arXiv subjects

K. Reinsch

Publications and source records attributed to K. Reinsch.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

Zeeman tomography of magnetic white dwarfs III. The 70-80 Megagauss magnetic field of PG 1015+014

Aims: We analyse the magnetic field geometry of the magnetic DA white dwarf PG 1015+014 with our Zeeman tomography method. Methods: This study is based on rotation-phase resolved optical flux and circular polarization spectra of PG 1015+014 obtained with FORS1 at the ESO VLT. Our tomographic code makes use of an extensive database of pre-computed Zeeman spectra. The general approach has been described in Papers I and II of this series. Results: The surface field strength distributions for all rotational phases of PG 1015+014 are characterised by a strong peak at 70 MG. A separate peak at 80 MG is seen for about one third of the rotation cycle. Significant contributions to the Zeeman features arise from regions with field strengths between 50 and 90 MG. We obtain equally good simultaneous fits to the observations, collected in five phase bins, for two different field parametrizations: (i) a superposition of individually tilted and off-centred zonal multipole components; and (ii) a truncated multipole expansion up to degree l = 4 including all zonal and tesseral components. The magnetic fields generated by both parametrizations exhibit a similar global structure of the absolute surface field values, but differ considerably in the topology of the field lines. An effective photospheric temperature of T eff = 10000 ± 1000 K was found. Conclusions: Remaining discrepancies between the observations and our best-fit models suggest that additional small-scale structure of the magnetic field exists which our field models are unable to cover due to the restricted number of free parameters.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

XMM-Newton observation of the long-period polar V1309 Ori: The case for pure blobby accretion

Using XMM-Newton we have obtained the first X-ray observation covering a complete orbit of the longest period polar, V1309 Ori. The X-ray light curve is dominated by a short, bright phase interval with EPIC pn count rates reaching up to 15 cts/sec per 30 sec resolution bin. The bright phase emission is well described by a single blackbody component with kT_bb = (45 +- 3) eV. The absence of a bremsstrahlung component at photon energies above 1 keV yields a flux ratio F_bb/F_br > 6700. This represents the most extreme case of a soft X-ray excess yet observed in an AM Herculis star. The bright, soft X-ray emission is subdivided into a series of individual flare events supporting the hypothesis that the soft X-ray excess in V1309 is caused by accretion of dense blobs. In addition to the bright phase emission, a faint, hard X-ray component is visible throughout the binary orbit with an almost constant count rate of 0.01 cts/sec. Spectral modelling indicates that this emission originates from a complex multi-temperature plasma. At least three components of an optically thin plasma with temperatures kT= 0.065, 0.7, and 2.9 keV are required to fit the observed flux distribution. The faint phase emission is occulted during the optical eclipse. Eclipse ingress lasts about 15--20 min and is substantially prolonged beyond nominal ingress of the white dwarf. This and the comparatively low plasma temperature provide strong evidence that the faint-phase emission is not thermal bremsstrahlung from a post-shock accretion column above the white dwarf. A large fraction of the softer faint-phase emission could be explained by scattering of photons from the blackbody component in the infalling material above the accretion region. The remaining hard X-ray flux could be produced in the coupling region, so far unseen in other polars.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Zeeman tomography of magnetic white dwarfs II. The quadrupole-dominated magnetic field of HE 1045-0908

We report time-resolved optical flux and circular polarization spectroscopy of the magnetic DA white dwarf HE 1045-0908 obtained with FORS1 at the ESO VLT. Considering published results, we estimate a likely rotational period of Prot ~ 2.7 h, but cannot exclude values as high as about 9 h. Our detailed Zeeman tomographic analysis reveals a field structure which is dominated by a quadrupole and contains additional dipole and octupole contributions, and which does not depend strongly on the assumed value of the period. A good fit to the Zeeman flux and polarization spectra is obtained if all field components are centred and inclinations of their magnetic axes with respect to each other are allowed for. The fit can be slightly improved if an offset from the centre of the star is included. The prevailing surface field strength is 16 MG, but values between 10 and ~75MG do occur. We derive an effective photospheric temperature of HE 1045-0908 of Teff = 10000 +/- 1000 K. The tomographic code makes use of an extensive database of pre-computed Zeeman spectra (Paper I).

