Search

We model the spectral formation occurring in the binary X-ray pulsar RX~J0209.6-7427 during the 2019 super-Eddington outburst. Using a theoretical model previously developed by the authors, we are able to produce spectra that closely resemble the phase-averaged X-ray spectra observed using NuSTAR and Insight-HXMT during low and high luminosity states of the outburst, respectively. The theoretical model simulates the accretion of fully ionized gas in a dipole magnetic field, and includes a complete description of the radiation hydrodynamics, matter distribution, and spectral formation. Type II X-ray outbursts provide an opportunity to study accretion over a large range of luminosities for the same neutron star. The analysis performed here represents the first time both the outburst low and high states of an accretion-powered X-ray pulsar are modeled using a physics-based model rather than standard phenomenological fitting with arbitrary mathematical functions. We find the outer polar cap radius remains constant and the column is more fully-filled with increasing luminosity, Comptonized bremsstrahlung dominates the formation of the phase-averaged X-ray spectrum, and a negative correlation exists between cyclotron centroid energy and luminosity, as expected. The super-Eddington nature of the outburst is rendered possible due to the low scattering cross section for photons propagating parallel to the magnetic field. We also find emission through the column top dominates in both the low and high states, implying the pulse profiles should have a roughly sinusoidal shape, which agrees with observed properties of ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures

A fraction of the active supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies in our Universe are capable of launching extreme kiloparsec-long relativistic jets. These jets are known multiband (radio to $\gamma$-ray) and multimessenger (neutrino) emitters, and some of them have been monitored over several decades at all accessible wavelengths. However, many open questions remain unanswered about the processes powering these highly energetic phenomena. These jets intrinsically produce soft-to-hard X-ray emission that extends from $E\sim0.1\,\rm keV$ up to $E>100\,\rm keV$. Simultaneous broadband X-ray coverage, combined with excellent timing and imaging capabilities, is required to uncover the physics of jets. Indeed, truly simultaneous soft-to-hard X-ray coverage, in synergy with current and upcoming high-energy facilities (such as IXPE, COSI, CTAO, etc.) and neutrino detectors (e.g., IceCube), would enable us to disentangle the particle population responsible for the high-energy radiation from these jets. A sensitive hard X-ray survey ($F_{8-24\,\rm keV}<10^{-15}\,\rm erg~cm^{-2}~s^{-1}$) could unveil the bulk of their population in the early Universe. Acceleration and radiative processes responsible for the majority of their X-ray emission would be pinned down by microsecond timing capabilities at both soft and hard X-rays. Furthermore, imaging jet structures for the first time in the hard X-ray regime could unravel the origin of their high-energy emission. The proposed Probe-class mission concept High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) combines all these required capabilities, making it the crucial next-generation X-ray telescope in the multi-messenger, time-domain era. HEX-P will be the ideal mission to unravel the science behind the most powerful accelerators in the universe., Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures, under review from Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) represent an extreme class of accreting compact objects: from the identification of some of the accretors as neutron stars to the detection of powerful winds travelling at 0.1-0.2 c, the increasing evidence points towards ULXs harbouring stellar-mass compact objects undergoing highly super-Eddington accretion. Measuring their intrinsic properties, such as the accretion rate onto the compact object, the outflow rate, the masses of accretor/companion -- hence their progenitors, lifetimes, and future evolution -- is challenging due to ULXs being mostly extragalactic and in crowded fields. Yet ULXs represent our best opportunity to understand super-Eddington accretion physics and the paths through binary evolution to eventual double compact object binaries and gravitational wave sources. Through a combination of end-to-end and single-source simulations, we investigate the ability of HEX-P to study ULXs in the context of their host galaxies and compare it to XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, the current instruments with the most similar capabilities. HEX-P's higher sensitivity, which is driven by its narrow point-spread function and low background, allows it to detect pulsations and broad spectral features from ULXs better than XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. We describe the value of HEX-P in understanding ULXs and their associated key physics, through a combination of broadband sensitivity, timing resolution, and angular resolution, which make the mission ideal for pulsation detection and low-background, broadband spectral studies., Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Frontiers of Astronomy and Space Science. Minor corrections included

Neutron star high mass X-ray binaries with superorbital modulations in luminosity host warped inner accretion disks that occult the neutron star during precession. In SMC X-1, the instability in the warped disk geometry causes superorbital period "excursions:" times of instability when the superorbital period decreases from its typical value of 55 days to $\sim$40 days. Disk instability makes SMC X-1 an ideal system in which to investigate the effects of variable disk geometry on the inner accretion flow. Using the high resolution spectral and timing capabilities of the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) we examined the high state of four different superorbital cycles of SMC X-1 to search forchanges in spectral shape and connections to the unstable disk geometry. We performed pulse phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectroscopy to closely compare the changes in spectral shape and any cycle-to-cycle variations. While some parameters including the photon index and absorbing column density show slight variations with superorbital phase, these changes are most evident during the intermediate state of the supeorbital cycle. Few spectral changes are observed within the high state of the superorbital cycle, possibly indicating the disk instability does not significantly change SMC X-1's accretion process., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. Accepted to ApJ

