arXiv subjects

Francesco Coti Zelati

Publications and source records attributed to Francesco Coti Zelati.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

X-ray spectral properties of the accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J17498-2921 during its 2023 outburst

We present a comprehensive study of the X-ray spectral properties of the accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J17498$-$2921 during its 2023 outburst. Similar to other accreting millisecond pulsars, the broad-band spectral emission observed quasi-simultaneously by NICER and NuSTAR is well described by an absorbed Comptonized emission with an electron temperature of $\sim$17 keV plus a disk reflection component. The broadening of the disk reflection spectral features, such as a prominent iron emission line at 6.4-6.7 keV, is consistent with the relativistic motion of matter in a disk truncated at $\sim$$21 \, \mathrm{R_g}$ from the source, near the Keplerian co-rotation radius. From the high-cadence monitoring data obtained with NICER, we observe that the evolution of the photon index and the temperature of seed photons tracks variations in the X-ray flux. This is particularly evident close to a sudden $\sim$-0.25 cycles jump in the pulse phase, which occurs immediately following an X-ray flux flare and a drop in the pulse amplitude below the $3σ$ detection threshold. We also report on the non-detection of optical pulsations with TNG/SiFAP2 from the highly absorbed optical counterpart.

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arXiv2023

Long-period radio pulsars: population study in the neutron star and white dwarf rotating dipole scenarios

The nature of two recently discovered radio emitters with unusually long periods of 18min (GLEAM-X J1627-52) and 21min (GPM J1839-10) is highly debated. Their bright radio emission resembles that of radio magnetars, but their long periodicities and lack of detection at other wavelengths challenge the neutron-star interpretation. In contrast, long rotational periods are common in white dwarfs but, although predicted, dipolar radio emission from isolated magnetic white dwarfs has never been unambiguously observed. In this work, we investigate these long-period objects as potential isolated neutron-star or white-dwarf dipolar radio emitters and find that both scenarios pose significant challenges to our understanding of radio emission via pair production in dipolar magnetospheres. We also perform population-synthesis simulations based on dipolar spin-down in both pictures, assuming different initial-period distributions, masses, radii, beaming fractions, and magnetic-field prescriptions, to assess their impact on the ultra-long pulsar population. In the neutron-star scenario, we do not expect a large number of ultra-long period pulsars under any physically motivated (or even extreme) assumptions for the period evolution. On the other hand, in the white-dwarf scenario, we can easily accommodate a large population of long-period radio emitters. However, no mechanism can easily explain the production of such bright coherent radio emission in either scenarios.

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arXiv2022

Timing analysis of the 2022 outburst of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4$-$3658: hints of an orbital shrinking

We present a pulse timing analysis of NICER observations of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4$-$3658 during the outburst that started on 2022 August 19. Similar to previous outbursts, after decaying from a peak luminosity of $\simeq 1\times10^{36} \, \mathrm{erg \, s^{-1}}$ in about a week, the pulsar entered in a $\sim 1$ month-long reflaring stage. Comparison of the average pulsar spin frequency during the outburst with those previously measured confirmed the long-term spin derivative of $\dotν_{\textrm{SD}}=-(1.15\pm0.06)\times 10^{-15} \, \mathrm{Hz\,s^{-1}}$, compatible with the spin-down torque of a $\approx 10^{26} \, \mathrm{G \, cm^3}$ rotating magnetic dipole. For the first time in the last twenty years, the orbital phase evolution shows evidence for a decrease of the orbital period. The long-term behaviour of the orbit is dominated by a $\sim 11 \, \mathrm{s}$ modulation of the orbital phase epoch consistent with a $\sim 21 \, \mathrm{yr}$ period. We discuss the observed evolution in terms of a coupling between the orbit and variations in the mass quadrupole of the companion star.

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arXiv2022

The first 7 months of the 2020 X-ray outburst of the magnetar SGR J1935+2154

The magnetar SGR J1935+2154 underwent a new active episode on 2020 April 27-28, when a forest of hundreds of X-ray bursts and a large enhancement of the persistent flux were detected. For the first time, a radio burst with properties similar to those of fast radio bursts and with a X-ray counterpart was observed from this source, showing that magnetars can power at least a group of fast radio bursts. In this paper, we report on the X-ray spectral and timing properties of SGR J1935+2154 based on a long-term monitoring campaign with Chandra, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, Swift and NICER covering a time span of ~7 months since the outburst onset. The broadband spectrum exhibited a non-thermal power-law component (photon index~1.2) extending up to ~20-25 keV throughout the campaign and a blackbody component with temperature decreasing from ~1.5 keV at the outburst peak to ~0.45 keV in the following months. We found that the luminosity decay is well described by the sum of two exponential functions, reflecting the fast decay (~1 d) at the early stage of the outburst followed by a slower decrease (~30 d). The source reached quiescence about ~80 days after the outburst onset, releasing an energy of ~6e40 erg during the outburst. We detected X-ray pulsations in the XMM-Newton data sets and derived an average spin-down rate of ~3.5e-11 s/s using the spin period measurements derived in this work and three values reported previously during the same active period. Moreover, we report on simultaneous radio observations performed with the Sardinia Radio Telescope. No evidence for periodic or single-pulse radio emission was found.

