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Soft Phase Lags of Pulsed Emission from the Millisecond X-ray Pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658

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 نشر من قبل Wei Cui
 تاريخ النشر 1998
  مجال البحث فيزياء
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 تأليف Wei Cui -




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We report the discovery of phase shifts between X-ray pulses at different energies in the newly discovered millisecond (ms) X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658. The results show that low-energy pulses lag high-energy pulses by as much as $sim$0.2 ms (or $sim$8% of the pulse period). The measurements were made in two different ways: (1) computing cross power spectra between different energy bands, and (2) cross-correlating the folded pulse profiles in different energy bands; consistent results were obtained. We speculate that the observed soft lags might be related to the lateral expansion and subsequent cooling of a ``hot spot on the neutron star surface in which the pulsed X-ray emission originates. Also presented is the possibility of producing soft lags via Compton down scattering of hard X-ray photons from the hot spot in the cool surrounding atmosphere. We will discuss possible X-ray production mechanisms for SAX J1808.4-3658 and constraints on the emission environment, based on the observed soft lags, pulse profiles, and energy spectrum.

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aims: We obtained phase-resolved spectroscopy of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 during its outburst in 2008 to find a signature of the donor star, constrain its radial velocity semi-amplitude (K_2), and derive estimates on th e pulsar mass. methods: Using Doppler images of the Bowen region we find a significant (>8sigma) compact spot at a position where the donor star is expected. If this is a signature of the donor star, we measure K_em=248+/-20 km/s (1sigma confidence) which represents a strict lower limit to K_2. Also, the Doppler map of He II lambda4686 shows the characteristic signature of the accretion disk, and there is a hint of enhanced emission that may be a result of tidal distortions in the accretion disk that are expected in very low mass ratio interacting binaries. results: The lower-limit on K_2 leads to a lower-limit on the mass function of f(M_1)>0.10M_sun. Applying the maximum K-correction gives 228<K_2<322 km/s and a mass ratio of 0.051<q<0.072. conclusions: Despite the limited S/N of the data we were able to detect a signature of the donor star in SAX J1808.4-3658, although future observations during a new outburst are still warranted to confirm this. If the derived K_em is correct, the largest uncertainty in the determination of the mass of the neutron star in SAX J1808.4-3658 using dynamical studies lies with the poorly known inclination.
Soft phase lags, in which X-ray pulses in lower energy bands arrive later than pulses in higher energy bands, have been observed in nearly all accretion-powered millisecond pulsars, but their origin remains an open question. In a study of the 2.5 ms accretion-powered pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658, we report that the magnitude of these lags is strongly dependent on the accretion rate. During the brightest stage of the outbursts from this source, the lags increase in magnitude as the accretion rate drops; when the outbursts enter their dimmer flaring-tail stage, the relationship reverses. We evaluate this complex dependence in the context of two theoretical models for the lags, one relying on the scattering of photons by the accretion disk and the other invoking a two-component model for the photon emission. In both cases, the turnover suggests that we are observing the source transitioning into the propeller accretion regime.
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