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

NLTE Analysis of the Ultra-short Period White-dwarf Binary RX J0806.3+1527

RX J0806.3+1527 is suspected to be a double-degenerate white dwarf binary. We present first results of our NLTE analysis of its optical spectrum. The VLT/FORS1 data show a composite spectrum consisting of a blue continuum and superimposed emission lines of the HeII Pickering series and, possibly, the H Balmer series. Our models are based on hot white dwarf atmospheres and include illumination effects onto the secondary star. The physical parameters and chemical abundances derived from the comparison of the observed spectrum with a grid of model atmospheres provide constraints on the true nature of this enigmatic binary and on the models proposed so far.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Surface Magnetic Field Distributions of the White Dwarfs PG 1015+014 and HE 1045-0908

We have applied the method of Zeeman tomography to analyze the surface magnetic field structures of the white dwarfs PG 1015+014 and HE 1045-0908 from spin-phase resolved flux and circular polarization spectra obtained with FORS1 at the ESO VLT. We find for both objects field topologies that deviate significantly from centred dipoles. For HE 1045-0908, the frequency distribution of magnetic field strengths is sharply peaked at 16 MG for all rotational phases covered by our data but extends to field strengths at least five times this value. In the case of PG 1015+014 there are significant contributions to the frequency distribution in the range from 50 to 90 MG with the maximum near 70 MG. The detailed shape of the frequency distribution is strongly variable with respect to the rotational phase.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The Structure and Origin of Magnetic Fields on Accreting White Dwarfs

We have started a systematic study of the field topologies of magnetic single and accreting white dwarfs using Zeeman tomography. Here we report on our analysis of phase-resolved flux and circular polarization spectra of the magnetic cataclysmic variables BL Hyi and MR Ser obtained with FORS1 at the ESO VLT. For both systems we find that the field topologies are more complex than a dipole or an offset dipole and require at least multipole expansions up to order l = 3 to adequately describe the observed Zeeman features and their variations with rotational phase. Overall our model fits are in excellent agreement with observations. Remaining residuals indicate that the field topologies might even be more complex. It is, however, assuring that the global characteristics of our solutions are consistent with the average effective field strengths and the halo field strengths derived from intensity spectra in the past.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

The isolated neutron star X-ray pulsars RX J0420.0-5022 and RX J0806.4-4123: new X-ray and optical observations

We report on the analysis of new X-ray data obtained with XMM-Newton and Chandra from two ROSAT-discovered X-ray dim isolated neutron stars. RX J0806.4-4123 was observed with XMM-Newton in April 2003, 2.5 years after the first observation. The EPIC-pn data confirm that this object is an X-ray pulsar with 11.371 s neutron star spin period. The X-ray spectrum is consistent with absorbed black-body emission with a temperature kT = 96 eV and NH = 4x10^19 cm^-2 without significant changes between the two observations. Four XMM-Newton observations of RX J0420.0-5022 between December 2002 and July 2003 did not confirm the 22.7 s pulsations originally indicated in ROSAT data, but clearly reveal a 3.453 s period. A fit to the X-ray spectrum using an absorbed black-body model yields kT = 45 eV, the lowest value found from the small group of XDINs and NH = 1.0x10^20 cm^-2. Including a broad absorption line improves the quality of the spectral fits considerably for both objects and may indicate the presence of absorption features similar to those reported from RBS1223, RX J1605.3+3249 and RX J0720.4-3125. For both targets we derive accurate X-ray positions from the Chandra data and present an optical counterpart candidate for RX J0420.0-5022 with B = 26.6+/-0.3 mag from VLT imaging.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

On the Nature of the Binary Components of RX J0806.3+1527

We present imaging circular polarimetry and near-infrared photometry of the suspected ultra-short period white-dwarf binary RX J0806.3+1527 obtained with the ESO VLT and discuss the implications for a possible magnetic nature of the white dwarf accretor and the constraints derived for the nature of the donor star. Our V-filter data show marginally significant circular polarization with a modulation amplitude of ~0.5% typical for cyclotron emission from an accretion column in a magnetic field of order 10 MG and not compatible with a direct-impact accretor model. The optical to near-infrared flux distribution is well described by a single blackbody with temperature kT_bb = 35000 K and excludes a main-sequence stellar donor unless the binary is located several scale heights above the galactic disk population.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