We present the first results for the dust-scattering rings of GRB 221009A, coined as the GRB of the century, as observed by the Neil Gehrels Swift satellite. We perform analysis of both time resolved observations and stacked data. The former approach enable us to study the expansion of the most prominent rings, associate their origin with the prompt X-ray emission of the GRB and determine the location of the dust layers. The stacked radial profiles increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the data and allows detection of fainter and overlapping peaks in the angular profile. We find a total of 16 dust concentrations (with hints of even more) that span about 15 kpc in depth and could be responsible for the highly structured X-ray angular profiles. By comparing the relative scattered fluxes of the five most prominent rings we show that the layer with the largest amount of dust is located at about 0.44 kpc away from us. We finally compare the location of the dust layers with results from experiments that study the 3D structure of our Galaxy via extinction or CO radio observations, and highlight the complementarity of dust X-ray tomography to these approaches., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. New version contains updated tables/figures after correction of a numerical error

We present a detailed compilation and analysis of the X-ray phase space of low- to intermediate-redshift ($ 0\le z \le 1$) transients that consolidates observed light curves (and theory where necessary) for a large variety of classes of transient/variable phenomena in the 0.3--10 keV energy band. We include gamma-ray burst afterglows, supernovae, supernova shock breakouts and shocks interacting with the environment, tidal disruption events and active galactic nuclei, fast blue optical transients, cataclysmic variables, magnetar flares/outbursts and fast radio bursts, cool stellar flares, X-ray binary outbursts, and ultraluminous X-ray sources. Our overarching goal is to offer a comprehensive resource for the examination of these ephemeral events, extending the X-ray duration-luminosity phase space (DLPS) to show luminosity evolution. We use existing observations (both targeted and serendipitous) to characterize the behavior of various transient/variable populations. Contextualizing transient signals in the larger DLPS serves two primary purposes: to identify areas of interest (i.e., regions in the parameter space where one would expect detections, but in which observations have historically been lacking) and to provide initial qualitative guidance in classifying newly discovered transient signals. We find that while the most luminous (largely extragalactic) and least luminous (largely Galactic) part of the phase space is well-populated at $t > 0.1$ days, intermediate luminosity phenomena (L$_x = 10^{34} - 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$) represent a gap in the phase space. We thus identify L$_x = 10^{34} - 10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and $t = 10^{-4} - 0.1$ days as a key discovery phase space in transient X-ray astronomy., Comment: 12 figures, 13 tables; version accepted to ApJ

We study the giant outbursts of SMC X-3 and RX J0209.6-7427 to compare their super-Eddington accretion regime with that of Swift J0243.6+6124. The high double-peak profile of SMC X-3 is found to be 0.25 phase offset from that below $2.3\times10^{38}$erg\,s$^{-1}$, which is similar to Swift J0243 (happened around $0.9\times10^{38}$erg\,s$^{-1}$). The profile of RX J0209 shows a similar 0.25 phase offset between high double-peak and low double-peak around $1.25\times10^{38}$erg\,s$^{-1}$. The 0.25 phase offset corresponds to a 90 degree angle change of the emission beam and strongly supports for a transition from a fan beam to a pencil beam. Their critical luminosities imply a surface magnetic field $\sim4\times10^{13}$ G and $2\times10^{13}$ G for SMC X-3 and RX J0209, respectively, based on the recently measured cyclotron line of Swift J0243. The spin-up rate and luminosity of SMC X-3 follows a relation of $\dot{\nu}\propto L^{0.94\pm0.03}$, while that of RX J0209 follows $\dot{\nu}\propto L^{1.00\pm0.03}$, which are similar to Swift J0243 and consistent with the prediction of a radiation-pressure-dominated (RPD) disk. These results indicate that accretion columns are indeed formed above Eddington luminosity, and the population of ULXPs likely corresponds to X-ray pulsars of highest magnetic field., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figs, to appear on MNRAS

Measuring a pulsar's rotational evolution is crucial to understanding the nature of the pulsar. Here we provide updated timing models for the rotational evolution of six pulsars, five of which are rotation phase-connected using primarily NICER X-ray data. For the newly-discovered fast energetic young pulsar, PSR J0058-7218, we increase the baseline of its timing model from 1.4 days to 8 months and not only measure more precisely its spin-down rate nudot = (-6.2324+/-0.0001)x10^-11 Hz s^-1 but also for the first time the second time derivative of spin rate nuddot = (4.2+/-0.2)x10^-21 Hz s^-2. For the fastest and most energetic young pulsar, PSR J0537-6910 (with 16 ms spin period), we detect 4 more glitches, for a total of 15 glitches over 4.5 years of NICER monitoring, and show that its spin-down behavior continues to set this pulsar apart from all others, including a long-term braking index n = -1.234+/-0.009 and interglitch braking indices that asymptote to <~ 7 for long times after a glitch. For PSR J1101-6101, we measure a much more accurate spin-down rate that agrees with a previous value measured without phase-connection. For PSR J1412+7922 (also known as Calvera), we extend the baseline of its timing model from our previous 1-year model to 4.4 years, and for PSR J1849-0001, we extend the baseline from 1.5 years to 4.7 years. We also present a long-term timing model of the energetic pulsar, PSR J1813-1749, by fitting previous radio and X-ray spin frequencies from 2009-2019 and new ones measured here using 2018 NuSTAR and 2021 Chandra data., Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ; very minor edits and no changes to numbers

