arXiv subjects

J. P. Halpern

Publications and source records attributed to J. P. Halpern.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

XMM-Newton Observation and Optical Monitoring of the Candidate Redback Millisecond Pulsar 1FGL J0523.5$-$2529

1FGL J0523.5$-$2529 is a Fermi selected redback millisecond pulsar candidate that exhibited luminous optical and X-ray flares in 2020-2021. We obtained a simultaneous X-ray and $U$-band observation with XMM-Newton in 2025, the first to cover the 16.5 hr orbit of 1FGL J0523.5$-$2529. The X-ray luminosity was in an intermediate state with a power-law photon spectral index of $\Gamma=1.53\pm0.02$. Apparent fluctuations were superposed on a broad, single-peaked modulation, the latter characteristic of intrabinary shock models in which the shock front is wrapped around the pulsar. The $U$-band light curve was dominated by ellipsoidal modulation of the nearly Roche lobe filling companion star, similar to that seen in ground-based optical photometry. We also used this effect in 10 years of ATLAS monitoring to improve the precision of the orbital period to 0.6881366(19) days. Considering that searches for radio pulsations from 1FGL J0523.5$-$2529 at all orbital phases have been unsuccessful, it may be that the shocked wind usually surrounds the pulsar.

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arXiv2025

Noisy Timing Behavior is a Feature of Central Compact Object Pulsars

We present a timing study of the three known central compact object (CCO) pulsars, isolated cooling neutron stars in supernova remnants, using Chandra, XMM-Newton and NICER observations spanning two decades. Relative to canonical young pulsars, CCOs are spinning down at a very slow rate $|\dot f| <10^{-15}$ s$^{-2}$, implying a surface dipole magnetic field strength $B_s < 10^{11}$ G that is too weak to account for their X-ray-emitting hot spots. Two CCO pulsars with sufficiently long monitoring, 1E 1207.4$-$5209 and PSR J0821$-$4300, are seen to deviate from steady spin-down; their timing residuals can be modeled by one or more glitches in $f$ and $\dot f$, or alternatively by extreme timing noise. For the third CCO pulsar, PSR J1852+0400, the sparse temporal coverage was insufficient to detect such effects. Glitch activity and timing noise in large samples of rotation-powered pulsars correlate best with $\dot f$, while the timing irregularities of the first two CCOs are extreme compared to pulsars of the same $\dot f$. Nevertheless, timing activity in CCOs may arise from properties that they share with other young but more energetic pulsars: high internal temperature, strong buried magnetic field and superfluid behavior. Alternatively, continuing low-level accretion of supernova debris is not ruled out as a source of timing noise in CCOs.

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arXiv2024

Resolving the Periods of the Asynchronous Polar 1RXS J083842.1$-$282723

1RXS J083842.1$-$282723 is a nearly synchronous magnetic cataclysmic variable with a simple X-ray light curve. While its orbital period was fairly well established at $P_{\rm orb}=98.4$ minutes from optical spectroscopy, indirect estimates of $P_{\rm spin}/P_{\rm orb}$ ranged from 0.90 to 0.96 because the short X-ray light curves could not determine the beat period to a factor of 2. We analyze a recent 50 day TESS observation, and ground-based optical time-series photometry spanning 9 years, that together measure precise beat, orbit, and spin periods and enable the X-ray and optical modulations to be phase aligned. Although the X-ray light curves do not distinguish between a beat period of 16.11 or 32.22 hours, all of the optical evidence favors the longer value, with complete pole switching of accretion every half beat cycle. This would require $P_{\rm spin}/P_{\rm orb}=0.952$. Long-term optical monitoring also shows a decline in accretion rate, and a change in the beat-folded light curve. It would be useful to obtain a new X-ray/optical observation of at least 32 hours duration to examine any associated change in accretion structure, and confirm the spin and beat periods.

