 GHz light-curve lagging $18.37^{+2.17}_{-2.18}$ min behind the 9.9 GHz light curve. This is the first time lag found in Sgr A*’s light curve across a narrow radio frequency bandwidth. We separate the quiescent and flaring components of Sgr A* via flux offsets at each spectral window. The emission is consistent with an adiabatically expanding synchrotron plasma, which we fit to the light curves to characterize the two components. The flaring emission has an equipartition magnetic field strength of 2.2 Gauss, size of 14 Schwarzschild radii, average speed of 12 000 km s−1, and electron energy spectrum index (N(E) ∝ E−p), p = 0.18. The peak flare flux at 10 GHz is approximately 25 per cent of the quiescent emission. This flare is abnormal as the inferred magnetic field strength and size are typically about 10 Gauss and few Schwarzschild radii. The properties of this flare are consistent with a transient warm spot in the accretion flow at a distance of 10–100 Schwarzschild radii from Sgr A*. Our analysis allows for independent characterization of the variable and quiescent components, which is significant for studying temporal variations in these components.

Evidence of intra-binary shock emission from the redback pulsar PSR J1048+2339

We present simultaneous multiwavelength observations of the 4.66 ms redback pulsar PSR J1048+2339. We performed phase-resolved spectroscopy with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) searching for signatures of a residual accretion disk or intra-binary shock emission, constraining the companion radial velocity semi-amplitude (K2), and estimating the neutron star mass (MNS). Using the FORS2-VLT intermediate-resolution spectra, we measured a companion velocity of 291 &lt; K2 &lt; 348 km s−1 and a binary mass ratio of 0.209 &lt; q &lt; 0.250. Combining our results for K2 and q, we constrained the mass of the neutron star and the companion to (1.0 &lt; MNS &lt; 1.6) sin−3 i M⊙ and (0.24 &lt; M2 &lt; 0.33) sin−3i M⊙, respectively, where i is the system inclination. The Doppler map of the Hα emission line exhibits a spot feature at the expected position of the companion star and an extended bright spot close to the inner Lagrangian point. We interpret this extended emission as the effect of an intra-binary shock originating from the interaction between the pulsar relativistic wind and the matter leaving the companion star. The mass loss from the secondary star could be either due to Roche-lobe overflow or to the ablation of its outer layer by the energetic pulsar wind. Contrastingly, we find no evidence for an accretion disk. We report on the results of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) and the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope simultaneous radio observations at three different frequencies (150 MHz, 336 MHz, and 1400 MHz). No pulsed radio signal is found in our search. This is probably due to both scintillation and the presence of material expelled from the system which can cause the absorption of the radio signal at low frequencies. The confirmation of this hypothesis is given by another SRT observation (L-band) taken in 2019, in which a pulsed signal is detected. Finally, we report on an attempt to search for optical pulsations using IFI+Iqueye mounted at the 1.2 m Galileo telescope at the Asiago Observatory.

X-Ray and Radio Bursts from the Magnetar 1E 1547.0–5408

Abstract We report on simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of the radio-emitting magnetar 1E 1547.0–5408 on 2009 January 25 and February 3, with the 64 m Parkes radio telescope and the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories. The magnetar was observed in a period of intense X-ray bursting activity and enhanced X-ray emission. We report here on the detection of two radio bursts from 1E 1547.0–5408 reminiscent of fast radio bursts (FRBs). One of the radio bursts was anticipated by ∼1 s (about half a rotation period of the pulsar) by a bright SGR-like X-ray burst, resulting in a F radio/F X ∼ 10−9. Radio pulsations were not detected during the observation showing the FRB-like radio bursts, while they were detected in the previous radio observation. We also found that the two radio bursts are neither aligned with the latter radio pulsations nor with the peak of the X-ray pulse profile (phase shift of ∼0.2). Comparing the luminosity of these FRB-like bursts and those reported from SGR 1935+2154, we find that the wide range in radio efficiency and/or luminosity of magnetar bursts in the Galaxy may bridge the gap between “ordinary” pulsar radio bursts and the extragalactic FRB phenomenon.

Disc–jet coupling changes as a possible indicator for outbursts from GX 339−4 remaining within the X-ray hard state

ABSTRACT We present quasi-simultaneous radio, (sub-)millimetre, and X-ray observations of the Galactic black hole X-ray binary GX 339−4, taken during its 2017–2018 outburst, where the source remained in the hard X-ray spectral state. During this outburst, GX 339−4 showed no atypical X-ray behaviour that may act as an indicator for an outburst remaining within the hard state. However, quasi-simultaneous radio and X-ray observations showed a flatter than expected coupling between the radio and X-ray luminosities (with a best-fitting relation of $L_{\rm radio} \propto L_{\rm X}^{0.39 \pm 0.06}$), when compared to successful outbursts from this system ($L_{\rm radio} \propto L_{\rm X}^{0.62 \pm 0.02}$). While our 2017–2018 outburst data only span a limited radio and X-ray luminosity range (∼1 order of magnitude in both, where more than 2 orders of magnitude in LX is desired), including data from other hard-only outbursts from GX 339−4 extends the luminosity range to ∼1.2 and ∼2.8 orders of magnitude, respectively, and also results in a flatter correlation (where $L_{\rm radio} \propto L_{\rm X}^{0.46 \pm 0.04}$). This result is suggestive that for GX 339−4 a flatter radio–X-ray correlation, implying a more inefficient coupling between the jet and accretion flow, could act as an indicator for a hard-only outburst. However, further monitoring of both successful and hard-only outbursts over larger luminosity ranges with strictly simultaneous radio and X-ray observations is required from different single sources to explore if this applies generally to the population of black hole X-ray binaries, or even GX 339−4 at higher hard-state luminosities.