We present a toy model for radio emission in HMXBs with strongly magnetized neutron stars (NS) where a wind-collision region is formed by the NS outflow and the stellar wind of the massive companion. Radio emission is expected from the synchrotron radiation of shock-accelerated electrons and the free-free emission of the stellar wind. We found that the predicted relation between the GHz luminosity ($L_R$) and the accretion X-ray luminosity ($L_X$) can be written as $L_R \propto L_X^b$ for most parameters. No correlation with X-rays is expected ($b=0$) when the thermal emission of the stellar wind dominates in radio. We typically find a steep correlation ($b=12/7$) for sub-Eddington X-ray luminosities and a more shallow one ($b=2(p-1)/7$) for super-Eddington X-ray luminosities, where $p$ is the power-law index of accelerated electrons. The maximum predicted radio luminosity is independent of the NS properties, while it depends on the stellar wind momentum, binary separation distance, and the minimum electron Lorentz factor. Using a Bayesian approach we modelled the radio observations of \sj that cover a wide range of mass accretion rates. Our results support a shock origin for the radio detections at sub-Eddington X-ray luminosities. However, no physically meaningful parameters could be found for the super-Eddington phase of the outburst, suggesting a different origin. Future observations with more sensitive instruments might reveal a large number of HMXBs with strongly magnetized NSs in radio, allowing determination of the slope in the $L_R-L_X$ relation, and putting the wind-collision scenario into test., Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

Blazars are the most extreme subclass of active galactic nuclei with relativistic jets emerging from a super-massive black hole and forming a small angle with respect to our line of sight. Blazars are also known to be related to flaring activity as they exhibit large flux variations over a wide range of frequency and on multiple timescales, ranging from a few minutes to several months. The detection of a high-energy neutrino from the flaring blazar TXS 0506+056 and the subsequent discovery of a neutrino excess from the same direction have naturally strengthened the hypothesis that blazars are cosmic neutrino sources. While neutrino production during gamma-ray flares has been widely discussed, the neutrino yield of X-ray flares has received less attention. Motivated by a theoretical scenario where high energy neutrinos are produced by energetic protons interacting with their own X-ray synchrotron radiation, we make neutrino predictions over a sample of a sample of X-ray blazars. This sample consists of all blazars observed with the X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board Swift more than 50 times from November 2004 to November 2020. The statistical identification of a flaring state is done using the Bayesian Block algorithm to the 1 keV XRT light curves of frequently observed blazars. We categorize flaring states into classes based on their variation from the time-average value of the data points. During each flaring state, we compute the expected muon plus anti-muon neutrino events as well as the total signal for each source using the point-source effective area of Icecube for different operational seasons. We find that the median of the total neutrino number (in logarithm) from flares with duration $<30$ d is $\mathcal{N}^{(\rm tot)}_{\nu_{\mu}+\bar{\nu}_{\mu}} \sim 0.02$., Comment: Presented at the 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2021)

On July 30th, 2019 IceCube detected a high-energy astrophysical muon neutrino candidate, IC-190730A, with a $67\%$ probability of astrophysical origin. The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1502+106 is in the error circle of the neutrino. Motivated by this observation, we study PKS 1502+106 as a possible source of IC-190730A. PKS 1502+106 was in a quiet state in terms of UV/optical/X-ray/gamma-ray flux at the time of the neutrino alert, we therefore model the expected neutrino emission from the source during its average long-term state, and investigate whether the emission of IC-190730A as a result of the quiet long-term emission of PKS 1502+106 is plausible. We analyse UV/optical and X-ray data and collect additional observations from the literature to construct the multi-wavelength spectral energy distribution of PKS 1502+106. We perform leptohadronic modelling of the multi-wavelength emission of the source and determine the most plausible emission scenarios and the maximum expected accompanying neutrino flux. A model in which the multi-wavelength emission of PKS 1502+106 originates beyond the broad-line region and inside the dust torus is most consistent with the observations. In this scenario, PKS 1502+106 can have produced up to of order one muon neutrino with energy exceeding 100 TeV in the lifetime of IceCube. An appealing feature of this model is that the required proton luminosity is consistent with the average required proton luminosity if blazars power the observed ultra-high-energy-cosmic-ray flux and well below the source's Eddington luminosity. If such a model is ubiquitous among FSRQs, additional neutrinos can be expected from other bright sources with energy $\gtrsim 10$ PeV., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, published in JCAP