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arXiv2023

A Surprising Periodicity Detected During a Super-outburst of V844 Herculis by TESS

We identify a previously undetected periodicity at a frequency of 49.08$\pm$0.01 d$^{-1}$ (period of 29.34$\pm$0.01 minutes) during a super-outburst of V844 Her observed by TESS. V844 Her is an SU UMa type cataclysmic variable with an orbital period of 78.69 minutes, near the period minimum. The frequency of this new signal is constant in contrast to the superhump oscillations commonly seen in SU UMa outbursts. We searched without success for oscillations during quiescence using MDM, TESS, and XMM-Newton data. The lack of a periodic signal in the XMM light curve and the relatively low X-ray luminosity of V844 Her suggests that it is not a typical IP. We consider the possibility that the 29 min signal is the result of super-Nyquist sampling of a Dwarf Nova Oscillation with a period near the 2-minute cadence of the TESS data. Our analysis of archival AAVSO photometry from a 2006 super-outburst supports the existence of a 29 min oscillation, although a published study of an earlier superoutburst did not detect the signal. We compare the X-ray properties of V844 Her with short orbital period intermediate polars (IP), V1025 Cen and DW Cnc. We conclude that the new signal is a real photometric oscillation coming from the V844 Her system and that it is unlikely to be an aliased high-frequency oscillation. The steady frequency of the new signal suggests that its origin is related to an asynchronously rotating white dwarf in V844 Her, although the precise mechanism producing the flux variations remains unclear.

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arXiv2023

Do Central Compact Objects have Carbon Atmospheres?

Only three of the dozen central compact objects (CCOs) in supernova remnants (SNRs) show thermal X-ray pulsations due to non-uniform surface temperature (hot-spots). The absence of X-ray pulsations from several unpulsed CCOs has motivated suggestions that they have uniform-temperature carbon atmospheres (UTCAs), which adequately fit their spectra with appropriate neutron star (NS) surface areas. This is in contrast to the two-temperature blackbody or hydrogen atmospheres that also fit well. Here we investigate the applicability of UTCAs to CCOs. We show the following: (i) The phase-averaged spectra of the three pulsed CCOs can also be fitted with a UTCA of the appropriate NS area, despite pulsed CCOs manifestly having non-uniform surface temperature. A good spectral fit is therefore not strong support for the UTCA model of unpulsed CCOs. (ii) An improved spectrum of one unpulsed CCO, previously analyzed with a UTCA, does not allow an acceptable fit. (iii) For two unpulsed CCOs, the UTCA does not allow a distance compatible with the SNR distance. These results imply that, in general, CCOs must have hot, localized regions on the NS surface. We derive new X-ray pulse modulation upper limits on the unpulsed CCOs, and constrain their hot spot sizes and locations. We develop an alternative model that accounts for both the pulsed and unpulsed CCOs: a range of angles between hot spot and rotation axes consistent with an exponential distribution with scale factor $λ\sim 20^{\circ}$. We discuss physical mechanisms that could produce such small angles and small hot-spots.

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arXiv2022

Optical Light Curve of 4FGL J0935.3+0901: A Flaring Black Widow Candidate

I obtained time-series photometry of the compact binary candidate for the Fermi source 4FGL J0935.3+0901. Superposed on the 2.44 hr orbital modulation are day-to-day variations and frequent flaring as seen in several redback and black widow millisecond pulsars (MSPs). The short orbital period favors a black widow. While the modulation of $\leq 1$ mag is smaller than that of most black widows, it could indicate a low orbital inclination. Although a published optical spectrum shows strong emission lines, the light curve evinces pulsar heating of the companion star rather than accretion-disk emission of a transitional MSP. Emission lines and flaring occur in the same objects, probably powered by shocks between the relativistic pulsar wind and a wind driven off the companion star. I also recovered the period in photometry from the Zwicky Transient Facility. A phase-connected ephemeris derived from MDM Observatory and ZTF data spanning 4 years yields a period of 0.10153276(36) days and an epoch for the ascending node of the putative pulsar.

