Source Luminosity Research Articles

2017 Outburst of H 1743–322: AstroSat and Swift View

We perform a comprehensive timing and broadband spectral analysis using an AstroSat observation of the low-mass black hole X-ray binary H 1743–322 during its 2017 outburst. Additionally, we use two Swift/XRT observations, one of which is simultaneous with AstroSat and the other taken three days earlier, for timing analysis. The hardness–intensity diagram indicates that the 2017 outburst was a failed one, unlike the previous successful outburst in 2016. We detect type C quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the simultaneous AstroSat and Swift/XRT observations at ∼0.4 Hz, whereas an upper harmonic is noticed at ∼0.9 Hz in the AstroSat data only. Although these features are found to be energy-independent, we notice a shift of ∼0.08 Hz in the QPO frequency over the interval of three days. We also investigate the nature of variability in the two consecutive failed outbursts in 2017 and 2018. We detect soft time lags of 23.2 ± 12.2 ms and 140 ± 80 ms at the type C QPO frequencies in 2017 AstroSat and 2018 XMM-Newton data, respectively. The lag–energy spectra from both the outbursts suggest that the soft lags may be associated with reflection features. The broadband spectral analysis indicates that the source was in the low/hard state during the AstroSat observation. Modeling of the disk and reflection continuum suggests the presence of an accretion disk that is significantly truncated by at least 27.4r g from the innermost stable circular orbit when the source luminosity is ∼1.6% of the Eddington luminosity.

Luminosity dependence of the multiple cyclotron lines in 4U 0115+63

Context. The Be X-ray binary 4U 0115+63 underwent a giant outburst in 2023 with the X-ray luminosity of the source reaching 1038 erg s−1. During the outburst, two target of opportunity observations were made with NuSTAR. Aims. The main goal of this work is to model the multiple cyclotron scattering features (CRSFs) present in 4U 0115+63 and study their dependence on the luminosity of the source. Methods. The 3–79 keV broadband X-ray coverage of NuSTAR allowed us to properly model the continuum and investigate the nature of the multiple cyclotron resonance scattering features present in the source spectrum. We used the epoch-folding technique to find the pulsation from the source and also studied the changes in the cyclotron line energy with an order of magnitude variation in the source luminosity. Results. We detected five cyclotron lines during the 2023 outburst near 12, 16, 24, 34, and 47 keV. The ∼16 keV cyclotron line cannot be harmonically related to the other cyclotron lines at ∼12 keV and ∼24 keV. This indicates the presence of two fundamental lines in the spectrum of 4U 0115+63 at 12 keV and 16 keV. Conclusions. With the inclusion of the two latest NuSTAR observations, we have expanded the data set of the CRSF line center to encompass a broad range of luminosity. This enables us to comprehensively investigate the relationship between the centroid energy of the cyclotron lines and luminosity. The CRSF line center shows no anticorrelation with luminosity, unlike previously reported. Instead, a weak positive correlation is found in four out of the five detected cyclotron lines of 4U 0115+63. The luminosity variation of the two fundamental CRSFs could be well explained with the prediction from the collisionless shock model. A tentative negative correlation was observed in the fundamental CRSF at 16 keV and its harmonics beyond a “critical luminosity” of 1038 erg/s. This behavior was not present for the 12 keV fundamental CRSF and its harmonic at 24 keV.

Radiative signatures of circumplanetary disks and envelopes during the late stages of giant planet formation

During the late stages of giant planet formation, protoplanets are surrounded by a circumplanetary disk and an infalling envelope of gas and dust. For systems with sufficient cooling, material entering the sphere of influence of the planet falls inward and approaches ballistic conditions. Due to conservation of angular momentum, most of the incoming material falls onto the disk rather than directly onto the planet. This paper determines the spectral energy distributions of forming planets in this stage of evolution. Generalizing previous work, we consider a range of possible geometries for the boundary conditions of the infall and determine the two-dimensional structure of the envelope, as well as the surface density of the disk. After specifying the luminosity sources for the planet and disk, we calculate the corresponding radiative signatures for the system, including the emergent spectral energy distributions and emission maps. These results show how the observational appearance of forming planets depend on the input parameters, including the instantaneous mass, mass accretion rate, semimajor axis of the orbit, and the planetary magnetic field strength (which sets the inner boundary condition for the disk). We also consider different choices for the form of the opacity law and attenuation due to the background circumstellar disk. Although observing forming planets will be challenging, these results show how the observational signatures depend on the underlying properties of the planet/disk/envelope system.

