Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userDiscovery of the Third Transient X-ray Binary in the Galactic Globular Cluster Terzan 5
140
0
0.0
(
0
)
Authors
Arash Bahramian
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We report and study the outburst of a new transient X-ray binary (XRB) in Terzan 5, the third detected in this globular cluster, Swift J174805.3-244637 or Terzan 5 X-3. We find clear spectral hardening in Swift/XRT data during the outburst rise to the hard state, thanks to our early coverage (starting at L_X ~ 4x10^{34} ergs/s) of the outburst. This hardening appears to be due to the decline in relative strength of a soft thermal component from the surface of the neutron star (NS) during the rise. We identify a {Type I X-ray burst} in Swift/XRT data with a long (16 s) decay time, indicative of {hydrogen burning on the surface of the} NS. We use Swift/BAT, Maxi/GSC, Chandra/ACIS, and Swift/XRT data to study the spectral changes during the outburst, identifying a clear hard-to-soft state transition. We use a Chandra/ACIS observation during outburst to identify the transients position. Seven archival Chandra/ACIS observations show evidence for variations in Terzan 5 X-3s non-thermal component, but not the thermal component, during quiescence. The inferred long-term time-averaged mass accretion rate, from the quiescent thermal luminosity, suggests that if this outburst is typical and only slow cooling processes are active in the neutron star core, such outbursts should recur every ~10 years.
rate research
Read More
Terzan 5 is a Galactic globular cluster exhibiting prominent X-ray and gamma-ray emission. Following the discovery of extended X- ray emission in this object, we explore here archival data at several wavelengths for other unexpected emission features in the vicinity of this globular cluster. Radio data from the Effelsberg 100 metre telescope show several extended structures near Terzan 5, albeit with large uncertainties in the flux estimates and no reliable radio spectral index. In particular, a radio source extending from the location of Terzan 5 to the north-west could result from long-term non-thermal electron production by the large population of milli-second pulsars in this globular cluster. Another prominent radio structure close to Terzan 5 may be explained by ionised material produced by a field O star. As for the diffuse X-ray emission found in Terzan 5, its extension appears to be limited to within 2.5 arcmin of the globular cluster and the available multi-wavelength data is compatible with an inverse Compton scenario but disfavours a non-thermal Bremsstrahlung origin.
Globular clusters are old stellar systems which exhibit very-high stellar densities in their cores. The globular cluster Terzan 5 is characterized by a high stellar encounter rate and hosts the largest detected population of millisecond pulsars. It also features bright GeV gamma-ray emission and extended X-ray radiation. However, no globular clusters have been detected in very-high-energy gamma rays (VHE, E> 100 GeV) so far. In order to investigate this possibility Terzan 5 has been observed with the H.E.S.S. telescope array in this energy band. The discovery of a source of VHE gamma rays from the direction of this globular cluster will be reported. The results of the VHE analysis and a multi-wavelength view of Terzan 5 will be presented in this contribution. No counterpart or model can fully explain the observed morphology of the detected VHE gamma-ray source.
The H.E.S.S. very-high-energy (VHE, E > 0.1 TeV) gamma-ray telescope system has discovered a new source, HESS J1747-248. The measured integral flux is (1.2 +/- 0.3) times 10^-12 cm-2 s-1 above 440 GeV for a power-law photon spectral index of 2.5 +/- 0.3 stat +/- 0.2 sys. The VHE gamma-ray source is located in the close vicinity of the Galactic globular cluster Terzan 5 and extends beyond the H.E.S.S. point spread function (0.07 degree). The probability of a chance coincidence with Terzan 5 and an unrelated VHE source is quite low (~ 10^-4). With the largest population of identified millisecond pulsars (msPSRs), a very high core stellar density and the brightest GeV range flux as measured by Fermi-LAT, Terzan 5 stands out among Galactic globular clusters. The properties of the VHE source are briefly discussed in the context of potential emission mechanisms, notably in relation to msPSRs. Interpretation of the available data accommodates several possible origins for this VHE gamma-ray source, although none of them offers a satisfying explanation of its peculiar morphology.
We present a new Chandra observation (performed in July 2016) of the neutron star X-ray transient IGR J17480-2446, located in the globular cluster Terzan 5. We study the continued cooling of the neutron star crust in this system that was heated during the 2010 outburst of the source. This new observation was performed two years after the last observation of IGR J17480-2446, hence, significantly extending the cooling baseline. We reanalysed all available Chandra observations of the source (but excluding observations during which one of the known transients in Terzan 5 was in outburst) and fitted the obtained cooling curve with our cooling code NSCool, which allows for much improved modelling than what was previously performed for the source. The data and our fit models indicate that the crust was still cooling ~5.5 years after the outburst ended. The neutron star crust has likely not reached crust-core thermal equilibrium yet, and further cooling is predicted (which can be confirmed with additional Chandra observations in >5 years). Intriguingly, we find indications that the thermal conductivity might be relatively low in part of the crust compared to what has been inferred for other crust-cooling sources and tentatively suggest that this layer might be located around the neutron drip. The reason for this difference is unclear, but might be related to the fact that IGR J17480-2446 harbours a relatively slowly rotating neutron star (with a spin of 11 Hz) that has a relatively strong inferred surface magnetic field ($10^{9-10}$ Gauss) compared to what is known or typically assumed for other cooling sources.
We present an analysis of 745.6 ks of archival Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer data accumulated between 2000 and 2016 of the millisecond pulsar (MSP) population in the rich Galactic globular cluster Terzan 5. Eight of the 37 MSPs with precise positions are found to have plausible X-ray source matches. Despite the deep exposure, the remaining MSPs are either marginally detected or have no obvious X-ray counterparts, which can be attributed to the typically soft thermal spectra of rotation-powered MSPs, which are strongly attenuated by the high intervening absorbing column (~$10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$) towards the cluster, and in some instances severe source crowding/blending. For the redback MSP binaries, PSRs J1748-2446P and J1748-2446ad, and the black widow binary PSRs J1748-2446O, we find clear evidence for large-amplitude X-ray variability at the orbital period consistent with an intrabinary shock origin. The third redback MSP in the cluster, PSR J1748-2446A, shows large amplitude variations in flux on time scales of years, possibility due to state transitions or intense flaring episodes from the secondary star.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
