Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · astro-ph/0511246

Rotational Broadening of Atomic Spectral Features from Neutron Stars

P. Chang·S. Morsink·L. Bildsten·I. Wasserman
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The discovery of the first gravitationally redshifted spectral line from a neutron star (NS) by Cottam, Paerels and Mendez has triggered theoretical studies of the physics of atomic line formation in NS atmospheres. Chang, Bildsten and Wasserman showed that the hydrogenic Fe H$α$ line formed above the photosphere of a bursting NS is intrinsically broad. We now include rotational broadening within general relativity and compare the resulting profile to that observed during Type I bursts from EXO 0748-676. We show that the fine structure splitting of the line precludes a meaningful constraint on the radius. Our fitting of the data show that the line forming Fe column is ${\rm log}_{10} (N_{\rm Fe, n=2}/{\rm cm^{-2}})=17.9_{-0.42}^{+0.27}$ and gravitational redshift $1+z =1.345_{-0.008}^{+0.005}$ with 95% confidence. We calculate the detectability of this spectral feature for a large range of spins and inclinations assuming that the emission comes from the entire surface. We find that at 300 (600) Hz only 10-20% (5-10%) of NSs would have spectral features as deep as that seen in EXO 0748-676.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

P. Chang, S. Morsink, L. Bildsten, I. Wasserman. 2005-11-08. Rotational Broadening of Atomic Spectral Features from Neutron Stars. https://doi.org/10.1086/499428

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

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Frame covariance of CMBR lensing in the exact 1+3 covariant radiation hierarchy

The exact $1+3$ covariant Boltzmann hierarchy for the cosmic microwave background contains acceleration, shear and vorticity couplings whose coefficients grow linearly in $\ell$. We show that all are the multipole form of the aberration operator in the photon Liouville equation. Under a change of threading, this operator shifts by the along-ray generator of a Lorentz boost. The acceleration coupling of $\ell$ to $\ell\pm1$ and the shear coupling of $\ell$ to $\ell\pm2$ are therefore frame-covariant descriptions of the same operator, related by an algebraic, pointwise relabelling of direction. With emitter and observer frames fixed, the observed sky is independent of the intermediate threading at every $\ell$. We derive this in $1+3$ covariant and gauge-invariant variables without constructing second-order gauge-invariant variables. The $O(ε^2\ell)$ content is gravitational lensing, as known in metric variables. Linearisation about a Friedmann--Lemaître--Robertson--Walker background removes these couplings, requiring lensing to be reinstated from the geodesic equation. Keeping the threading arbitrary makes frame covariance explicit and places observer aberration in the same operator. In the Newtonian threading we compute both halves of the deflection: the equivalence-principle contribution enters through aberration, while the spatial-curvature contribution arises from free streaming on perturbed spatial sections and reduces to the same operator. The lensing efficiency follows from the direction derivative. The angular-power-spectrum contribution is quartic in the potential: for a deflection statistically independent of the source, the two fourth-order terms carrying $\ell^2$ cancel where the spectrum is smooth on the deflection scale, and lensing redistributes power without adding ensemble variance.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2026

Cosmic Conundrums with Quantum Corrections

Darh energy was discovered over 25 years ago and we do not have an explanation of it. Dark matter comprises 95% of matter in the universe and we still don't know what it is. The Webb telescope has been finding fully formed galaxies with massive black holes millions of times the mass of the sun in the early universe and we don't have any explanation. A quantum density limitation will be used to solve these and other outstanding problems.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2026

On binary pulsars and the force of gravity

The energy-momentum budget of the astrophysical systems can be studied by the exact local conservation equation derived by Landau and Lifshitz. We show that a similar equation is valid for the Einstein-Cartan gravity. We reanalyze a binary pulsar system using the Landau-Lifshitz conservation equation and show that the orbital period change rate can be completely understood as a curvature backreaction process. Taking into account the detailed theoretical and observational research of relativistic binary pulsar systems, especially the system of Hulse and Taylor, we conclude that general relativity and astrophysical observations rule out the existence of gravitational radiation. We comment upon the LIGO GW events and their alternative explanation, as well as the recent pulsar timing arrays data.

astro-ph↗