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arXiv2019

The long-term enhanced brightness of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408

We present the evolution of the X-ray emission properties of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 since February 2004 over a time period covering three outbursts. We analyzed new and archival observations taken with the Swift, NuSTAR, Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray satellites. The source has been observed at a relatively steady soft X-ray flux of $\approx$ 10$^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (0.3-10 keV) over the last 9 years, which is about an order of magnitude fainter than the flux at the peak of the last outburst in 2009, but a factor of $\sim$ 30 larger than the level in 2006. The broad-band spectrum extracted from two recent NuSTAR observations in April 2016 and February 2019 showed a faint hard X-ray emission up to $\sim$ 70 keV. Its spectrum is adequately described by a flat power law component, and its flux is $\sim$ $7 \times 10^{-12}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (10-70 keV), that is a factor of $\sim$ 20 smaller than at the peak of the 2009 outburst. The hard X-ray spectral shape has flattened significantly in time, which is at variance with the overall cooling trend of the soft X-ray component. The pulse profile extracted from these NuSTAR pointings displays variability in shape and amplitude with energy (up to $\approx$ 25 keV). Our analysis shows that the flux of 1E 1547.0-5408 is not yet decaying to the 2006 level and that the source has been lingering in a stable, high-intensity state for several years. This might suggest that magnetars can hop among distinct persistent states that are probably connected to outburst episodes and that their persistent thermal emission can be almost entirely powered by the dissipation of currents in the corona.

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arXiv2019

Spectral characterization of the non-thermal X-ray emission of gamma-ray pulsars

We report on a detailed spectral characterization of the non-thermal X-ray emission for a large sample of gamma-ray pulsars in the second Fermi-LAT catalogue. We outline the criteria adopted for the selection of our sample, its completeness, and critically describe different approaches to estimate the spectral shape and flux of pulsars. We perform a systematic modelling of the pulsars' X-ray spectra using archival observations with XMM-Newton, Chandra, and NuSTAR and extract the corresponding non-thermal X-ray spectral distributions. This set of data is made available online and is useful to confront with predictions of theoretical models.

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arXiv2019

Chandra Spectral and Timing Analysis of Sgr A*'s Brightest X-ray Flares

We analyze the two brightest Chandra X-ray flares detected from Sagittarius A*, with peak luminosities more than 600 x and 245 x greater than the quiescent X-ray emission. The brightest flare has a distinctive double-peaked morphology --- it lasts 5.7 ksec ($\sim 2$ hours), with a rapid rise time of 1500 sec and a decay time of 2500 sec. The second flare lasts 3.4 ksec, with rise and decay times of 1700 sec and 1400 sec. These luminous flares are significantly harder than quiescence: the first has a power law spectral index $Γ= 2.06\pm 0.14$ and the second has $Γ= 2.03\pm 0.27$, compared to $Γ= 3.0\pm0.2$ for the quiescent accretion flow. These spectral indices (as well as the flare hardness ratios) are consistent with previously-detected Sgr A* flares, suggesting that bright and faint flares arise from similar physical processes. Leveraging the brightest flare's long duration and high signal-to-noise, we search for intraflare variability and detect excess X-ray power at a frequency of $ν\approx 3$ mHz, but show that it is an instrumental artifact and not of astrophysical origin. We find no other evidence (at the 95% confidence level) for periodic or quasi-periodic variability in either flares' time series. We also search for non-periodic excess power but do not find compelling evidence in the power spectrum. Bright flares like these remain our most promising avenue for identifying Sgr A*'s short timescale variability in the X-ray, which may probe the characteristic size scale for the X-ray emission region.

