arXiv subjects

L. Titarchuk

Publications and source records attributed to L. Titarchuk.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Comptonization as an origin of the continuum in Intermediate Polars

In this paper we test if the $\sim$ 0.3 - 15 keV XMM-Newton EPIC pn spectral continuum of IPs can be described by the thermal Comptonization compTT model. We used publicly observations of 12 IPs (AE Aqr, EX Hya, V1025 Cen, V2731 Oph, RX J2133.7+5107, PQ Gem, NY Lup, V2400 Oph, IGR J00234+6141, IGR J17195-4100, V1223 Sgr, and XY Ari). We find that our modeling is capable to fit well the average spectral continuum of these sources. In this framework, UV/soft X-ray seed photons (with $ $ of 0.096 $\pm$ 0.013 keV) coming presumably from the star surface are scattered off by electrons present in an optically thick plasma (with $ $ of 3.05 $\pm$ 0.16 keV and optical depth $<τ>$ of 9.5 $\pm$ 0.6 for plane geometry) located nearby (on top) to the more central seed photon emission regions. A soft blackbody (bbody) component is observed in 5 out of the 13 observations analysed, with a mean temperature $ $ of $0.095 \pm 0.004$ keV. We observed that the spectra of IPs show in general two photon indices $Γ$, which are driven by the source luminosity and optical depth. Low luminosity IPs show $<Γ>$ of $1.83 \pm 0.19$, whereas high luminosity IPs show lower $<Γ>$ of $1.34 \pm 0.02$. Moreover, the good spectral fits of PQ Gem and V2400 Oph indicate that the polar subclass of CVs may be successfully described by the thermal Comptonization as well.

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arXiv2020

Testing Comptonization as the origin of the continuum in nonmagnetic Cataclysmic Variables. The photon index of X-ray emission

X-ray spectra of nonmagnetic cataclysmic variables (nmCVs) in the ~ 0.3$-$15 keV energy band have been described either by one or several optically thin thermal plasma components, or by cooling flow models. We tested if the spectral continuum in nmCVs could be successfully described by Comptonization of soft photons off hot electrons presented in a cloud surrounding the source [the transition layer, (TL)]. We used publicly XMM-Newton Epic-pn, Chandra HETG/ACIS and LETG/HRC, and RXTE PCA and HEXTE observations of four Dwarf Novae (U~Gem, SS~Cyg, VW~Hyi and SS~Aur) observed in the quiescence and outburst states. In total, we analyzed 18 observations, including a simultaneous 0.4$-$150 keV Chandra/RXTE spectrum of SS~Cyg in quiescence. We fitted the spectral continuum with up to two thermal Comptonization components (compTT or compTB models in XSPEC), using only one thermal plasma temperature and one optical depth. In this framework the two seed photon components are coming presumably from the innermost and outer parts of the TL (or innermost part of the disk). We obtained that the thermal Comptonization can successfully describe the spectral continuum of these nmCV in the ~ 0.4$-$150 keV energy band. Moreover, we present the first principal radiative transfer model which explains the quasi-constancy of the spectral photon index observed around 1.8, which strongly supports the Comptonization framework in nmCVs.

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arXiv2019

Red-skewed K$α$ iron lines in GX 13+1

Broad, asymmetric, and red-skewed Fe Kalpha emission lines have been observed in the spectra of low-mass X-ray binaries hosting neutron stars (NSs) as a compact object. Because more than one model is able to describe these features, the explanation of where and how the red-skewed Fe lines are produced is still a matter of discussion. It is broadly accepted that the shape of the Fe Kalpha line is strongly determined by the special and general relativistic effects occurring in the innermost part of the accretion disk. In this relativistic framework, the Fe fluorescent lines are produced in the innermost part of the accretion disk by reflection of hard X-ray photons coming from the central source (corona and/or NS surface). We developed an alternative and nonrelativistic model, called the windline model, that is capable to describe the Fe line features. In this nonrelativistic framework, the line photons are produced at the bottom of a partly ionized outflow (wind) shell as a result of illumination by the continuum photons coming from the central source, and the red-skewness of the line profile is explained by repeated electron scattering of the photons in a diverging outflow. Because GX~13+1 is a well-known disk-wind source, it is a perfect target for testing the windline model and comparing it to the relativistic one. In order to access the goodness of the fit and distinguish between the two line models, we used the run-test statistical method in addition to the canonical $χ^2$ statistical method. The diskline and windline models both fit the asymmetric GX13+1 Fe line well. From a statistical point of view, for the two observations we analyzed, the run-test was not able to distinguish between the two Fe line models, at 5% significance level.

