arXiv subjects

J. J. M. in 't Zand

Publications and source records attributed to J. J. M. in 't Zand.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2000

GRB990510: on the possibility of a beamed X-ray afterglow

We discuss the prompt emission of the gamma-ray burst (GRB) 990510 and its subsequent X-ray afterglow from 8.0 to 44.3 hrs after the prompt emission, using observations with the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and Narrow Field Instruments on BeppoSAX. In the 40-700 keV band, GRB990510 had a fluence of \~1.9x10^{-5}erg cm^{-2}, whereas it reached a peak flux of ~2.4x10^{-6}erg cm^{-2} s^{-1}. The X-ray afterglow decay light curve can be satisfactorily described by a single power law with index of -1.42+/-0.07. Both the X-ray and optical behaviour of the afterglow can be explained by gamma-ray burst debris expanding as a jet; we find that the cooling frequency is (fixed) between the optical and X-ray wavelength bands.

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arXiv2000

Observations of Eddington-limited type-I X-ray bursts from 4U 1812-12

During more than 3 years (August 1996-October 1999) monitoring of a 40x40 degree sky region around the Galactic Centre by the Wide Field Cameras on board BeppoSAX, a total of 8 type-I bursts have been detected from a sky position consistent with that of 4U 1812-12, a likely neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary. We present the results of a detailed study of the bursts of 4U 1812-12, about 15 years after the last reported observations of X-ray bursts from this source (Murakami et al. 1983). Clear evidence for photospheric radius expansion due to Eddington-limited burst luminosity is present in most of the observed events, allowing an accurate estimate of the source distance (~4 kpc) and its burst parameters.

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arXiv2000

Prompt and afterglow emission from the X-ray rich GRB981226 observed with BeppoSAX

We discuss observations of the prompt X and gamma-ray emission and X-ray afterglow from GRB981226. This event has the weakest gamma-ray peak flux detected with the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor. It shows an isolated X-ray precursor and the highest X-ray to gamma-ray fluence ratio measured thus far with the Wide Field Cameras. The event was followed up with the Narrow Field Instruments, and the X-ray afterglow was detected up to 10 keV. The afterglow flux is observed to rise from a level below the sensitivity of the MECS/LECS telescopes up to a peak flux of (5 +/-1) * 10^(-13) erg cm-2 s-1, in the 2-10 keV energy band. This rise is followed by a decline according to a power law with index of 1.31 (+0.44,-0.39). We discuss these results in the light of the current GRB models.

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arXiv2000

The orbital period of the recurrent X-ray transient in Terzan 6

Four or five new outbursts were detected of the bright X-ray transient GRS 1747-312 in the globular cluster Terzan 6 between 1996 and 1999, through monitoring campaigns with the Wide Field Cameras (WFCs) on BeppoSAX and the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on RossiXTE. This is the first time that the source is seen to exhibit recurrent outbursts after the discovery in September 1990 with ART-P on Granat. Three target-of-opportunity observations in 1998 and 1999, with the narrow-field instruments on BeppoSAX and the PCA, revealed one sharp drop in the flux which we identify as an eclipse of the compact X-ray source by the companion star. A detailed analysis of WFC data identifies further eclipses and we measure the orbital period at 12.360+/-0.009 hr. This is consistent with an identification as a low-mass X-ray binary, as suggested already by the association with a globular cluster. The eclipse duration is 0.72+/-0.06 hr. This implies that the inclination angle is larger than 74 deg. The 0.1-200 keV unabsorbed peak luminosity is 7X10^36 erg/s. The nature of the compact object is unclear.

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arXiv2000

SAX J1810.8-2609: A New Hard X-ray Bursting Transient

The transient X-ray source SAX J1810.8-2609 was discovered on 1998, March 10 with the Wide Field Cameras on board the BeppoSAX satellite, while observing the Galactic Bulge in the 2-28 keV energy range. On March 11, a strong type-I X-ray burst was detected with evidence of photospheric radius expansion. A follow-up target of opportunity observation with the Narrow-Field Instruments (NFI) was performed on March 11 and 12, for a total elapsed time of 8.51 x 10^{4} s. The wide band spectral data (0.1-200 keV) obtained with the NFI show a remarkable hard X-ray spectrum detected up to ~200 keV, which can be described by a power law with photon spectral index Gamma=1.96\pm0.04, plus a soft component which is compatible with blackbody radiation of temperature kT~0.5 keV. The detection of the type-I X-ray burst is a strong indication that the compact object is a neutron star in a low mass X-ray binary system. Assuming standard burst parameters and attributing the photospheric radius expansion to near Eddington luminosity, we estimate a distance of ~5 kpc. The inferred 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity is ~ 9 x 10^{35} erg/s at the time of the discovery.