Accretion Geometry of GX 339–4 in the Hard State: AstroSat View

We perform broadband (0.7–100 keV) spectral analysis of five hard state observations of the low-mass black hole X-ray binary GX 339–4 taken by AstroSat during the rising phase of three outbursts from 2019 to 2022. We find that the outburst in 2021 was the only successful/full outburst, while the source was unable to make the transition to the soft state during the other two outbursts in 2019 and 2022. Our spectral analysis employs two different model combinations, requiring two separate Comptonizing regions and their associated reflection components and soft X-ray excess emission. The harder Comptonizing component dominates the overall bolometric luminosity, while the softer one remains relatively weak. Our spectral fits indicate that the disk evolves with the source luminosity, where the inner disk radius decreases with increasing luminosity. However, the disk remains substantially truncated throughout all the observations at the source luminosity of ∼2%–8%× of the Eddington luminosity. We note that our assumption of the soft X-ray excess emission as disk blackbody may not be realistic, and this kind of soft excess may arise due the nonhomogeneity in the disk/corona geometry. Our temporal analysis deriving the power density spectra suggests that the break frequency increases with the source luminosity. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates a consistency between the inner disk radii estimated from the break frequency of the power density spectra and those obtained from the reflection modeling, supporting the truncated disk geometry in the hard state.

A nebular origin for the persistent radio emission of fast radio bursts.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration, bright (approximately Jy) extragalactic bursts, whose production mechanism is still unclear1. Recently, two repeating FRBs were found to have a physically associated persistent radio source of non-thermal origin2,3. These two FRBs have unusually large Faraday rotation measure values2,3, probably tracing a dense magneto-ionic medium, consistent with synchrotron radiation originating from a nebula surrounding the FRB source4-8. Recent theoretical arguments predict that, if the observed Faraday rotation measure mostly arises from the persistent radio source region, there should be a simple relation between the persistent radio source luminosity and the rotation measureitself7,9. Here we report the detection of a third, less luminous persistent radio source associated with the repeating FRB source FRB 20201124A at a distance of 413 Mpc, substantially expanding the predicted relation into the low luminosity-low Faraday rotation measure regime (<1,000 rad m-2). At lower values of the Faraday rotation measure, the expected radio luminosity falls below the limit-of-detection threshold for present-day radio telescopes. These findings support the idea that the persistent radio sources observed so far are generated by a nebula in the FRB environment and that FRBs with low Faraday rotation measure may not show a persistent radio source because of a weaker magneto-ionic medium. This is generally consistent with models invoking a young magnetar as the central engine of the FRB, in which the surrounding ionized nebula-or the interacting shock in a binary system-powers the persistent radio source.

Investigating the nature of the 2.4 hr-period eclipsing cataclysmic variable W2 in 47 Tuc

) is a cataclysmic variable (CV) in the Galactic globular cluster 47 Tucanae. Its modulation was discovered within the CATS@BAR project. The source shows all the properties of magnetic CVs, but whether it is a polar or an intermediate polar is still a matter of debate. This paper investigates the spectral and temporal properties of the source, using all archival X-ray data from and Early Data Release, to establish whether the source falls within the category of polars or intermediate polars. We fitted archival spectra with three different models: a power law, a bremsstrahlung and an optically thin thermal plasma. We also explored the temporal properties of the source with searches for pulsations with a power spectral density analysis and a Rayleigh test ($Z_n^2$). displays a mean luminosity of $ over a 20-year span, despite lower values in a few epochs. The source is not detected in the latest observation, taken with in 2022, and we infer an X-ray luminosity $ The source spectral shape does not change over time and can be equally well fitted with each of the three models, with a best-fit photon index of 1.6 for the power law and best-fit temperatures of 10 keV for both the bremsstrahlung and the thermal plasma models. We confirm the previously detected period of 8649 s, ascribed to the binary orbital period, and found a cycle-to-cycle variability associated with this periodicity. No other significant pulsation is detected. Considering the source orbital period, luminosity, spectral characteristics, long-term evolution and strong cycle-to-cycle variability, we suggest that is a magnetic CV of the polar type.