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arXiv2022

Swift J0503.7-2819: A Short-Period Asynchronous Polar or Stream-Fed Intermediate Polar

We analyze a 7.4 hr XMM-Newton light curve of the cataclysmic variable Swift J0503.7-2819, previously classified using optical periods as an intermediate polar (IP) with an orbital period of 0.0567 days. A photometric signal at 975 s, previously suggested to be the spin period, is not present in X-rays and is readily understood as a quasi-periodic oscillation. The X-ray light curve instead shows clear behavior of a highly asynchronous polar (AP) or stream-fed IP. It can be described by either of two scenarios: one which switches between one-pole and two-pole accretion, and another in which accretion alternates fully between two poles. The spin periods in these two models are 0.0455 days and 0.0505 days, respectively. The spin frequency $ω$ is thus either 24% faster or 12% faster than the orbital frequency $Ω$, and the corresponding beat period between spin and orbit is 0.231 days or 0.462 days. Brief absorption events seen in light curve are spaced in a way that may favor the longer spin and beat periods. These periods are confirmed and refined using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). The short beat cycle of Swift J0503.7-2819 makes it well-suited to resolving this common dilemma, which amounts to deciding whether the main signal in the power spectrum is $ω$ or $2ω-Ω$.

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arXiv2022

Measuring the mass of the black widow PSR J1555-2908

Accurate measurements of the masses of neutron stars are necessary to test binary evolution models, and to constrain the neutron star equation of state. In pulsar binaries with no measurable post-Keplerian parameters, this requires an accurate estimate of the binary system's inclination and the radial velocity of the companion star by other means than pulsar timing. In this paper, we present the results of a new method for measuring this radial velocity using the binary synthesis code Icarus. This method relies on constructing a model spectrum of a tidally distorted, irradiated star as viewed for a given binary configuration. This method is applied to optical spectra of the newly discovered black widow PSR J1555-2908. By modelling the optical spectroscopy alongside optical photometry, we find that the radial velocity of the companion star is $397\pm4$ km s$^{-1}$ (errors quoted at 95\% confidence interval), as well as a binary inclination of $>75^{\rm o}$. Combined with $γ$-ray pulsation timing information, this gives a neutron star mass of 1.67$^{+0.15}_{-0.09}$ M$_\odot$ and a companion mass of 0.060$^{+0.005}_{-0.003}$ M$_\odot$, placing PSR J1555-2908 at the observed upper limit of what is considered a black widow system.

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arXiv2021

Measuring the Non-Axially-Symmetric Surface Temperature Distribution of the Central Compact Object in Puppis A

The surface temperature distributions of central compact objects (CCOs) are powerful probes of their crustal magnetic field strengths and geometries. Here we model the surface temperature distribution of RX J0822$-$4300, the CCO in the Puppis A supernova remnant (SNR), using $471$ ks of XMM-Newton data. We compute the energy-dependent pulse profiles in sixteen energy bands, fully including the general relativistic effects of gravitational redshift and light bending, to accurately model the two heated surface regions of different temperatures and areas, in addition to constraining the viewing geometry. This results in precise measurements of the two temperatures: $kT_{\rm warm} = (1+z) \times 0.222_{-0.019}^{+0.018}$ keV and $kT_{\rm hot} = (1+z) \times 0.411\pm0.011$ keV. For the first time, we are able to measure a deviation from a pure antipodal hot-spot geometry, with a minimum value of $1.\!^{\circ}1 \pm 0.\!^{\circ}2$, and an expectation value of $9.\!^{\circ}35 \pm 0.\!^{\circ}17$ among the most probable geometries. The discovery of this asymmetry, along with the factor of $\approx2$ temperature difference between the two emitting regions, may indicate that RX J0822$-$4300 was born with a strong, tangled crustal magnetic field.

