Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2610.00612

The X-ray and optical emission of the intermediate polar Swift J0614.0+1709

Nikita Rawat·Domitilla De Martino·David A. H. Buckley·Koji Mukai·Martina Veresvarska·Zackery A. Irving·Simone Scaringi·Nicola Masetti
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We present the first detailed X-ray and optical study of the intermediate polar Swift J0614.0+1709 based on a pointed XMM-Newton observation complemented by long-term optical photometry from TESS. A strong coherent modulation at the white dwarf spin period was detected in X-rays, with a period of $\sim$1411 s, confirming the magnetic nature of the system. The X-ray spin pulse exhibits a pronounced energy dependence, with the modulation amplitude decreasing towards higher energies, consistent with phase-dependent absorption in the accretion flow. Phase-resolved spectroscopy further shows that the spin variability is primarily driven by changes in the covering fraction of the partial-covering absorber. The broadband X-ray spectrum is well described by a partially absorbed thermal plasma model with a temperature of $\sim$12 keV and a soft blackbody component at $\sim$63 eV. The inferred bolometric luminosity of $\sim$5$\times$10$^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$ places the source among the more luminous intermediate polars. The TESS observations reveal substantial sector-to-sector variability in the relative strengths of the orbital and spin modulations. While the spin signal remains persistently dominant, the beat modulation varies significantly and disappears entirely in one Sector, suggesting temporal changes in the contribution of the reprocessing region(s). The orbital and, to a lesser extent, spin modulation amplitudes show some tendency to be stronger during brighter optical states, suggesting that changes in the mass transfer rate may influence the optical emission and modulation amplitudes. Overall, Swift J0614.0+1709 is a comparatively X-ray luminous intermediate polar exhibiting complex optical variability characterised by changes in pulse morphology and recurrent brightening events, making it a valuable target for future simultaneous optical and X-ray studies.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.HE

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Nikita Rawat, Domitilla De Martino, David A. H. Buckley, Koji Mukai, Martina Veresvarska, Zackery A. Irving, Simone Scaringi, Nicola Masetti. 2026-09-30. The X-ray and optical emission of the intermediate polar Swift J0614.0+1709. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%2F202661437

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Gravitational wave detectability range informed by external messengers

A rapid estimate of gravitational-wave (GW) detectability associated with astronomical transients is crucial for optimizing multi-messenger follow-up strategies and for constraining the physical origin of the transient itself. We introduce here the Targeted Detectability Range (TDR), designed to evaluate, with minimal computational effort, the detectability of compact binary coalescences under the hypothesis of association with an external messenger, such as an electromagnetic or neutrino signal. Unlike the standard GW range, which is based on averaged source parameters, the TDR incorporates prior information from observations of the external messenger, including sky localization, inclination constraints, and physically motivated bounds on component masses. We report the TDR of all short- and long-duration gamma-ray bursts, observed during the first three observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The method is validated by performing a systematic comparison with the 90$\%$ exclusion distances provided by modeled targeted GW searches. In the absence of a coincident detection by all-sky, all-time GW searches, the TDR provides a rapid and quantitative constraint on a possible merger origin of the astrophysical source. Its low-latency implementation and public availability would enable timely prioritization of follow-up observations and optimized allocation of observational resources, with direct impact on the physical interpretation of astronomical transients.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Relativistic outflows power a quasi-periodic eruption: constraints on energetics, mass loss, and emission mechanisms

Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are recurring bursts of X-ray radiation originating from supermassive black holes (SMBHs). They are an unprecedented type of structured, high-amplitude SMBH variability, but the physical origins of their regularity, timescales, energetics, and emission are uncertain. We present new XMM-Newton observations of the QPEs in ZTF19acnskyy/"Ansky", constituting the deepest observations of individual bursts in any source thus far. The X-ray spectra reveal time-evolving P Cygni profiles comprising blueshifted absorption and redshifted emission from L-shell transitions of Fe XIX-XXIV, with column densities $N_H\sim 10^{22-23}$ cm$^{-2}$ and bulk velocities of $|v_w/c|\sim 0.2$, indicating relativistic mass ejections during each eruption. We construct a time-dependent analytical model of a wind turning on to self-consistently compute its evolving luminosity and ionization properties, and find that the light curve and spectral lines can be simultaneously produced by a wide-angle outflow with $\dot{M}\sim 10^{-9}-10^{-8}\,M_\odot$ s$^{-1}$ kinetically powering the X-rays with an efficiency of $L_X/\dot{E}_K\sim 0.1$. For a covering fraction $f_Ω\sim0.5$, each eruption ejects $\sim 10^{-3}\,M_\odot$ and $\gtrsim 10^{49}$ erg of kinetic energy, setting an upper bound on the QPE lifetime of $\lesssim1000$ bursts if the underlying mass reservoir is $\sim1 M_\odot$, and implying that the bursts may result in detectable multiwavelength signatures of reverberation and feedback. These measurements provide new quantitative constraints on QPE energetics, emission mechanisms, and the mass/energy they recycle into their circumnuclear environments, as well as an observational probe for direct comparison with physical models and hydrodynamical simulations of QPEs.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

Towards Retrieval Augmented Generation in High-Energy and Astroparticle Physics

The high-energy and astroparticle physics literature has grown into an enormous body of knowledge. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of this literature is an important step in research, but is a challenging task. Before making meaningful advances, it is important to establish what has already been done and identify open questions. However, this process is becoming increasingly difficult given the sheer volume of publications. Conducting a focused literature survey on a narrow topic is particularly challenging. We develop an open-source Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline to produce concise, targeted summary reports with citations, grounded in the database of arXiv papers, enabling researchers, editors, and referees to rapidly orient themselves within any corner of the field. Specifically, we embed approximately 230K hep-ph and astro-ph.HE papers to enable a hybrid retrieval that captures both keyword matches and semantic similarity. The fused candidate set is then refined using a cross-encoder reranker. Following retrieval, the papers are passed to a Large Language Model (LLM), for which we use Google DeepMind's open-source Gemma-4-E4B model. The LLM first acts as a judge to evaluate the relevance and then synthesizes a coherent and grounded report with references. This modern AI-driven approach allows us to go beyond the capabilities of classical keyword search on arXiv or Inspire-HEP.

astro-ph.HE↗