We present the results obtained from the analysis of high mass X-ray binary pulsar 4U 1909+07 using NuSTAR and Astrosat observations in 2015 and 2017 July, respectively. X-ray pulsations at $\approx$604 s are clearly detected in our study. Based on the long term spin-frequency evolution, the source is found to spun up in the last 17 years. We observed a strongly energy-dependent pulse profile that evolved from a complex broad structure in soft X-rays into a profile with a narrow emission peak followed by a plateau in energy ranges above 20 keV. This behaviour ensured a positive correlation between the energy and pulse fraction. The pulse profile morphology and its energy-evolution are almost similar during both the observations, suggesting a persistent emission geometry of the pulsar over time. The broadband energy spectrum of the pulsar is approximated by an absorbed high energy exponential cutoff power law model with iron emission lines. In contrast to the previous report, we found no statistical evidence for the presence of cyclotron absorption features in the X-ray spectra. We performed phase-resolved spectroscopy by using data from the NuSTAR observation. Our results showed a clear signature of absorbing material at certain pulse-phases of the pulsar. These findings are discussed in terms of stellar wind distribution and its effect on the beam geometry of this wind-fed accreting neutron star. We also reviewed the subsonic quasi-spherical accretion theory and its implication on the magnetic field of 4U 1909+07 depending on the global spin-up rate., Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures; Accepted for publication in MNRAS

3HSP J095507.9+355101 is an extreme blazar which has been possibly associated with a high-energy neutrino (IceCube-200107A) detected one day before the blazar was found to undergo a hard X-ray flare. We perform a comprehensive study of the predicted multimessenger emission from 3HSP J095507.9+355101 during its recent X-ray flare, but also in the long term. We focus on one-zone leptohadronic models, but we also explore alternative scenarios: (i) a blazar-core model, which considers neutrino production in the inner jet, close to the supermassive black hole; (ii) a hidden external-photon model, which considers neutrino production in the jet through interactions with photons from a weak broad line region; (iii) a proton synchrotron model, where high-energy protons in the jet produce $\gamma$-rays via synchrotron; and (iv) an intergalactic cascade scenario, where neutrinos are produced in the intergalactic medium by interactions of a high-energy cosmic-ray beam escaping the jet. The Poisson probability to detect one muon neutrino in ten years from 3HSP J095507.9+355101 with the real-time IceCube alert analysis is $\sim 1\%$ ($3\%$) for the most optimistic one-zone leptohadronic model (the multi-zone blazar-core model). Meanwhile, detection of one neutrino during the 44-day-long high X-ray flux-state period following the neutrino detection is $0.06\%$, according to our most optimistic leptohadronic model. The most promising scenarios for neutrino production also predict strong intra-source $\gamma$-ray attenuation above $\sim100$ GeV. If the association is real, then IceCube-Gen2 and other future detectors should be able to provide additional evidence for neutrino production in 3HSP J095507.9+355101 and other extreme blazars., Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present results of the first dedicated observation of the young X-ray pulsar SXP 1062 in the broad X-ray energy band obtained during its 2019 outburst with the NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observatories. The analysis of the pulse-phase averaged and phase-resolved spectra in the energy band from 0.5 to 70 keV did not reveal any evidence for the presence of a cyclotron line. The spin period of the pulsar was found to have decreased to 979.48+/-0.06 s implying a ~10% reduction compared to the last measured period during the monitoring campaign conducted about five years ago, and is puzzling considering that the system apparently did not show major outbursts ever since. The switch of the pulsar to the spin-up regime supports the common assumption that torques acting on the accreting neutron star are nearly balanced and thus SXP 1062 likely also spins with a period close to the equilibrium value for this system. The current monitoring of the source revealed also a sharp drop of its soft X-ray flux right after the outburst, which is in drastic contrast to the behaviour during the previous outburst when the pulsar remained observable for years with only a minor flux decrease after the end of the outburst. This unexpected off state of the source lasted for at most 20 days after which SXP 1062 returned to the level observed during previous campaigns. We discuss this and other findings in context of the modern models of accretion onto strongly magnetized neutron stars., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in A&A

Recent modeling of Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer(NICER) observations of the millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451 suggests that the magnetic field of the pulsar is non-dipolar. We construct a magnetic field configuration where foot points of the open field lines closely resemble the hotspot configuration from NICER observations. Using this magnetic field as input, we perform force-free simulations of the magnetosphere of PSR J0030+0451, showing the three-dimensional structure of its plasma-filled magnetosphere. Making simple and physically motivated assumptions about the emitting regions, we are able to construct the multi-wavelength lightcurves that qualitatively agree with the corresponding observations. The agreement suggests that multipole magnetic structures are the key to modeling this type of pulsars, and can be used to constrain the magnetic inclination angle and the location of radio emission., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJL. Comments welcome!