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arXiv2021

Optical Studies of Ten Hard X-ray Selected Cataclysmic Binaries

We conducted time-resolved optical spectroscopy and/or photometry of ten cataclysmic binaries that were discovered in hard X-ray surveys, with the goal of measuring their orbital periods and searching for evidence that they are magnetic. Four of the objects in this study are new optical identifications: IGR J18017$-$3542, PBC J1841.1+0138, IGR J18434$-$0508, and Swift J1909.3+0124. A 311.8 s, coherent optical pulsation is detected from PBC J1841.1+0138, as well as eclipses with a period of 0.221909 days. A 152.49 s coherent period is detected from IGR J18434$-$0508. A probable period of 389 s is seen in IGR J18151$-$1052, in agreement with a known X-ray spin period. We also detect a period of 803.5 s in an archival X-ray observation of Swift J0717.8$-$2156. The latter four objects are thus confirmed magnetic CVs of the intermediate polar class. An optical period of 1554 s in AX J1832.3$-$0840 also confirms the known X-ray spin period, but a stronger signal at 2303 s is present whose interpretation is not obvious. We also studied the candidate intermediate polar Swift J0820.6$-$2805, which has low and high states differing by $\approx4$ mag, and optical periods or QPOs not in agreement with proposed X-ray periods. Of note is an unusually long 2.06 day orbital period for Swift J1909.3+0124, manifest in the radial velocity variation of photospheric absorption lines of an early K-type companion star. The star must be somewhat evolved if it is to fill its Roche lobe.

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arXiv2021

Multi-Wavelength Observation Campaign of the TeV Gamma-Ray Binary HESS J0632+057 with NuSTAR, VERITAS, MDM, and Swift

HESS J0632+057 belongs to a rare subclass of binary systems which emits gamma-rays above 100 GeV. It stands out for its distinctive high-energy light curve, which features a sharp ``primary'' peak and broader ``secondary'' peak. We present the results of contemporaneous observations by NuSTAR and VERITAS during the secondary peak between Dec. 2019 and Feb. 2020, when the orbital phase ($ϕ$) is between 0.55 and 0.75. NuSTAR detected X-ray spectral evolution, while VERITAS detected TeV emission. We fit a leptonic wind-collision model to the multi-wavelength spectra data obtained over the four NuSTAR and VERITAS observations, constraining the pulsar spin-down luminosity and the magnetization parameter at the shock. Despite long-term monitoring of the source from Oct. 2019 to Mar. 2020, the MDM observatory did not detect significant variation in H$α$ and H$β$ line equivalent widths, an expected signature of Be-disk interaction with the pulsar. Furthermore, fitting folded Swift-XRT light curve data with an intra-binary shock model constrained the orbital parameters, suggesting two orbital phases (at $ϕ_D = 0.13$ and 0.37) where the pulsar crosses the Be-disk, as well as phases for the periastron ($ϕ_0 = 0.30$) and inferior conjunction ($ϕ_{\text{IFC}} = 0.75$). The broad-band X-ray spectra with Swift-XRT and NuSTAR allowed us to measure a higher neutral hydrogen column density at one of the predicted disk-passing phases.

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arXiv2021

Radio Detection of PSR J1813-1749 in HESS J1813-178: The Most Scattered Pulsar Known

The 44.7 ms X-ray pulsar in the supernova remnant G12.82-0.02/HESS J1813-178 has the second highest spin-down luminosity of known pulsars in the Galaxy, with E-dot=5.6e37 erg/s. Using the Green Bank Telescope, we have detected radio pulsations from PSR J1813-1749 at 4.4-10.2 GHz. The pulse is highly scattered, with an exponential decay timescale τlonger than that of any other pulsar at these frequencies. A point source detected at this position by Dzib et al. in several observations with the Jansky Very Large Array can be attributed to the pulsed emission. The steep dependence of τon observing frequency explains why all previous pulsation searches at lower frequencies failed (τ~0.25 s at 2 GHz). The large dispersion measure, DM=1087 pc/cc, indicates a distance of either 6.2 or 12 kpc according to two widely used models of the electron density distribution in the Galaxy. These disfavor a previously suggested association with a young stellar cluster at the closer distance of 4.8 kpc. The high X-ray measured column density of ~1e23/cm^2 also supports a large distance. If at d~12 kpc, HESS J1813-178 would be one of the most luminous TeV sources in the Galaxy.