Low-luminosity accretion of Be/X-ray pulsar MAXI J1409−619

ABSTRACT This paper used Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array observations to examine the temporal and spectral features of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar MAXI J1409−619. The timing analysis of the light curve finds the pulsation of the source at $(501.23\,\,\pm \,\,0.01)$ s. The pulse profile of the source in various energy bands was analysed and showed weak dependence on energy exhibiting asymmetric character and generally suggests a source accretion in the subcritical regime. The variation of pulse fraction with photon energy in general shows an increasing trend. Assuming a distance of 14.5 kpc, we calculated the 3–30 keV source luminosity to be $\sim 6.13\,\,\times \,\,10^{34}\,\,$ erg s$^{-1}$. The long-term spin evolution of the source was carried out, where the source underwent torque reversal.

Detection of a cyclotron line in the Be X-ray pulsar IGR J06074+2205

Context. IGR J0607.4+2205 is a transient Be X-ray binary discovered two decades ago. IGR J0607.4+2205 underwent an outburst in 2023 during which it was observed twice with NuSTAR. Aims. The main goal of this work is to model the broadband X-ray spectrum of IGR J0607.4+2205 during the outburst and to study the variations of the spectral and timing features at different intensities. Methods. We extracted the light curve and spectrum of the source from the two NuSTAR observations carried out during the recent outburst in the energy range of 3−78 keV. We used the epoch folding technique to find pulsation from the source and to study the changes in emission characteristics from the source with energy across an order of magnitude variation in source luminosity. Results. IGR J0607.4+2205 shows pulsations with a period of ∼347.6 s during both the observations, with a pulse fraction of ≥50%. The broadband spectrum of the source was modelled using a power-law continuum with a high-energy cutoff. During the first observation, a cyclotron absorption line at ∼51 keV was also present in the source with an optical depth of ∼1.3. However, no cyclotron line feature was detected in the second observation when the source was an order of magnitude fainter. Additionally, soft excess was detected in the second observation, which was modelled with a black body component emerging from close to the neutron star (NS). Conclusions. We report the first ever detection of a cyclotron line in the broadband spectrum of IGR J0607.4+2205 centred at 51 ± 1 keV. The magnetic field strength of the NS is estimated to be ∼4 × 1012 G from the centroid energy of the absorption line. A significant change is observed in the pulse profile with luminosity during the decay of the outburst, indicating an associated change in the beaming pattern.

An in-depth analysis of the variable cyclotron lines in GX 301−2

Context. The high-mass X-ray binary system GX 301−2 is a persistent source with a well-known variable cyclotron line centered at 35 keV. Recently, a second cyclotron line at 50 keV has been reported with a presumably different behavior than the 35 keV line. Aims. We investigate the presence of the newly discovered cyclotron line in the phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectra at higher luminosities than before. We further aim to determine the pulse-phase variability of both lines. Methods. We analyze a NuSTAR observation of GX 301−2 covering the pre-periastron flare, where the source luminosity reached its peak of ∼4 × 1037 erg s−1 in the 5–50 keV range. We analyze the phase-averaged spectra in the NuSTAR energy range from 3.5–79 keV for both the complete observation and three time segments of it. We further analyze the phase-resolved spectra and the pulse-phase variability of continuum and cyclotron line parameters. Results. We confirm that the description of the phase-averaged spectrum requires a second absorption feature at 51.5−1.0+1.1 keV besides the established line at 35 keV. The statistical significance of this feature in the phase-averaged spectrum is &gt; 99.999%. We further find that the 50 keV cyclotron line is present in three out of the eight phase bins. Conclusions. Based on the results of our analysis, we confirm that the detected absorption feature is very likely to be a cyclotron line. We discuss a variety of physical scenarios that could explain the proposed anharmonicity, but also outline circumstances under which the lines are harmonically related. We further present the cyclotron line history of GX 301−2 and evaluate concordance among each other. We also discuss an alternative spectral model including cyclotron line emission wings.