The polarization evolution of the optical afterglow of GRB 030329

We report 31 polarimetric observations of the afterglow of GRB 030329 with high signal-to-noise and high sampling frequency. The data imply that the afterglow magnetic field has small coherence length and is mostly random, probably generated by turbulence.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Evolution of the polarization of the optical afterglow of the gamma-ray burst GRB 030329

We report 31 polarimetric observations of the afterglow of GRB 030329 with high signal-to-noise and high sampling frequency. We establish the polarization light curve, detect sustained polarization at the percent level, and find significant variability of polarization degree and angle. The data imply that the afterglow magnetic field has small coherence length and is mostly random, probably generated by turbulence.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2003

Zeeman tomography of magnetic white dwarfs: General method and application to EF Eridani

We have developed a new method to derive the magnetic field distribution on the surfaces of rotating magnetic white dwarfs from phase-resolved flux and circular polarization spectra. An optimization code based on an evolutionary strategy is used to fit synthetic Zeeman spectra for a variety of model geometries described in the framework of a truncated multipole expansion. We demonstrate that the code allows the reconstruction of relatively complex fields using noise-added synthetic input spectra. As a first application, we analyze flux and circular polarization spectra of the polar EF Eri in a low state of accretion taken with FORS1 at the ESO VLT.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

The high-field magnetic white dwarf LP 790-29: not a fast rotator

We have investigated the nature of the magnetic white dwarf LP 790-29 = LHS 2293 by polarimetric monitoring, searching for short-term variability. No periodicity was found and we can exclude rotation periods between 4 sec and 1.5 hour with a high confidence. Maximum amplitudes of sinusoidal variations are Delta R < 0.009 mag and Delta V_R < 0.7% for a mean value of the R-band circular polarization of V_R = +9.1+/-0.3%. Combined with earlier results by other authors, our observation suggests that LP 790-29 is, in fact, an extremely slowly rotating single white dwarf and not an unrecognized fast rotator and/or disguised cataclysmic variable.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Multi-wavelength spectrophotometry of EX Hydrae

We present phase-resolved infrared and optical spectrophotometry of the intermediate polar EX Hya supplemented by archival ultraviolet data. The spin-modulated emission from the accretion funnel and the emission from the accretion disk or ring contain substantial optically thin components. The white dwarf dominates the unmodulated flux in the ultraviolet and is identified by numerous absorption lines. Metal absorption in the accretion curtain may add to the observed spectral features. The secondary star is of spectral type M4+-1 and is detected by its ellipsoidal modulation. We derive a distance of 65+-11 pc which makes EX Hydrae one of the closest cataclysmic variables with a known distance. The luminosity derived from the integrated overall spectral energy distribution is 3x10^32 erg/s. The accretion rate of 3x10^15 g/s (for an 0.6 Msun white dwarf) is in reasonable agreement with the rates expected from angular momentum loss by gravitational radiation and from the observed spin-up of the white dwarf

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

VLT spectroscopy of GRB 990510 and GRB 990712; probing the faint and bright end of the GRB host galaxy population

We present time-resolved optical spectroscopy of the afterglows of the gamma-ray bursts GRB 990510 and GRB 990712. Through the identification of several absorption lines in the first epoch GRB 990510 spectrum, we determine the redshift for this burst at z >= 1.619. No clear emission lines are detected. The strength of the MgI feature is indicative of a dense environment, most likely the host galaxy of GRB 990510. Although the host is extremely faint (V >~ 28), the GRB afterglow allows us to probe its interstellar medium and - in principle - to measure its metallicity. The optical spectrum of GRB 990712 (whose host galaxy is the brightest of the known GRB hosts at cosmological redshifts), shows clear features both in emission and absorption, at a redshift of z = 0.4331 +/- 0.0004. On the basis of several line emission diagnostic diagrams, we conclude that the host galaxy of GRB 990712 is most likely an HII galaxy. We derive a unreddened [OII] star formation rate of 2.7 +/- 0.8 Msun/yr. Correcting for the measured extinction intrinsic to the host galaxy (A(V) = \gpm{3.4}{2.4}{1.7}), this value increases to \gpm{35}{178}{25} Msun/yr. The [OII] equivalent width, compared to that of field galaxies at z <= 1, also suggests that the host of GRB 990712 is vigorously forming stars. We employ the oxygen and Hbeta emission-line intensities to estimate the global oxygen abundance for the host of GRB 990712: log(O/H) = -3.7 +- 0.4, which is slightly below the lowest metallicity one finds in nearby spiral galaxies. For both GRBs we study the time evolution of the absorption lines, whose equivalent width might be expected to change with time if the burst resides in a dense compact medium. We find no evidence for a significant change in the MgII width.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