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arXiv2020

The Timing Behavior of the Central Compact Object Pulsar 1E 1207.4-5209

We present 20 years of timing observations for 1E 1207.4-5209, the central compact object in supernova remnant PKS 1209-51/52, to follow up on our detection of an unexpected timing glitch in its spin-down. Using new XMM-Newton and NICER observations of 1E 1207.4-5209, we now find that the phase ephemeris can be well modelled by either two small glitches, or extreme timing noise. The implied magnitudes of the frequency glitches are Delta f/f = (9+\-2)E-10 and Delta f/f = (3.7+/-0.7)E-10, at epochs 2010.9 and 2014.4, respectively. The updated timing solutions also rule out our previous suggestion of a large glitch in the frequency derivative fdot. No other canonical pulsar with such a small spin-down rate (fdot = -1.2E-16 Hz/s) or surface dipole magnetic field strength (B_s = 9.8E10 G) has been observed to glitch; the glitch activity parameter of 1E 1207.4-5209 is larger than that of more energetic pulsars. Alternative parameterizations that do not involve glitches can fit the data, but they have timing residuals or a second frequency derivative fddot that are orders of magnitude larger than in pulsars with similar spin-down parameters. These timing properties of 1E 1207.4-5209 further motivate the leading theory of central compact objects, that an initial B-field of normal strength was buried in the neutron star crust by fallback of supernova ejecta, suppressing the surface dipole field. The slow reemergence of the buried field may be involved in triggering glitches or excess timing noise.

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arXiv2019

X-ray Monitoring of the Magnetar CXOU J171405.7-381031 in SNR CTB 37B

We present the results of our 8 year X-ray monitoring campaign on CXOU J171405.7-381031, the magnetar associated with the faint supernova remnant (SNR) CTB 37B. It is among the youngest by inferred spin-down age, and most energetic in spin-down power of magnetars, and may contribute, at least partially, to the GeV and TeV emission coincident with the SNR. We use a series of Chandra, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR observations to characterize the timing and spectral properties of the magnetar. The spin-down rate of the pulsar almost doubled in <1 year and then decreased slowly to a more stable value. Its X-ray flux varied by approx, 50%, possibly correlated with the spin down rate. The 1-79 keV spectrum is well-characterized by an absorbed blackbody plus power-law model with an average temperature of kT=0.62+/-0.04 keV and photon index Gamma=0.92+/-0.16, or by a Comptonized blackbody with kT=0.55+/-0.04 keV and an additional hard power law with Gamma=0.70+/-0.20, In contrast with most magnetars, the pulsed signal is found to decrease with energy up to 6 keV, which is apparently caused by mixing with the hard spectral component that is pulse-phase shifted by approx. 0.43 cycles from the soft X-rays. We also analyze the spectrum of the nearby, diffuse nonthermal source XMMU J171410.8-381442, whose relation to the SNR is uncertain.

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arXiv2019

X-ray and Radio Variabilities of PSR J2032+4127 near Periastron

We present X-ray and radio monitoring observations of the gamma-ray binary PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213 during its periastron passage in late 2017. Dedicated Chandra, XMM-Newton,NuSTAR X-ray observations and VLA radio observations of this long orbit (50 years), 143 ms pulsar/Be star system clearly revealed flux and spectral variability during the passage. The X-ray spectrum hardened near periastron, with a significant decrease in the power-law photon index from Γ~ 2 to 1.2 and evidence of an increased absorption column density. We identified a possible spectral break at a few keV in the spectrum that suggests synchrotron cooling. A coincident radio and X-ray flare occurred one week after periastron, which is possibly the result of the pulsar wind interacting with the Be stellar disk and generating synchrotron radiation. However, a multi-wavelength comparison indicate that the X-ray and radio spectra cannot be simply connected by a single power-law component. Hence, the emission in these two energy bands must originate from different particle populations.