Aims: Spectral and temporal analysis of the NuSTAR observation Galactic Be-XRB Swift J1845.7-0037. during its recent outburst. Methods: For the spectral analysis we use both phenomenological and physics-based models. We employ an often used empirical model to identify the main characteristics of the spectral shape in relation to nominal spectral characteristics of X-ray pulsars. Additionally, we used the latest version of Bulk \& Thermal comptonization model (BW), to assess the validity of the spectral components required by the empirical model and to investigate the origin of the hard X-ray emission. We also analyzed the source light-curve, studying the pulse shape at different energy ranges and tracking the spectral evolution with pulse phase by using the model independent hardness ratio (HR). Results: We find that while both the empirical and physical (BW) spectral models can produce good spectral fits, the BW model returns physically plausible best-fit values for the source parameters and does not require any additional spectral components to the non-thermal, accretion column emission. The BW model also yielded an estimation of the neutron star magnetic field placing it in the 10^12G range. Conclusions: Our results, show that the spectral and temporal characteristics of the source emission are consistent with the scattering processes expected for radiation dominated shocks within the accretion column of highly magnetized accreting neutron stars. We further indicate that physically-derived spectral models such as BW, can be used to tentatively infer fundamental source parameters, in the absence of more direct observational signatures., Comment: submitted to A&A, comments and suggestions appreciated. 7 pages, 9 figures

We have analyzed the X-ray spectra of all known Ultra Compact X-ray Binaries (UCXBs), with the purpose of constraining the chemical composition of their accretion disk and donor star. Our investigation was focused on the presence (or absence) of the Fe K${\alpha}$ emission line, which was used as the probe of chemical composition of the disk, based on previously established theoretical predictions for the reflection of X-ray radiation off the surface of C/O-rich or He-rich accretion disks in UCXBs. We have contrasted the results of our spectral analysis to the history of type I X-ray bursts from these systems, which can also indicate donor star composition. We found that UCXBs with prominent and persistent iron K${\alpha}$ emission also featured repeat bursting activity. On the other hand, the UCXBs for which no iron line was detected, appear to have few or no type I X-ray bursts detected over more than a decade of monitoring. Based on Monte Carlo simulations, demonstrating a strong correlation between the Fe K${\alpha}$ line strength and the abundance of C and O in the accretion disk material and given the expected correlation between the H/He abundance and the recurrence rate of type I X-ray bursts, we propose that there is a considerable likelihood that UCXBs with persistent iron emission have He-rich donors, while those that do not, likely have C/O or O/Ne/Mg-rich donors. Our results strongly advocate for the development of more sophisticated simulations of X-ray reflection from hydrogen-poor accretion disks., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 16 pages 21 figures

We investigate the long-term variability of the K$\alpha$ line of iron in the spectra of two Ultra Compact X-ray Sources (UCXBs) with C/O-rich donors. We revisit archival observations by five different X-ray telescopes, over a ~twenty year period. Adopting physically motivated models for the spectral continuum, we probe the long-term evolution of the source emission in a self-consistent manner enabling physical interpretation of potential variability in the primary X-ray emission continuum and/or any emission lines from reflection off the accretion disk. We find that the spectral shape and flux of the source emission (for both objects) has remained almost constant throughout all the observations, displaying only minor variability in some spectral parameters and the source flux (largest variation is a ~25% drop in the flux of Swift J1756.9-2508). We note a striking variability of the Fe K$\alpha$ line which fluctuates from a notable equivalent width of ~66-100 eV in 4U 1543-624 and ~170 eV in Swift J1756.9-2508, to non-detections with upper limits of 2-8 eV. We argue that the disappearance of the iron line is due to the screening of the Fe K$\alpha$ line by the overabundant oxygen in the C/O-rich UCXBs. This effect is cancelled when oxygen becomes fully ionized in the inner disk region, resulting in the variability of the Fe K$\alpha$ line in an otherwise unaltered spectral shape. This finding supports earlier predictions on the consequences of H-poor, C/O-rich accretion disk on reflection induced fluorescent lines in the spectra of UCXBs., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 13 pages 8 figures