Modelling of surface brightness fluctuation measurements

Aims. The goal of this work is to scrutinise the surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) calculation methodology. We analysed the SBF derivation procedure, measured the accuracy of the fitted SBF under controlled conditions, retrieved the uncertainty associated with the variability of a system that is inherently stochastic, and studied the SBF reliability under a wide range of conditions. Additionally, we address the possibility of an SBF gradient detection. We also examine the problems related with biased measurements of the SBF and low luminosity sources. All of this information allows us to put forward guidelines to ensure a valid SBF retrieval. Methods. To perform all the experiments described above, we carried out Monte Carlo simulations of mock galaxies as an ideal laboratory. Knowing its underlying properties, we attempted to retrieve SBFs under different conditions. The uncertainty was evaluated through the accuracy, the precision, and the standard deviation of the fitting. Results. We demonstrate how the usual mathematical approximations taken in the SBF theoretical derivation have a negligible impact on the results and how modelling the instrumental noise reduces the uncertainty. We conducted various studies where we varied the size of the mask applied over the image, the surface and fluctuation brightness of the galaxy, its size and profile, its point spread function, and the sky background. It is worth highlighting that we find a strong correlation between having a high number of pixels within the studied mask and retrieving a low uncertainty result. We address how the standard deviation of the fitting underestimates the actual uncertainty of the measurement. Lastly, we find that, when studying SBF gradients, the result is a pixel-weighted average of all the SBFs present within the studied region. Retrieving an SBF gradient requires high-quality data and a sufficient difference in the fluctuation value through the different radii. We show how the SBF uncertainty can be obtained and we present a collection of qualitative recommendations for a safe SBF retrieval. Conclusions. Our main findings are as follows. It is important to model the instrumental noise, rather than fitting it. The target galaxies must be observed under appropriate observational conditions. In a traditional SBF derivation, one should avoid pixels with fluxes lower than ten times the SBF estimate to prevent biased results. The uncertainty associated with the intrinsic variability of the system can be obtained using sets of Monte Carlo mock galaxy simulations. We offer our computational implementation in the form of a simple code designed to estimate the uncertainty of the SBF measurement. This code can be used to predict the quality of future observations or to evaluate the reliability of those already conducted.

A Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope survey of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars

ABSTRACT A substantial fraction of quasars display broad absorption lines (BALs) in their rest-frame ultraviolet spectra. While the origin of BALs is thought to be related to the accretion disc wind, it remains unclear whether the observed ratio of BAL to non-BAL quasars is a result of orientation. We conducted observations of 48 BAL quasars and the same number of non-BAL quasars at 322 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. Combined with previous flux measurements ranging from MHz to GHz frequencies, we compared continuum radio spectra between the two quasar groups. These data offer insights into low-frequency radio properties that have been difficult to investigate with previous observations only at GHz frequencies. Our results show that 73 ± 13 per cent of the BAL quasars exhibit steep or peaked spectra, a higher proportion than the 44 ± 14 per cent observed in the non-BAL quasars. In contrast, there are no discernible differences between the two quasar groups in the radio luminosity, peak frequency, and spectral index distributions of sources with steep or peaked spectra and sources with flat or inverted spectra. Generally, as the jet axis and line of sight become closer to parallel, quasars exhibit flat or inverted spectra rather than steep or peaked spectra. Therefore, these results suggest that BAL quasars are more frequently observed farther from the jet axis than non-BAL quasars. However, given that a certain proportion of BAL quasars exhibit flat or inverted spectra, more than the simple orientation scenario is required to elucidate the radio properties of BAL quasars.

