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Register a new userAn X-Ray Spectroscopic Study of the SMC X-1/Sk 160 System
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Added by
Patrick S. Wojdowski
Publication date
1999
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
Authors
Patrick S. Wojdowski
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We have investigated the composition and distribution of the wind of Sk 160, the supergiant companion of the X-ray star SMC X-1, by comparing an X-ray spectrum of the source, obtained with the ASCA observatory, during an eclipse with the computed spectra of reprocessed radiation from circumstellar matter with various density distributions. We show that the metal abundance in the wind of Sk 160 is no greater than a few tenths of solar, as has been determined for other objects in the Magellanic Clouds. We also show that the observed X-ray spectrum is not consistent with the density distributions of circumstellar matter of the spherically symmetric form derived for line-driven winds, nor with the density distribution derived from a hydrodynamic simulation of the X-ray perturbed and line-driven wind by Blondin & Woo (1995).
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We present a detailed spectral analysis of Chandra/ACIS-S CC mode observations of the massive X-ray binary system SMC X-1. The system was observed during both the high and low X-ray states of the roughly 60-day superorbital period. The continuum spectra during both states are well represented by a power law with photon index $alpha$=0.9 and a blackbody of kT = 0.15keV. The high state spectra are dominated by the continuum and independent of orbital phase whereas the low state spectra show a strong orbital dependence as well as line emission from O, Ne, Mg, Fe, and Si. This is consistent with the states attributed to disk precession: during the high state X-ray emission is dominated by the compact source which is abrubtly eclipsed and during the low state the compact object is hidden by the disk and a larger, less luminous scattering region is responsible for the X-ray emission. A prominent Ne IX feature places a stringent limit (Log $xi$ = 2.0-2.5) on the ionization parameter which constrains the wind dynamics of the system. The Fe line fluxes are related linearly to the blackbody fluxes indicating that both originate in the same region or are excited by the same mechanism. There is evidence for structure in the Fe-line that cannot be fully resolved by the current observations. The pulse period measured during our observations, 0.7057147$pm$0.00000027s shows that the uninterrupted spin-up trend of SMC X-1 continues. We discuss the implications of our results for models of SMC X-1.
We present here results obtained from three BeppoSAX observations of the accretion-powered X-ray pulsar SMC X-1 carried out during the declining phases of its 40--60 days long super-orbital period. Timing analysis of the data clearly shows a continuing spin-up of the neutron star. Energy-resolved timing analysis shows that the pulse-profile of SMC X-1 is single peaked at energies less than 1.0 keV whereas an additional peak, the amplitude of which increases with energy within the MECS range, is present at higher energies. Broad-band pulse-phase-averaged spectroscopy of the BeppoSAX data, which is done for the first time since its discovery, shows that the energy spectrum in the 0.1--80 keV energy band has three components, a soft excess that can be modeled as a thermal black-body, a hard power-law component with a high-energy exponential cutoff and a narrow and weak iron emission line at 6.4 keV. Pulse-phase resolved spectroscopy indicates a pulsating nature of the soft spectral component, as seen in a few other binary X-ray pulsars, with a certain phase offset with respect to the hard power-law component. Dissimilar shape and phase of the soft and hard X-ray pulse profiles suggest a different origin of the soft and hard components.
In this paper we report on the optical and X-ray behaviour of the Be X-ray binary, SXP 91.1, during a recent type I outburst. We monitored the outburst using the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. These data were supported by optical data from the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) to show the circumstellar disc activity. Matter from this disc accretes onto the neutron star, giving rise to the X-ray outburst as seen in the synchronous evolution of the optical and X-ray lightcurves. Using data taken with OGLE we show that the circumstellar disc has exhibited stable behaviour over two decades. A positive correlation is seen between the colour and magnitude from the OGLE and MACHO observations, which indicates that the disc is orientated at relatively low inclination angles. From the OGLE and Swift data, we demonstrate that the system has shown relative phase offsets that have persisted for many years. The spin period derivative is seen to be at maximum spin-up at phases when the mass accretion rate is at maximum. We show that the neutron star in SXP 91.1 is an unusual member of its class in that it has had a consistent spin period derivative over many years, with the average spin-up rate being one of the highest for known SMC pulsars. The most recent measurements of the spin-up rate reveal higher values than the global trend, which is attributed to the recent mass accretion event leading to the current outburst.
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