A Newly Discovered SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova, HS 1449+6415

We report time-resolved photometric observations of the Hamburg Quasar Survey-selected dwarf nova HS 1449+6415 (= RX J1450.5+6403) during the interval from JD 2451672 to 2451724. During a long outburst with a duration of ~12 days, we detected superhumps with a period of 0.0601(5) d, revealing that this star is an SU UMa star. A short outburst which lasted 3 days was found about 40 days after the onset of the superoutburst. From quiescence observations, we determine an orbital period of 0.05898(2) d. The small outburst amplitude of \~3.5 mag, the short orbital period, and the normal outburst cycle length suggest that HS 1449+6415 is an intermediate object between ER UMa stars with high mass-transfer rates and WZ Sge stars with very low mass-transfer rates.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

HS0907+1902: a new 4.2hr eclipsing dwarf nova

We report on follow-up spectroscopy and photometry of the cataclysmic variable candidate HS0907+1902 selected from the Hamburg Quasar Survey. B, V, and R photometry obtained during the first observed outburst of HS0907+1902 (V~13) reveals deep eclipses (DeltaV~2.1-2.8) and an orbital period Porb=4.2h with the eclipse depth decreasing to the red. The outburst eclipse profiles are symmetric, indicating an axisymmetrical brightness distribution in the accretion disc. We derive an inclination i~73deg-79deg from the eclipse duration. The quiescent spectrum obtained with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope shows double peaked emission lines of HI, HeI and FeI,II and clearly identifies the system as a dwarf nova. Absorption features of the secondary star are detected at red wavelengths from which a spectral class M3+-1.5 and a distance of d=320+-100pc are derived.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2000

A limit-cycle model for the binary supersoft X-ray source RX J0513.9-6951

We present new results of our X-ray monitoring of the transient binary supersoft X-ray source RX J0513.9-6951 in the LMC and of our re-analysis of optical light curves obtained during the MACHO project. We have covered a complete X-ray outburst cycle with the ROSAT HRI detector. From the amplitude and timescale of the soft X-ray variability, tight limits are derived for the temporal behaviour of the white-dwarf radius and the effective temperature of its envelope. A limit-cycle model is proposed to explain the observed optical and X-ray variability, the characteristic timescales of the durations of the X-ray on and off states, and those of the transitions between both states. Our observations confirm that the radius changes of the white-dwarf envelope occur on the Kelvin-Helmholtz timescale. The duration of the X-ray on and off states is compatible with the viscous timescales of the inner and outer accretion disk, respectively.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1999

RX J1313.2-3259, a long-period Polar discovered with ROSAT

We report observations of a new AM Herculis binary identified as the optical counterpart of the X-ray source RX J1313.2-3259, detected during the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS). It has an orbital period of 251 min and is strongly modulated at optical wavelengths. The long-term behavior is characterized by a pronounced variation in X-rays between the RASS and two subsequent pointings (decrease by a factor 40 in count rate) and by moderate changes in the optical brightness (up to a factor 5). The X-ray spectrum is dominated by a soft quasi-blackbody component, with a smaller contribution from thermal bremsstrahlung. Measurements of high circular polarization confirm its classification as a Polar with a magnetic field strength of 56 MG. The average visual magnitude of RX J1313.2-3259 is V = 16 mag, for its distance we get 200 pc.

astro-ph↗