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arXiv2019

The 2018 X-ray and Radio Outburst of Magnetar XTE J1810-197

We present the earliest X-ray observations of the 2018 outburst of XTE J1810-197, the first outburst since its 2003 discovery as the prototypical transient and radio-emitting anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP). The Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) detected XTE J1810-197 immediately after a November 20-26 visibility gap, contemporaneous with its reactivation as a radio pulsar, first observed on December 8. On December 13 the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NUSTAR) detected X-ray emission up to at least 30 keV, with a spectrum well-characterized by a blackbody plus power-law model with temperature kT = 0.74+/-0.02 keV and photon index Gamma = 4.4+/-0.2 or by a two-blackbody model with kT = 0.59+/-0.04 keV and kT = 1.0+/-0.1 keV, both including an additional power-law component to account for emission above 10 keV, with Gamma_h = -0.2+/-1.5 and Gamma_h = 1.5+/-0.5, respectively. The latter index is consistent with hard X-ray flux reported for the non-transient magnetars. In the 2-10 keV bandpass, the absorbed flux is 2E-10 erg/s/cm^2, a factor of 2 greater than the maximum flux extrapolated for the 2003 outburst. The peak of the sinusoidal X-ray pulse lags the radio pulse by approx. 0.13 cycles, consistent with their phase relationship during the 2003 outburst. This suggests a stable geometry in which radio emission originates on magnetic field lines containing currents that heat a spot on the neutron star surface. However, a measured energy-dependent phase shift of the pulsed X-rays suggests that all X-ray emitting regions are not precisely co-aligned.

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arXiv2018

The First Glitch in a Central Compact Object Pulsar: 1E 1207.4-5209

Since its discovery as a pulsar in 2000, the central compact object (CCO) 1E 1207.4-5209 in the supernova remnant PKS 1209-51/52 had been a stable 0.424 s rotator with an extremely small spin-down rate and weak (Bs ~ 9E10 G) surface dipole magnetic field. In 2016 we observed a glitch from 1E 1207.4-5209 of at least Delta f/f = (2.8+/-0.4)E-9, which is typical in size for the general pulsar population. However, glitch activity is closely correlated with spin-down rate fdot, and pulsars with fdot as small as that of 1E 1207.4-5209 are never seen to glitch. Unlike in glitches of ordinary pulsars, there may have been a large increase in fdot as well. The thermal X-ray spectrum of 1E 1207.4-5209, with its unique cyclotron absorption lines that measure the surface magnetic field strength, did not show any measurable change after the glitch, which rules out a major disruption in the dipole field as a cause or result of the glitch. A leading theory of the origin and evolution of CCOs, involving prompt burial of the magnetic field by fall-back of supernova ejecta, might hold the explanation for the glitch.

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arXiv2018

Optical Studies of 15 Hard X-ray Selected Cataclysmic Binaries

We conducted time-resolved optical spectroscopy and/or time-series photometry of 15 cataclysmic binaries that were discovered in hard X-ray surveys by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) and the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), with the goal of measuring their orbital periods and searching for spin periods. Four of the objects in this study are new optical identifications: Swift J0535.2+2830, Swift J2006.4+3645, IGR J21095+4322, and Swift J2116.5+5336. Coherent pulsations are detected from three objects for the first time, Swift J0535.2+2830 (1523 s), 2PBC J1911.4+1412 (747 s), and 1SWXRT J230642.7+550817 (464 s), indicating that they are intermediate polars (IPs). We find two new eclipsing systems in time-series photometry: 2PBC J0658.0-1746, a polar with a period of 2.38 hr, and Swift J2116.5+5336, a disk system that has an eclipse period of 6.56 hr. Exact or approximate spectroscopic orbital periods are found for six additional targets. Of note is the long 4.637-day orbit for Swift J0623.9-0939, which is revealed by the radial velocities of the photospheric absorption lines of the secondary star. We also discover a 12.76 hr orbital period for RX J2015.6+3711, which confirms that the previously detected 2.00 hr X-ray period from this star is the spin period of an IP, as inferred by Coti Zelati et al. These results support the conclusion that hard X-ray selection favors magnetic CVs, with IPs outnumbering polars.

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