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arXiv2017

Measuring the black hole mass in Ultraluminous X-ray Sources with the X-ray Scaling Method

In our recent work, we demonstrated that a novel X-ray scaling method, originally introduced for Galactic black holes, could be reliably extended to estimate the mass of supermassive black holes accreting at moderate to high level. Here, we apply this X-ray scaling method to ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) to constrain their \mbh. Using 49 ULXs with multiple \xmm\ observations, we infer that ULXs host both stellar mass BHs and intermediate mass BHs. The majority of the sources of our sample seem to be consistent with the hypothesis of highly accreting massive stellar BHs with $M_{\rm BH}\sim100\,M_{\odot}$. Our results are in general agreement with the \mbh\ values obtained with alternative methods, including model-independent variability methods. This suggests that the X-ray scaling method is an actual scale-independent method that can be applied to all BH systems accreting at moderate-high rate.

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arXiv2014

GAME: Grb and All-sky Monitor Experiment

We describe the GRB and All-sky Monitor Experiment (GAME) mission submitted by a large international collaboration (Italy, Germany, Czech Repubblic, Slovenia, Brazil) in response to the 2012 ESA call for a small mission opportunity for a launch in 2017 and presently under further investigation for subsequent opportunities. The general scientific objective is to perform measurements of key importance for GRB science and to provide the wide astrophysical community of an advanced X-ray all-sky monitoring system. The proposed payload was based on silicon drift detectors (~1-50 keV), CdZnTe (CZT) detectors (~15-200 keV) and crystal scintillators in phoswich (NaI/CsI) configuration (~20 keV-20 MeV), three well established technologies, for a total weight of ~250 kg and a required power of ~240 W. Such instrumentation allows a unique, unprecedented and very powerful combination of large field of view (3-4 sr), a broad energy energy band extending from ~1 keV up to ~20 MeV, an energy resolution as good as ~300 eV in the 1-30 keV energy range, a source location accuracy of ~1 arcmin. The mission profile included a launch (e.g., by Vega) into a low Earth orbit, a baseline sky scanning mode plus pointed observations of regions of particular interest, data transmission to ground via X-band (4.8 Gb/orbit, Alcantara and Malindi ground stations), and prompt transmission of GRB / transient triggers.

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arXiv2014

Constraining black hole masses in low-accreting AGN using X-ray spectra

In a recent work we demonstrated that a novel X-ray scaling method, originally introduced for Galactic black holes (GBHs), can be reliably extended to estimate the mass of supermassive black holes accreting at a moderate to high level. Here we investigate the limits of applicability of this method to low-accreting active galactic nuclei, using a control sample with good-quality X-ray data and dynamically measured mass. For low-accreting AGNs, because the basic assumption that the photon index positively correlates with the accretion rate no longer holds the X-ray scaling method cannot be used. Nevertheless, the inverse correlation in the Gamma-Lx/LEdd diagram, found in several low-accreting black holes and confirmed by this sample, can be used to constrain black hole mass within a factor of ~10 from the dynamically determined values. We provide a simple recipe to determine black hole mass using solely X-ray spectral data, which can be used as a sanity check for black hole mass determination based on indirect optical methods.