The IceCube report of a $\sim 3.5\sigma$ excess of $13\pm5$ neutrino events in the direction of the blazar TXS 05056+056 in 2014-2015 and the 2017 detection of a high-energy neutrino, IceCube-170922A, during a gamma-ray flare from the same blazar, have revived the interest in scenarios for neutrino production in blazars. We perform comprehensive analyses on the long-term electromagnetic emission of TXS 05056+056 using optical, X-ray, and gamma-ray data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN), the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), the Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI), and the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT). We also perform numerical modeling of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in four epochs prior to 2017 with contemporaneous gamma-ray and lower energy (optical and/or X-ray) data. We find that the multi-epoch SEDs are consistent with a hybrid leptonic scenario, where the gamma-rays are produced in the blazar zone via external inverse Compton scattering of accelerated electrons, and high-energy neutrinos are produced via the photomeson production process of co-accelerated protons. The multi-epoch SEDs can be satisfactorily explained with the same jet parameters and variable external photon density and electron luminosity. Using the maximal neutrino flux derived for each epoch, we put an upper limit of $\sim0.4-2$ on the muon neutrino number in ten years of IceCube observations. Our results are consistent with the IceCube-170922A detection, which can be explained as an upper fluctuation from the average neutrino rate expected from the source, but in strong tension with the 2014-2015 neutrino flare., Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, 11 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present the Spectroscopic Time-Resolving Observatory for Broadband Energy X-rays (STROBE-X), a probe-class mission concept selected for study by NASA. It combines huge collecting area, high throughput, broad energy coverage, and excellent spectral and temporal resolution in a single facility. STROBE-X offers an enormous increase in sensitivity for X-ray spectral timing, extending these techniques to extragalactic targets for the first time. It is also an agile mission capable of rapid response to transient events, making it an essential X-ray partner facility in the era of time-domain, multi-wavelength, and multi-messenger astronomy. Optimized for study of the most extreme conditions found in the Universe, its key science objectives include: (1) Robustly measuring mass and spin and mapping inner accretion flows across the black hole mass spectrum, from compact stars to intermediate-mass objects to active galactic nuclei. (2) Mapping out the full mass-radius relation of neutron stars using an ensemble of nearly two dozen rotation-powered pulsars and accreting neutron stars, and hence measuring the equation of state for ultradense matter over a much wider range of densities than explored by NICER. (3) Identifying and studying X-ray counterparts (in the post-Swift era) for multiwavelength and multi-messenger transients in the dynamic sky through cross-correlation with gravitational wave interferometers, neutrino observatories, and high-cadence time-domain surveys in other electromagnetic bands. (4) Continuously surveying the dynamic X-ray sky with a large duty cycle and high time resolution to characterize the behavior of X-ray sources over an unprecedentedly vast range of time scales. STROBE-X's formidable capabilities will also enable a broad portfolio of additional science., Comment: 50 pages, Probe class mission concept study report submitted to NASA for Astro2020 Decadal Survey

NGC 300 ULX1 is a newly identified ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar. The system is associated with the supernova impostor SN 2010da that was later classified as a possible supergiant Be X-ray binary. In this work we report on the spin period evolution of the neutron star based on all the currently available X-ray observations of the system. We argue that the X-ray luminosity of the system has remained almost constant since 2010, at a level above ten times the Eddington limit. Moreover, we find evidence that the spin period of the neutron star evolved from ~126 s down to ~18 s within a period of about 4 years. We explain this unprecedented spin evolution in terms of the standard accretion torque theory. An intriguing consequence for NGC 300 ULX1 is that a neutron star spin reversal should have occurred a few years after the SN 2010da event., Comment: 10 pages with appendix, 9 figures, accepted to A&A Letters

Methods. We analyzed broadband XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of NGC 300 ULX1, performing phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectroscopy. We compared two physically motivated models for the source spectrum: Non-thermal accretion column emission modeled by a power law with high-energy exponential roll-off (AC model) vs multicolor thermal emission from an optically thick accretion envelope plus a hard power-law tail (MCAE model). We combine the findings of our Bayesian analysis with qualitative physical considerations to evaluate the suitability of each model. Results. The low-energy part (<2 keV) of the source spectrum is dominated by non-pulsating, multicolor thermal emission. The (pulsating) high energy continuum is more ambiguous. If modelled with the AC model a residual structure is detected, that can be modeled using a broad Gaussian absorption line centered at ~12 keV. However, the same residuals can be successfully modeled using the MCAE model, without the need for the absorption-like feature. Model comparison, using the Bayesian approach strongly indicates that the MCAE model -- without the absorption line -- is the preferred model. Conclusions. All models considered strongly indicate the presence of an accretion disk truncated at a large distance from the central object, as has been recently suggested for a large fraction of both pulsating and non-pulsating ULXs. The hard, pulsed emission is not described by a smooth spectral continuum. If modelled by a broad Gaussian absorption line, the fit residuals can be interpreted as a cyclotron scattering feature (CRSF) compatible with a ~10^12 G magnetic field. However, the MCAE model describes the spectral and temporal characteristics of the source emission, without the need for an absorption feature and yields physically meaningful parameter values. Therefore strong doubts are cast on the presence of a CRSF in NGC 300 ULX1., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

NGC 300 ULX1 is the fourth to be discovered in the class of the ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars. Pulsations from NGC 300 ULX1 were discovered during simultaneous XMM-Newton / NuSTAR observations in Dec. 2016. The period decreased from 31.71 s to 31.54 s within a few days, with a spin-up rate of -5.56 x 10^{-7} s s^{-1}, likely one of the largest ever observed from an accreting neutron star. Archival Swift and NICER observations revealed that the period decreased exponentially from ~45 s to ~17.5 s over 2.3 years. The pulses are highly modulated with a pulsed fraction strongly increasing with energy and reaching nearly 80% at energies above 10keV. The X-ray spectrum is described by a power-law and a disk black-body model, leading to a 0.3-30 keV unabsorbed luminosity of 4.7 x 10^{39} erg s^{-1}. The spectrum from an archival XMM-Newton observation of 2010 can be explained by the same model, however, with much higher absorption. This suggests, that the intrinsic luminosity did not change much since that epoch. NGC 300 ULX1 shares many properties with supergiant high mass X-ray binaries, however, at an extreme accretion rate., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Proc. IAUS 346. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1802.10341