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arXiv2000

BeppoSAX observations of the nearby low-mass X-ray binary and fast transient SAX J1819.3-2525

SAX J1819.3-2525 is a nearby X-ray transient which exhibited a fast and large X-ray outburst on Sep. 15, 1999 (Smith et al. 1999). The Wide Field Cameras and the Narrow Field Instruments (NFI) on board BeppoSAX observed SAX J1819.3-2525 at various stages of its activity before that, in the spring and fall of 1999. The fluxes range between 0.012 and 0.3 Crab units (2-10 keV). The NFI observation is unique because it is the longest semi-continuous observation of SAX J1819.3-2525 so far, and it offers a study of the spectrum at a relatively high resolution of 8% full width at half maximum at 6 keV. We discuss the observations with emphasis on the X-ray spectrum. A strong Fe-K emission line was detected in SAX J1819.3-2525 with an equivalent width between 0.3 and 1 keV. The line energy is up to 6.85 +/- 0.02 keV and suggests the presence of highly ionized iron. We identify this as fluorescent emission from a photo-ionized plasma. The continuum spectrum is typical for a low-mass X-ray binary in which emission from an accretion disk corona plays an important role. There is no sign of an eclipse or periodic signal due to the binary orbit in this exposure, despite the fact that the twin jets seen at radio wavelengths suggest a high inclination angle.

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arXiv1999

BeppoSAX Observations of GRB980425: Detection of the Prompt Event and Monitoring of the Error Box

We present BeppoSAX follow-up observations of GRB980425 obtained with the Narrow Field Instruments (NFI) in April, May, and November 1998. The first NFI observation has detected within the 8' radius error box of the GRB an X-ray source positionally consistent with the supernova 1998bw, which exploded within a day of GRB980425, and a fainter X-ray source, not consistent with the position of the supernova. The former source is detected in the following NFI pointings and exhibits a decline of a factor of two in six months. If it is associated with SN 1998bw, this is the first detection of X-ray emission from a Type I supernova above 2 keV. The latter source exhibits only marginally significant variability. The X-ray spectra and variability of the supernova are compared with thermal and non-thermal models of supernova high energy emission. Based on the BeppoSAX data, it is not possible to firmly establish which of the two detected sources is the GRB X-ray counterpart, although probability considerations favor the supernova.

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arXiv1999

A new bursting X-ray transient: SAX J1750.8-2900

We have analysed in detail the discovery measurements of the X-ray burster SAX J1750.8-2900 by the Wide Field Cameras on board BeppoSAX in spring 1997, at a position ~1.2 degrees off the Galactic Centre. The source was in outburst on March 13th when the first observation started and showed X-ray emission for ~ 2 weeks. A total of 9 bursts were detected, with peak intensities varying from ~ 0.4 to 1.0 Crab in the 2-10 keV range. Most bursts showed a fast rise time (~ 1s), an exponential decay profile with e-folding time of ~ 5s, spectral softening during decay, and a spectrum which is consistent with few keV blackbody radiation. These features identify them as type-I X-ray bursts of thermonuclear origin. The presence of type-I bursts and the source position close to the Galactic Centre favours the classification of this object as a neutron star low mass X-ray binary. X-ray emission from SAX J1750.8-2900 was not detected in the previous and subsequent Galactic bulge monitoring, and the source was never seen bursting again.

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arXiv1999

Broad-band X-ray measurements of GS 1826-238

The broad band X-ray spectrum of the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) GS1826-238 was measured with the narrow-field instruments on BeppoSAX on April 6 and 7, 1997. The spectrum is consistent with the Comptonization of a 0.6 keV thermal spectrum by a hot cloud of temperature equivalent kT=20 keV. During the observation two type I X-ray bursts were detected. From the bursts an upper limit to the distance could be derived of 8 kpc. Combined with an elsewhere determined lower limit of 4 kpc this implies a persistent X-ray luminosity between 3.5 X 10^36 and 1.4 X 10^37 erg/s which is fairly typical for a LMXB X-ray burster. The accurate determination of the energetics of the two bursts and the persistent emission confirm results with the Wide Field Cameras on BeppoSAX in a narrower bandpass (Ubertini et al. 1999). Comparison with independent X-ray measurements taken at other times indicates that GS 1826-238 since its turn-on in 1988 is a rather stable accretor, which is in line with the strong regularity of type I X-ray bursts.

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arXiv1999

BeppoSAX Detection and Follow-up of GRB980425

We present BeppoSAX GRBM and WFC light curves of GRB980425 and NFI follow-up data taken in 1998 April, May, and November. The first NFI observation has detected within the 8' radius error box of the GRB an X-ray source positionally consistent with the supernova SN 1998bw, exploded within a day of GRB980425, and a fainter X-ray source, not consistent with the position of the supernova. The former source is detected in the following NFI pointings and exhibits a decline of a factor of two in six months. If it is associated with SN 1998bw, this is the first detection of hard X-ray emission from a Type I supernova. The latter source exhibits only marginally significant variability. Based on these data, it is not possible to select either source as a firm candidate for the GRB counterpart.

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arXiv1999

Integrating the BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor into the 3rd Interplanetary Network

We have added the BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor to the 3rd Interplanetary Network of burst detectors. We analyze 16 bursts whose positions are known to good accuracy from measurements at other wavelengths. We show that there is excellent agreement between the Ulysses/BeppoSAX triangulation annuli and the known positions of these events, and that these annuli can in many cases provide useful constraints on the positions of bursts detected by the BeppoSAX Wide Field Camera and Narrow Field Instruments.