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arXiv2014

Scientific prospects in soft gamma-ray astronomy enabled by the LAUE project

This paper summarizes the development of a successful project, LAUE, supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and devoted to the development of long focal length (up to 100 m) Laue lenses for hard X--/soft gamma--ray astronomy (80-600 keV). The apparatus is ready and the assembling of a prototype lens petal is ongoing. The great achievement of this project is the use of bent crystals. From measurements obtained on single crystals and from simulations, we have estimated the expected Point Spread Function and thus the sensitivity of a lens made of petals. The expected sensitivity is a few $\times10^{-8}$ photons cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ keV$^{-1}$. We discuss a number of open astrophysical questions that can settled with such an instrument aboard a free-flying satellite.

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arXiv2013

Comptonization in ultra-strong magnetic fields: numerical solution of the radiative transfer problem

We consider the radiative transfer problem in a plane-parallel slab of thermal electrons in the presence of an overcritical magnetic field. Under such conditions, the magnetic field behaves as a birefringent medium for the propagating photons, and the electromagnetic radiation is split into two polarization modes, ordinary and extraordinary, having different cross-sections. When the optical depth of the slab is large, the ordinary-mode photons are strongly Comptonized and the photon field is dominated by an isotropic component. The radiative transfer problem in strong magnetic fields presents many mathematical issues and analytical or numerical solutions can be obtained only under some given approximations. We investigate this problem both from the analytical and numerical point of view, providing a test of the previous analytical estimates and extending these results introducing numerical techniques. We consider the case of low temperature blackbody photons propagating in a sub-relativistic temperature plasma, which allows us to deal with a semi Fokker-Planck approximation of the radiative transfer equation. We report the numerical solution obtained for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the space operator, and the emerging Comptonization spectrum of the ordinary-mode photons for any eigenvalue of the space equation and for energies significantly less than the cyclotron energy, which is of the order of MeV for the intensity of the magnetic field here considered. We derived the specific intensity of the ordinary photons, under the approximation of large angle and large optical depth. These assumptions allow the equation to be treated using a diffusion-like approximation.

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arXiv2013

Analysis of X-ray spectral variability and black hole mass determination of the NLS1 galaxy Mrk 766

We present an XMM-Newton time-resolved spectral analysis of the NLS1 galaxy Mrk 766. We analyse eight available observations of the EPIC-pn camera taken between May 2000 and June 2005 to investigate the X-ray spectral variability as produced by changes in the mass accretion rate. The 0.2-10 keV spectra are extracted in time bins longer than 3 ks to accurately trace the variations of the best fit parameters of our adopted Comptonisation spectral model. We test a bulk-motion Comptonisation (BMC) model which is in general applicable to any physical system powered by accretion onto a compact object, and assumes that soft seed photons are efficiently up-scattered via inverse Compton scattering in a hot and dense electron corona. The Comptonised spectrum has a characteristic power-law shape, whose slope was found to increase for large values of the normalisation of the seed component, that is proportional to the mass accretion rate (in Eddington units). Our baseline spectral model also includes a warm absorber lying on the line of sight and radiation reprocessing from the accretion disk or from outflowing matter in proximity of the central compact object. Our study reveals that the normalisation-slope correlation, observed in Galactic Black Hole sources (GBHs), also holds for Mrk 766: variations of the photon index in the range Gamma~1.9-2.4 are indeed likely to be related to the variations of m-dot, as observed in X-ray binary systems. We finally applied a scaling technique based on the observed correlation to estimate the BH mass in Mrk 766. This technique is commonly and successfully applied to measure masses of GBHs, and this is the first time it is applied in detail to estimate the BH mass in an AGN. We obtain a value of M_{BH}=1.26^{+1.00}_{-0.77}x10^6 M_{sun} that is in very good agreement with that estimated by the reverberation mapping

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arXiv2011

Numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation: X-ray spectral formation from cylindrical accretion onto a magnetized neutron star