The bright black hole X-ray binary 4U 1543-47 during 2021 outburst. A clear state transition from super-Eddington to sub-Eddington accretion revealed by Insight-HXMT

ABSTRACT We present a detailed analysis of the observations with the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope of the black hole X-ray transient 4U 1543-47 during its outburst in 2021. We find a clear state transition during the outburst decay of the source. Using previous measurements of the black hole mass and distance to the source, the source luminosity during this transition is close to the Eddington limit. The light curves before and after the transition can be fitted by two exponential functions with short (∼16 d) and long (∼130 d) decay time-scales, respectively. We detect strong reflection features in all observations that can be described with either the relxillns or reflionx_bb reflection models, both of which have a black-body incident spectrum. In the super-Eddington state, we observe a Comptonized component characterized by a low electron temperature of approximately 2.0 keV. We suggest that this component appears exclusively within the inner radiation-pressure-dominated region of the supercritical disc as a part of the intrinsic spectrum of the accretion disc itself. This feature vanishes as the source transitions into the sub-Eddington state. The emissivity index of the accretion disc in the reflection component is significantly different before and after the transition, ∼3.0–5.0 and ∼7.0–9.0 in the super- and sub-Eddington states, respectively. Based on the reflection geometry of returning disc radiation, the geometrically thicker the accretion disc, the smaller the emissivity index. Therefore, we propose that the transition is primarily driven by the change of the accretion flow from a supercritical to a thin disc configuration.

Quasars versus Microquasars: Scaling and Particle Acceleration

Abstract Quasars and microquasars both contain accreting black holes and power nonthermal double radio sources, but differ in more than their scales: Quasars are proportionally much more efficient accelerators of energetic electrons. The radio luminosity of the double radio sources associated with quasars, reflecting the long-time average of the particle acceleration power, is often 1%–30% of the quasar’s bolometric luminosity; in microquasars the fraction is ≲10−5. This may be explained by the scaling of accretion disk parameters with the black hole mass.

A Reverberation Mapping Study of a Highly Variable Active Galactic Nucleus 6dFGS gJ022550.0-060145

We use LCOGT observations (MJD 59434−59600) with a total exposure time of ≃50 hr and a median cadence of 0.5 day to measure the interband time delays (with respect to u) in the g, r, and i continua of a highly variable active galactic nucleus (AGN), 6dFGS gJ022550.0-060145. We also calculate the expected time delays of the X-ray reprocessing of a static Shakura–Sunyaev disk according to the source's luminosity and virial black hole mass; the two parameters are measured from the optical spectrum of our spectroscopic observation via the Lijiang 2.4 m telescope. It is found that the ratio of the measured time delays to the predicted ones is 2.6−1.3+1.3 . With optical light curves (MJD 53650–59880) from our new LCOGT and archival Zwicky Transient Facility, Pan-STARRS, Catalina Sky Survey, and ATLAS observations, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data (MJD 55214−59055), we also measured time delays between WISE W1/W2 and the optical emission. W1 and W2 have time delays (with respect to V), 9.6−1.6+2.9×102 days and 1.18−0.10+0.13×103 days in the rest frame, respectively; hence, the dusty torus of 6dFGS gJ022550.0-060145 should be compact. The time delays of the W1 and W2 bands are higher than the dusty torus size–luminosity relationship of Lyu et al. By comparing the infrared and optical variability amplitude, we find that the dust-covering factors of the W1 and W2 emission regions are 0.7 and 0.6, respectively. Future broad emission-line reverberation mapping of this target and the results of this work enable us to determine the sizes of the AGN main components simultaneously.