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arXiv1999

Discovery of type-I X-ray bursts from GRS 1741.9-2853

For the first time X-ray bursts have been detected from a sky position consistent with the one of GRS 1741.9-2853, a GRANAT transient source located only ~10' from the Galactic Centre. A total of 3 bursts have been observed by the Wide Field Cameras telescopes on board BeppoSAX during a monitoring observation of the Sgr A region in August-September 1996. The characteristics of the events are consistent with type-I bursts, thus identifying the source as a likely low-mass X-ray binary containing a neutron star. Evidence of photospheric radius expansion due to super-Eddington luminosity is present in one of the observed bursts, thus leading to an estimate og the source distance (~8 kpc).

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arXiv1999

The X-ray, Optical and Infrared Counterpart to GRB 980703

We report on X-ray, optical and infrared follow-up observations of GRB 980703. We detect a previously unknown X-ray source in the GRB error box; assuming a power law decline we find for its decay index alpha < -0.91 (3-sigma). We invoke host galaxy extinction to match the observed spectral slope with the slope expected from `fireball' models. We find no evidence for a spectral break in the infrared to X-ray spectral range on 1998 July 4.4, and determine a lower limit of the cooling break frequency: nu_c > 1.3 x 10^{17} Hz. For this epoch we obtain an extinction of A_V = 1.50 +/- 0.11. From the X-ray data we estimate the optical extinction to be A_V = 20.2 +12.3 -7.3, inconsistent with the former value. Our optical spectra confirm the redshift of z = 0.966 found by Djorgovski et al. (1998). We compare the afterglow of GRB 980703 with that of GRB 970508 and find that the fraction of the energy in the magnetic field, epsilon_B < 6x10^{-5}, is much lower in the case of GRB 980703, which is a consequence of the high frequency of the cooling break.

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arXiv1999

A new X-ray outburst in the globular cluster NGC 6440: SAX J1748.9-2021

For the second time in 27 years a bright transient X-ray source has been detected coincident with the globular cluster NGC 6440. It was found to be active in August, 1998, with the Wide Field Camera and the narrow field instruments on the BeppoSAX spacecraft, and with the All-Sky Monitor and the Proportional Counter Array on the RossiXTE spacecraft. Four X-ray bursts were detected, at least one of which shows the characteristics of a thermonuclear flash on a neutron star, in analogy with some ~20 optically identified low-mass X-ray binaries. The broad-band spectrum is hard as is common among low-mass X-ray binaries of lower luminosity (>~10^37 erg/s) and can be explained by a Comptonized model. During the burst the >30 keV emission brightened, consistent with part of the burst emission being Compton up scattered within ~10^11 cm.

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arXiv1999

Bursts from GS 1826-238: a clocked thermonuclear flashes generator

The transient X-ray source GS 1826-238 was monitored during five different observing periods between August 1996 and October 1998 with the BeppoSAX Wide Field Camera instrument in the framework of a deep observation of the Galactic Center region. A first detection of X-ray bursts from this source occurred, ruling out its previously suggested black hole candidacy and strongly suggesting the compact object to be a weakly magnetized neutron star. During the 2.5 years of monitoring, corresponding to ~2.0 Ms observing time, 70 bursts were detected from the source. We here report a quasi-periodicity of 5.76 h in the burst occurrence time which is present during all observations. This is the first example of quasi-periodic bursting over a period of years. It is in line with the history of a rather constant flux since the turn on in 1988 and points to a very stable accretion.

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arXiv1999

SAX J1810.8-2609: an X-ray bursting transient

We report on the BeppoSAX/WFC observation of a strong type-I X-ray burst from the recently discovered transient source SAX J1810.8-2609. The observed event showed evidence of photospheric radius expansion due to super-Eddington burst luminosity. Burst detection identifies the source as a probable low-mass X-ray binary harbouring a neutron star.

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arXiv1999

Long term BeppoSAX-WFC monitoring of GRS 1758-258

Following a series of deep observations of the Galactic Bulge region performed with the Wide Field Cameras on board BeppoSAX, it has been possible to study throughout a long time period a number of persistent X-ray sources. We report on the behaviour of GRS 1758-258, an X-ray binary suggested as a black hole candidate on the basis of its timing and spectral characteristics. The source has been monitored for almost 2 years since August 1996; preliminary results of the data analysis are shown hereafter.

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arXiv1998

X-ray bursts from 1RXS J170930.2-263927 = XTE J1709-267

We report evidence of type-I X-ray bursting activity from the transient 1RXS J170930.2-263927 when it was in outburst early 1997. This identifies the source as a probable low-mass X-ray binary containing a neutron star. The error boxes of the detected bursts and of the persistent emission, as obtained with the Wide Field Cameras on board the BeppoSAX satellite, rule out an association with the proposed radio counterpart (Hjellming & Rupen 1997).

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