We report the results of AstroSat and NuSTAR observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar SXP 15.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud during its outburst in late 2017, when the source reached a luminosity level of ~ 10^{38} erg s^{-1}, close to the Eddington limit. The unprecedented broadband coverage of the source allowed us to perform timing and spectral analysis between 3 and 80 keV. The pulse profile exhibits a significant energy dependence, and morphs from a double peaked profile to a single broad pulse at energies >15 keV. This can be explained by a spectral hardening during an intensity dip seen between the two peaks of the pulse profile. We detect a Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature (CRSF) at ~5 keV in the X-ray spectrum, independent of the choice of the continuum model. This indicates a magnetic field strength of 6x10^{11} G for the neutron star., Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

B[e] Supergiants are luminous evolved massive stars. The mass-loss during this phase creates a complex circumstellar environment with atomic, molecular, and dusty regions usually found in rings or disk-like structures. For a better comprehension of the mechanisms behind the formation of these rings, detailed knowledge about their structure and dynamics is essential. To address that, we obtained high-resolution optical and near-infrared spectra for 8 selected Galactic B[e] Supergiants, for which CO emission has been detected. Assuming Keplerian rotation for the disk, we combine the kinematics obtained from the CO bands in the near-IR with those obtained by fitting the forbidden emission [OI] $\lambda$5577, [OI] $\lambda\lambda$6300,6363, and [CaII] $\lambda\lambda$7291,7323 lines in the optical to probe the disk structure. We find that the emission originates from multiple ring structures around all B[e] Supergiants, with each one of them displaying a unique combination of rings regardless of whether the object is part of a binary system. The confirmed binaries display spectroscopic variations of their line intensities and profiles as well as photometric variability, whereas the ring structures around the single stars are stable., Comment: 27 pages, 13 figures, 4 tables. Published in MNRAS. Minor corrections in this version: (a) adding references in the text to Fig. 6, tables A6 and A8, and footnote 5, (b) adding/modifying the acknowledgments section

We study the temporal and spectral characteristics of SMC X-3 during its 2016 outburst. To probe accretion onto highly magnetized neutron stars (NSs), at the Eddington limit. We obtained XMM-Newton observations of SMC X-3 and combined them with long-term observations by Swift. We studied the temporal and spectral behavior of the source, and its short- and long-term evolution. We constructed a simple toy-model to gain insight into the complex emission pattern of SMC X-3. We confirm the pulse period of the system, derived by previous works and note that the pulse has a complex, three peaked shape. We find that the pulsed emission is dominated by hard photons, while at energies below ~1 keV, the emission is virtually non-pulsating. We further find that the shape of the pulse profile and the short and long-term evolution of the source light-curve can be explained by invoking a combination of a "fan" and a "polar" beam. Our spectroscopic analysis, reveals a two-component emission: a hard power law and a soft thermal component. We find that the latter produces the bulk of the non-pulsating emission and is most likely the result of reprocessing of the primary hard emission, by optically thick material that partially obscures the central source. We also detect strong emission lines from highly ionized metals. The strength of the emission lines are strongly phase-depended. The energy and temporal evolution and the shape of the pulse profile and the long-term spectra evolution of the source are consistent with the expected emission pattern of the accretion column in the super-critical regime, while the presence of a large reprocessing region is consistent with the analysis of previously studied X-ray pulsars observed at high accretion rates. The presence of this region is consistent with recently proposed works that suggest that high-B NSs occupy a considerable fraction of ULXs., Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A. Added final, minor proof corrections

Aims: In light of recent discoveries of pulsating ULXs and recently introduced models, that propose neutron stars (NSs) as the central engines of ULXs, we revisit the (XMM-Newton and NuSTAR) spectra of eighteen well known ULXs, in search of indications that favor this new hypothesis. Results: We confirm the, previously noted, presence of the low energy (<6 keV) spectral rollover and argue that it could be interpreted as thermal emission. The spectra are well described by a double thermal model consisting of a "hot" (>1 keV) and a "cool" (<0.7 keV) multicolor black body (MCB). Under the assumption that the "cool" MCD emission originates in a disk truncated at the NS magnetosphere, we find that all ULXs in our sample are consistent with accretion onto a highly magnetized (B>10^12G) NS. We note a strong correlation between the strength of the magnetic field, the temperature of the "hot" thermal component and the total unabsorbed luminosity. Examination of the NuSTAR data supported this interpretation and confirmed the presence of a weak, high energy (>15 keV) tail, most likely the result of modification of the MCB emission by inverse Compton scattering. We also note that the apparent high energy tail, may simply be the result of mis-modeling of MCB emission with an atypical temperature (T) vs radius (r) gradient, using a standard MCD model with a fixed gradient of T~r^-0.75. Conclusions: We have offered a new physical interpretation for the dual-thermal spectra of ULXs. We find that the best-fit derived parameters, are in excellent agreement with recent predictions that favor super-critically accreting NSs as the engines of a large fraction of ULXs. Nevertheless, the considerable degeneracy between models and the lack of unequivocal evidence cannot rule out other equally plausible interpretations. Our results warrant further exploration of this new framework., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. 14 pages 5 figures. This version: added citation(s), title change