A radical transition in the post-main-sequence system U Equulei

Context. U Equ is an unusual maser-hosting infrared source discovered in the 1990s. It was tentatively classified as a post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) star with a unique optical spectrum displaying rare emission and absorption features from molecular gas at a temperature of about 500 K. In 2022, we serendipitously discovered that its optical spectrum had drastically changed since the last observations in the 1990s. Aims. We aim to characterize the drastic change in the spectrum and analyze the photometric behavior of the object since 1989. Methods. Optical high-resolution spectra of U Equ from the Southern African Large Telescope were supplemented by archival data and near-infrared photometry from the Nordic Optical Telescope. New spectral line observations with the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope and Atacam Large Millimeter Array are presented. Radiative transfer modeling of multiple epoch spectral energy distributions was performed. Results. No circumstellar molecular features are present in the contemporary optical spectra of U Equ. Nonphotospheric absorption and emission from neutral and ionized species dominate the current spectrum. Some of the observed features indicate an outflow with a projected terminal velocity of 215 km s−1. Broad H&amp;K lines of [Ca II] indicate a photosphere of spectral type F or similar. For the first time, we find SiO J = 1−0 υ=1 maser emission in U Equ. Our collected photometric measurements show that the source has monotonically increased its optical and near-infrared fluxes since about the beginning of this century and continues to do so. The current rise in the optical regime is about 1 mag. Spectral energy distributions at different epochs show dusty circumstellar material that is very likely arranged in a highly inclined disk. Adopting a distance of 4 kpc, informed by the Gaia parallax of U Equ, we find that the source luminosity is about 104 L⊙. This luminosity has likely increased by a factor of a few in the last decades, which is most probably related to the drastic change in the optical circumstellar spectrum of the object. Conclusions. The object has changed considerably in the past three decades, either due to geometrical reconfiguration of the circumstellar medium, evolutionary changes in the central star, or owing to an accretion event that started very recently in the system. Observationally, U Equ appears to resemble category 0 of disk-hosting post-AGB stars reported previously, especially the post-common-envelope binary HD 101584. It is uncertain whether the drastic spectral change and the associated optical and mid-infrared rise in brightness witnessed in U Equ are common in post-AGB stars, but this radical change may be related to the real-time onset of the evolution of the system into a planetary nebula. We find that the post-AGB star V576 Car has undergone a similar transformation as U Equ in the past few decades, which means that the phenomenon is not extremely rare.

Long-term X-ray temporal and spectral study of a Seyfert galaxy Mrk 6

ABSTRACT We present a long-term X-ray study of a nearby Active Galactic Nucleus Mrk 6, utilizing observations from XMM–Newton, Suzaku, Swift, and NuSTAR observatories, spanning 22 years from 2001 to 2022. From timing analysis, we estimated variance, normalized variance, and fractional rms amplitude in different energy bands.The temporal study shows fractional rms amplitude (Fvar) below 10 per cent for the shorter time-scale (∼60 ks) and above 20 per cent for the longer time-scale (∼weeks). A complex correlation is observed between the soft (0.5–3.0 keV) and hard (3.0–10.0 keV) X-ray bands of different epochs of observations. This result prompts a detailed investigation through spectral analysis, employing various phenomenological and physical models on the X-ray spectra. Our analysis reveals a heterogeneous structure of the obscuring material surrounding Mrk 6. A partially ionized absorber exhibits a rapid change in location and extends up to the narrow-line regions or torus. In contrast, another component, located far from the central engine, remained relatively stable. During the observation period, the source luminosity in the 3.0–10.0 keV range varies between (3–15) × 1042 erg s−1.

Parameter dependency on the public X-ray reverberation models kynxilrev and kynrefrev

ABSTRACT We present a comparative study of the constrained parameters of active galactic nuclei (AGN) made by the public X-ray reverberation model kynxilrev and kynrefrev that make use of the reflection code xillver and reflionx, respectively. By varying the central mass (MBH), coronal height (h), inclination (i), photon index of the continuum emission (Γ), and source luminosity (L), the corresponding lag-frequency spectra can be produced. We select only the simulated AGN, where their lag amplitude (τ) and MBH follow the known mass-scaling law. In these mock samples, we show that τ and h are correlated and can possibly be used as an independent scaling law. Furthermore, h (in gravitational units) is also found to be positively scaled with MBH, suggesting a more compact corona in lower-mass AGN. Both models reveal that the coronal height mostly varies between ∼5 and 15 rg, with the average height at ∼10 rg and can potentially be found from low- to high-mass AGN. Nevertheless, the kynxilrev seems to suggest a lower MBH and h than the kynrefrev. This inconsistency is more prominent in lower-spin AGN. The significant correlation between the source height and luminosity is revealed only by kynrefrev, suggesting the h–L relation is probably model-dependent. Our findings emphasize the differences between these reverberation models that raises the question of biases in parameter estimates and inferred correlations.

