arXiv subjects

J. Paice

Publications and source records attributed to J. Paice.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

BlackGEM observations of compact pulsating stars: Mode identification for the DOV PG 1159-035 using multi-colour photometry

While space-based telescopes offer unparalleled precision for asteroseismology, ground-based observations remain crucial for identifying compact pulsator candidates and enabling their pulsational study through multi-colour photometry. The BlackGEM telescope array significantly enhances the detection and characterisation possibilities for compact pulsators that tend to be much fainter than dwarf or giant pulsators. Using BlackGEM multi-colour photometry of the hot pre-white dwarf PG 1159-035, we demonstrate its capability to detect short, multi-periodic pulsations with amplitudes down to a few milli-magnitudes. The primary aim of this study is to establish the feasibility of pulsation mode identification in hot subdwarfs and white dwarfs via mode amplitude-ratio analysis derived from BlackGEM multi-colour observations. Pulsation frequencies were extracted from our target using iterative pre-whitening analysis. To validate our data-driven mode identification concept using multi-colour photometry, we used the well-studied hot pre-white dwarf PG 1159-035, with previously identified pulsation modes, as a prototypical object that served for validation. The pre-whitening analysis using BlackGEM's standard q-, u-, and i-band light curves of PG 1159-035 revealed pulsation frequencies of l=1 and l=2 modes, consistent with values obtained from the literature. Subsequent amplitude ratio calculations resulted in discernible distributions for the l=1 and l=2 modes. The future assembly of more BlackGEM amplitude ratios for well-known white dwarfs with already identified modes will lead to density estimators suitable for identifying newly detected modes in known or as-yet-undiscovered pulsators. Our proof-of-concept study paves the way for large-scale asteroseismic analyses of optically faint compact pulsating stars using ground-based facilities, such as BlackGEM.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Sub-second optical/near-infrared quasi-periodic oscillations from the black hole X-ray transient Swift J1727.8-1613

We report on the detection of optical/near-infrared (O-IR) quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) from the black hole X-ray transient Swift J1727.8-1613. We obtained three X-ray and O-IR high-time-resolution observations of the source during its intermediate state (2023 September 9, 15 and 17) using NICER, HAWK-I@VLT, HIPERCAM@GTC and ULTRACAM@NTT. We clearly detected a QPO in the X-ray and O-IR bands during all three epochs. The QPO evolved, drifting from 1.4 Hz in the first epoch, up to 2.2 Hz in the second and finally reaching 4.2 Hz at the third epoch. These are among the highest O-IR QPO frequencies detected for a black hole X-ray transient. During the first two epochs, the X-ray and O-IR emission are correlated, with an optical lag (compared to the X-rays) varying from +70 ms to 0 ms. Finally, during the third epoch, we measured for the first time, a lag of the $z_s$-band respect to the $g_s$-band at the QPO frequency ($\approx$+10 ms). By estimating the variable O-IR SED we find that the emission is most likely non-thermal. Current state-of-the-art models can explain some of these properties, but neither the jet nor the hot flow model can easily explain the observed evolution of the QPOs. While this allowed us to put tight constraints on these components, more frequent coverage of the state transition with fast multi-wavelength observations is still needed to fully understand the evolution of the disc/jet properties in BH LMXBs.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

DW Cnc: a micronova with a negative superhump and a flickering spin

Magnetic accreting white dwarfs in cataclysmic variables have been known to show bursts driven by different physical mechanisms; however, the burst occurrence is much rarer than in their non-magnetic counterparts. DW Cnc is a well-studied intermediate polar that showed a burst with a 4-magnitude amplitude in 2007. Here we report on a recent burst in DW Cnc observed by ASAS-SN that reached a peak luminosity of 6.6 $\times$ 10$^{33}$ erg~s$^{-1}$, another 4 mag increase from its quiescent high state level. The released energy of the burst suggests that these are micronovae, a distinctive type of burst seen in magnetic systems that may be caused by a thermonuclear runaway in the confined accretion flow. Only a handful of systems, most of them intermediate polars, have a reported micronova bursts. We also report on the reappearance of the negative superhump of DW~Cnc as shown by TESS and OPTICAM data after the system emerges from its low state and immediately before the burst. We further report on a new phenomenon, where the spin signal turns "on" and "off" on the precession period associated with the negative superhump, which may indicate pole flipping. The new classification of DW Cnc as a micronova as well as the spin variability show the importance of both monitoring known micronova systems and systematic searches for more similar bursts, to limit reliance on serendipitous discoveries.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Discovery of Persistent Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Accreting White Dwarfs: A New Link to X-ray Binaries

Almost all accreting black hole and neutron star X-ray binary systems (XRBs) exhibit prominent brightness variations on a few characteristic time-scales and their harmonics. These quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are thought to be associated with the precession of a warped accretion disc, but the physical mechanism that generates the precessing warp remains uncertain. Relativistic frame dragging (Lense-Thirring precession) is one promising candidate, but a misaligned magnetic field is an alternative, especially for neutron star XRBs. Here, we report the discovery of 5 accreting white dwarf systems (AWDs) that display strong optical QPOs with characteristic frequencies and harmonic structures that suggest they are the counterpart of the QPOs seen in XRBs. Since AWDs are firmly in the classical (non-relativistic) regime, Lense-Thirring precession cannot account for these QPOs. By contrast, a weak magnetic field associated with the white dwarf can drive disc warping and precession in these systems, similar to what has been proposed for neutron star XRBs. Our observations confirm that magnetically driven warping is a viable mechanism for generating QPOs in disc-accreting astrophysical systems, certainly in AWDs and possibly also in (neutron star) XRBs. Additionally, they establish a new way to estimate magnetic field strengths, even in relatively weak-field systems where other methods are not available.

astro-ph.HE↗