Type IIn supernovae (SNe), a rare subclass of core collapse SNe, explode in dense circumstellar media that have been modified by the SNe progenitors at their last evolutionary stages. The interaction of the freely expanding SN ejecta with the circumstellar medium gives rise to a shock wave propagating in the dense SN environment, which may accelerate protons to multi-PeV energies. Inelastic proton-proton collisions between the shock-accelerated protons and those of the circumstellar medium lead to multi-messenger signatures. Here, we evaluate the possible neutrino signal of type IIn SNe and compare with IceCube observations. We employ a Monte Carlo method for the calculation of the diffuse neutrino emission from the SN IIn class to account for the spread in their properties. The cumulative neutrino emission is found to be ~ 10 per cent of the observed IceCube neutrino flux above 60 TeV. Type IIn SNe would be the dominant component of the diffuse astrophysical flux, only if 4 per cent of all core collapse SNe were of this type and 20 to 30 per cent of the shock energy was channeled to accelerated protons. Lower values of the acceleration efficiency are accessible by the observation of a single type IIn SN as a neutrino point source with IceCube using up-going muon neutrinos. Such an identification is possible in the first year following the SN shock breakout for sources within 20 Mpc., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, MNRAS accepted

Ap Librae is one out of a handful of low-frequency peaked blazars to be detected at TeV $\gamma$-rays and the only one with an identified X-ray jet. Combined observations of Fermi-LAT at high energies (HE) and of H.E.S.S at very high energies (VHE) revealed a striking spectral property of Ap Librae; the presence of a broad high-energy component that extends more than nine orders of magnitude in energy and is, therefore, hard to be explained by the usual single-zone synchrotron self-Compton model. We show that the superposition of different emission components related to photohadronic interactions can explain the $\gamma$-ray emission of Ap Librae without invoking external radiation fields. We present two indicative model fits to the spectral energy distribution of Ap Librae where the VHE emission is assumed to originate from a compact, sub-pc scale region of the jet. A robust prediction of our model is VHE flux variability on timescales similar to those observed at X-rays and HE $\gamma$-rays, which can be further used to distinguish between a sub-pc or kpc scale origin of the TeV emission. We thus calculate the expected variability signatures at X-rays, HE and VHE $\gamma$-rays and show that quasi-simultaneous flares are expected, with larger amplitude flares appearing at $\gamma$-rays. We assess the detectability of VHE variability from Ap Librae with CTA, next generation of IACTs. We show that $\sim$hr timescale variability at $E_{\gamma}>0.1$ TeV could be detectable at high significance with shorter exposure times than current Cherenkov telescopes., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, submitted to MNRAS

We report on the first detection of X-ray dust scattered rings from the Galactic low mass X-ray binary V404 Cyg. The observation of the system with Swift/XRT on June 30 2015 revealed the presence of five concentric ring-like structures centred at the position of V404 Cyg. Follow-up Swift/XRT observations allowed a time-dependent study of the X-ray rings. Assuming that these are the result of small-angle, single X-ray scattering by dust grains along the line of sight, we find that their angular size scales as $\theta \propto\sqrt{t}$ in agreement with theoretical predictions. The dust grains are concentrated in five dust layers located at about 2.12, 2.05, 1.63, 1.50 and 1.18 kpc from the observer. These coincide roughly with locations of enhanced extinction as determined by infrared photometry. Assuming that the grain size distribution is described by a generalized Mathis-Rumpl-Nordsieck model, we find that the power-law index of the most distant cloud is $q\sim 4.4$, while $q \sim 3.5-3.7$ in all other clouds. We constrain at a $3\sigma$ level the maximum grain size of the intermediate dust layers in the range $0.16-0.20\,\mu$m and set a lower limit of $\sim 0.2\,\mu$m in the other clouds. Hints of an exponential cutoff at the angular intensity profile of the outermost X-ray ring suggest that the smallest grains have sizes $0.01 \mu{\rm m}\le \alpha_{\min} \lesssim 0.03\,\mu$m. Based on the relative ratios of dust column densities we find the highest dust concentration at $\sim 1.6$ kpc. Our results indicate a gradient in the dust properties within 1 kpc from V404 Cyg., Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, accepted by MNRAS