Insight-HXMT Views Her X-1: Probing the Dependence of the Cyclotron Line Energy on Flux and Time

Recent observations of Her X-1 with NuSTAR (as well as with INTEGRAL, Swift, and Astrosat) have provided evidence that the nearly 20 yr-long decay of the cyclotron line energy since ∼1994 has ended and that a stable value has replaced the decay. Using the observations of the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) performed between 2017 July and 2020 February, we analyze the spectra of Her X-1 in its main-on state, focusing on tracing the evolution of cyclotron line energy. While our analysis of eight main-on observations with Insight-HXMT (two in coordination with NuSTAR) shows significant differences with the results of NuSTAR, two earlier findings are confirmed: the positive correlation between the cyclotron line energy and the X-ray flux (source luminosity) and the constancy of the flux-normalized cyclotron line energy during 2017–2020—albeit with significant uncertainty about the absolute value.

THE JET KINETIC LUMINOSITIES FOR THE UTR-2 SOURCES WITH THE STEEP LOW-FREQUENCY SPECTRA

Earlier we have determined that the UTR-2 radio sources with steep linear spectra possess greater jet propagation velocity and lesser characteristic age than the UTR-2 radio sources with steep break spectra. Also examined galaxies and quasars with steep break spectra display greater mean values of the central black hole masses and mass accretion rates, than corresponding these for galaxies and quasars with steep linear spectra. Besides, as we have determined, the radio structure of the UTR-2 steep-spectrum sources is giant, its linear size has Mpc-scale. The source’s giant structure is formed by jets with enveloped radio lobes. So, this indicates on the powerful jets of the radio sources with the steep low-frequency spectra. Since the source jets are connected with the accretion disk of the source, it is important to examine relations of their physical characteristics. With this purpose we obtain estimates of the jet kinetic luminosity for the UTR-2 steep-spectrum sources on the assumption of the equality of the corresponding mass accretion rate and the jet matter flux. Using our calculated values of the jet propagation velocity and the mass accretion rate for the UTR-2 steep-spectrum galaxies and quasars, we estimate their jet kinetic luminosities. The obtained values of the jet kinetic luminosities are ~ 1045 erg/s, pointing out the great power of jets for the examined steep-spectrum sources. It is essential, that the examined objects display the relation of their kinetic luminosity and corresponding redshift (cosmological evolution).

Statistical redshift of the very-high-energy blazar S5 0716+714

Context. Blazars are the most numerous class of very-high-energy (VHE; E &gt; 100 GeV) gamma-ray emitters. At present, measured redshifts are available only for about 80% of the VHE gamma-ray sources; this is mainly due to the difficulty in measuring reliable redshifts from their nearly featureless continuum optical spectra. Aims. As the VHE sky is still vastly unexplored, VHE blazars are unique objects. High-energy spectra from blazars are used for extragalactic background light studies, to investigate topics related to cosmology or fundamental physics, and to find the source luminosity. This allows one to study the properties of the host galaxy, its black hole, and the gamma-ray emission mechanisms. All of these studies require suitable estimations of the blazar distance, which has motivated the use of novel approaches when measuring the redshift of faint optical lines in their spectra is very uncertain. Methods. We present the new optical spectroscopic observations of S5 0716+714 and its environment taken on December 20, 2019, with the Gemini GMOS North telescope. Results. We do not find any absorption lines in the blazar spectrum; however, we were able to get the redshifts of 21 other galaxies in the field, 15 of which form a group at z = 0.2304 ± 0.0013. Performing a population study of galaxies, we found that S5 0716+714 belongs to this group with a probability &gt; 99%.