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arXiv2019

Synchro-curvature modelling of the multi-frequency non-thermal emission of pulsars

We apply a synchro-curvature spectral emission model based on characterizing the dynamics of magnetospheric particles to fit the phase-average spectra of the most extended database for the non-thermal spectra of pulsars. We consider 36 pulsars with well-determined non-thermal spectra from X-rays to gamma-rays. The sample includes Crab and Crab twin, for which the spectra extends even to the optical/ultraviolet and infrared energies. We find that the model --with just three physical parameters and a global scaling-- can fit the observations well across eight orders of magnitude for 18 of the 36 pulsars studied. Additionally, we find a set of 8 pulsars for which the model still provides arguably good fits and another set of 10 pulsars for which the model fails in reproducing the spectra. We discuss why, propose and provide physical interpretations for a simple model extension (related to the geometry of the accelerating system with regards to the observer) that allows dealing with all such cases, ultimately providing very good fits for all pulsars. The extended model is still austere, adding only two additional parameters to the former set, of the same kind of the ones previously used. We use these fits to discuss issues going from the observed spectral origin, to the extent of the dominance of synchrotron or curvature regimes, the use of a model as predictor for searching new non-thermal pulsars starting from gamma-ray surveys, and how the model offers a setting where phase shifts between X-ray and gamma-ray light curves would naturally arise.

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arXiv2019

Towards observing reverberating and superefficient pulsar wind nebulae

In a recent work, we numerically studied the radiative properties of the reverberation phase of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), i.e., when the reverse shock created by the supernova explosion travels back towards the pulsar, compressing the wind bubble. We focused on several well-characterized PWNe and used them as examples for introducing the concept of superefficiency. The latter is a period of the PWN evolution, happening within reverberation, where the luminosity in a given band exceeds the spin-down power at the time. Here, we explore a broad range of PWN models to study their reverberation and superefficiency phases in a systematic way. Armed with these models we consider two aspects: On the one hand, we analyze via Monte Carlo simulations how many Galactic PWNe are expected to be reverberating or in a superefficiency stage at any given time, providing the first such estimations. On the other hand, we focus on searching for observational signatures of such periods. We analyze archival observations and check for the existence of possible candidates for superefficient PWNe. We also provide predictions for the future evolution of the magnetar nebula J1834.9-0846 (which we consider to be starting its reverberation period) along the next 50 years. Using our simulations as input we study how sensitive current and future X-ray satellites (like eXTP or Athena) will be to observe such evolution, concluding that they will be able to track it in detail.

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arXiv2019

Prolonged sub-luminous state of the new transitional pulsar candidate CXOU J110926.4-650224

We report on a multi-wavelength study of the unclassified X-ray source CXOU J110926.4-650224 (J1109). We identified the optical counterpart as a blue star with a magnitude of $\sim$20.1 (3300-10500 $\require{mediawiki-texvc} Å$). The optical emission was variable on timescales from hundreds to thousands of seconds. The spectrum showed prominent emission lines with variable profiles at different epochs. Simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations revealed a bimodal distribution of the X-ray count rates on timescales as short as tens of seconds, as well as sporadic flaring activity. The average broad-band (0.3-79 keV) spectrum was adequately described by an absorbed power law model with photon index of $Γ$=1.63$\pm$0.01 (at 1$σ$ c.l.), and the X-ray luminosity was (2.16$\pm$0.04)$\times$10$^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$ for a distance of 4 kpc. Based on observations with different instruments, the X-ray luminosity has remained relatively steady over the past $\sim$15 years. J1109 is spatially associated with the gamma-ray source FL8Y J1109.8-6500, which was detected with Fermi at an average luminosity of (1.5$\pm$0.2)$\times$10$^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (assuming the distance of J1109) over the 0.1-300 GeV energy band between 2008 and 2016. The source was undetected during ATCA radio observations that were simultaneous with NuSTAR, down to a 3$σ$ flux upper limit of 18 $μ$Jy/beam (at 7.25 GHz). We show that the phenomenological properties of J1109 point to a binary transitional pulsar candidate currently in a sub-luminous accretion disk state, and that the upper limits derived for the radio emission are consistent with the expected radio luminosity for accreting neutron stars at similar X-ray luminosities.

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arXiv2018

Physics and astrophysics of strong magnetic field systems with eXTP

In this paper we present the science potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies of strongly magnetized objects. We will focus on the physics and astrophysics of strongly magnetized objects, namely magnetars, accreting X-ray pulsars, and rotation powered pulsars. We also discuss the science potential of eXTP for QED studies. Developed by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.

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arXiv2018

Theoretically motivated search and detection of non-thermal pulsations from PSRs J1747-2958, J2021+3651, and J1826-1256

Based on a theoretical selection of pulsars as candidates for detection at X-ray energies, we present an analysis of archival X-ray observations done with Chandra and XMM-Newton of PSR J1747-2958 (the pulsar in the "Mouse" nebula), PSR J2021+3651 (the pulsar in the "Dragonfly" nebula), and PSR J1826-1256. X-ray pulsations from PSR J1747-2958 and PSR J1826-1256 are detected for the first time, and a previously reported hint of an X-ray pulsation from PSR J2021+3651 is confirmed with a higher significance. We analyze these pulsars' spectra in regards to the theoretically predicted energy distribution, finding a remarkable agreement, and provide here a refined calculation of the model parameters taking into account the newly derived X-ray spectral data.

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arXiv2017

Systematic study of magnetar outbursts

We present the results of the systematic study of all magnetar outbursts observed to date, through a reanalysis of data acquired in about 1100 X-ray observations. We track the temporal evolution of the outbursts soft X-ray spectral properties and the luminosities of the single spectral components as well as of the total emission. We model empirically all outburst light curves, and estimate the characteristic decay time-scales as well as the energetics involved. We investigate the link between different parameters (e.g. the luminosity at the peak of the outburst and in quiescence, the maximum luminosity increase, the decay time-scale and energy of the outburst, the neutron star surface dipolar magnetic field and characteristic age, etc.), and unveil several correlations among these quantities. We discuss our results in the context of the internal crustal heating and twisted bundle models for magnetar outbursts. This study is complemented by the Magnetar Outburst Online Catalogue (http://magnetars.ice.csic.es), an interactive data base where the user can plot any combination of the parameters derived in this work, and download all data.

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arXiv2016

Magnetar-like activity from the central compact object in the SNR RCW103

The 6.67 hr periodicity and the variable X-ray flux of the central compact object (CCO) at the center of the SNR RCW 103, named 1E 161348-5055, have been always difficult to interpret within the standard scenarios of an isolated neutron star or a binary system. On 2016 June 22, the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) onboard Swift detected a magnetar-like short X-ray burst from the direction of 1E 161348-5055, also coincident with a large long-term X-ray outburst. Here we report on Chandra, NuSTAR, and Swift (BAT and XRT) observations of this peculiar source during its 2016 outburst peak. In particular, we study the properties of this magnetar-like burst, we discover a hard X-ray tail in the CCO spectrum during outburst, and we study its long-term outburst history (from 1999 to July 2016). We find the emission properties of 1E 161348-5055 consistent with it being a magnetar. However in this scenario, the 6.67 hr periodicity can only be interpreted as the rotation period of this strongly magnetized neutron star, which therefore represents the slowest pulsar ever detected, by orders of magnitude. We briefly discuss the viable slow-down scenarios, favoring a picture involving a period of fall-back accretion after the supernova explosion, similarly to what is invoked (although in a different regime) to explain the "anti-magnetar" scenario for other CCOs.

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arXiv2015

Multiwavelength study of RX J2015.6+3711: a magnetic cataclysmic variable with a 2-hr spin period

The X-ray source RX J2015.6+3711 was discovered by ROSAT in 1996 and recently proposed to be a cataclysmic variable (CV). Here we report on an XMM-Newton observation of RX J2015.6+3711 performed in 2014, where we detected a coherent X-ray modulation at a period of 7196+/-11 s, and discovered other significant (>6sigma) small-amplitude periodicities which we interpret as the CV spin period and the sidebands of a possible ~12 hr periodicity, respectively. The 0.3-10 keV spectrum can be described by a power law (Gamma = 1.15+/-0.04) with a complex absorption pattern, a broad emission feature at 6.60+/-0.01 keV, and an unabsorbed flux of (3.16+/-0.05)x10^{-12} erg/s/cm^2. We observed a significant spectral variability along the spin phase, which can be ascribed mainly to changes in the density of a partial absorber and the power law normalization. Archival X-ray observations carried out by the Chandra satellite, and two simultaneous X-ray and UV/optical pointings with Swift, revealed a gradual fading of the source in the soft X-rays over the last 13 years, and a rather stable X-ray-to-optical flux ratio (F_X/F_V ~1.4-1.7). Based on all these properties, we identify this source with a magnetic CV, most probably of the intermediate polar type. The 2 hr spin period makes RX J2015.6+3711 the second slowest rotator of the class, after RX J0524+4244 ("Paloma", P_spin~2.3 hr). Although we cannot unambiguously establish the true orbital period with these observations, RX J2015.6+3711 appears to be a key system in the evolution of magnetic CVs.

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arXiv2015

Discovery of a strongly phase-variable spectral feature in the isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125

We present the discovery of a strongly phase-variable absorption feature in the X-ray spectrum of the nearby, thermally-emitting, isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125. The absorption line was detected performing detailed phase-resolved spectroscopy in 20 XMM-Newton observations, covering the period May 2000 - September 2012. The feature has an energy of ~750eV, an equivalent width of ~30eV, and it is significantly detected for only ~20% of the pulsar rotation. The absorption feature appears to be stable over the timespan covered by the observations. Given its strong dependence on the pulsar rotational phase and its narrow width, a plausible interpretation is in terms of resonant proton cyclotron absorption/scattering in a confined magnetic structure very close to the neutron star surface. The inferred field in such a magnetic loop is B_loop ~ 2 x 10^{14} G, a factor of ~7 higher than the surface dipolar magnetic field.

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