Predicting the emerging X-ray spectra in several astrophysical objects is of great importance, in particular when the observational data are compared with theoretical models. To this aim, we have developed an algorithm solving the radiative transfer equation in the Fokker-Planck approximation when both thermal and bulk Comptonization take place. The algorithm is essentially a relaxation method, where stable solutions are obtained when the system has reached its steady-state equilibrium. We obtained the solution of the radiative transfer equation in the two-dimensional domain defined by the photon energy E and optical depth of the system tau using finite-differences for the partial derivatives, and imposing specific boundary conditions for the solutions. We treated the case of cylindrical accretion onto a magnetized neutron star. We considered a blackbody seed spectrum of photons with exponential distribution across the accretion column and for an accretion where the velocity reaches its maximum at the stellar surface and at the top of the accretion column, respectively. In both cases higher values of the electron temperature and of the optical depth tau produce flatter and harder spectra. Other parameters contributing to the spectral formation are the steepness of the vertical velocity profile, the albedo at the star surface, and the radius of the accretion column. The latter parameter modifies the emerging spectra in a specular way for the two assumed accretion profiles. The algorithm has been implemented in the XSPEC package for X-ray spectral fitting and is specifically dedicated to the physical framework of accretion at the polar cap of a neutron star with a high magnetic field (> 10^{12} G), which is expected to be typical of accreting systems such as X-ray pulsars and supergiant fast X-ray transients.

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arXiv2011

Testing a scale-independent method to measure the mass of black holes

Estimating the black hole mass at the center of galaxies is a fundamental step not only for understanding the physics of accretion, but also for the cosmological evolution of galaxies. Recently a new method, based solely on X-ray data, was successfully applied to determine the black hole mass in Galactic systems. Since X-rays are thought to be produced via Comptonization process both in stellar and supermassive black holes, in principle, the same method may be applied to estimate the mass in supermassive black holes. In this work we test this hypothesis by performing a systematic analysis of a sample of AGNs, whose black hole mass has been already determined via reverberation mapping and which possess high quality XMM-Newton archival data. The good agreement obtained between the black hole masses derived with this novel scaling technique and the reverberation mapping values suggests that this method is robust and works equally well on stellar and supermassive black holes, making it a truly scale-independent technique for black hole determination.

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arXiv2010

On the stability of the thermal Comptonization index in neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries in their different spectral states

Most of the spectra of neutron star low mass X-ray binaries (NS LMXBs), being them persistent or transient, are characterized by the presence of a strong thermal Comptonization bump, thought to originate in the transition layer (TL) between the accretion disk and the NS surface. The observable quantities which characterize this component dominating the emission below 30 keV, are the spectral index alpha and the rollover energy, both related to the electron temperature and optical depth of the plasma. Starting from observational results on a sample of NS LMXBs in different spectral states, we formulate the problem of X-ray spectral formation in the TL of these sources. We predict a stability of the thermal Comptonization spectral index in different spectral states if the energy release in the TL is much higher than the intercepted flux coming from the accretion disk. We use an equation for the energy balance and the radiative transfer diffusion equation for a slab geometry in the TL, to derive a formula for the thermal Comptonization index alpha. We show that in this approximation the TL electron temperature kTe and optical depth tau_0 can be written as a function of the energy flux from the disk intercepted by the corona (TL) and that in the corona itself Qdisk/Qcor, in turn leading to a relation alpha=f(Qdisk/Qcor), with alpha ~ 1 when Qdisk/Qcor <<1. We show that the observed spectral index alpha for the sample of sources here considered lies in a belt around 1 +/- 0.2 a part for the case of GX 354--0. Comparing our theoretical predictions with observations, we claim that this result, which is consistent with the condition Qdisk/Qcor <<1, can give us constraints on the accretion geometry of these systems, an issue that seems difficult to be solved using only the spectral analysis method.

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arXiv2010

Spectral evolution of bright NS LMXBs

Theoretical and observational support suggests that the spectral evolution of neutron-star LMXBs, including transient hard X-ray tails, may be explained by the interplay between thermal and bulk motion Comptonization. In this framework, we developed a new model for the X-ray spectral fitting XSPEC package which takes into account the effects of both thermal and dynamical (i.e. bulk) Comptonization, CompTB. Using data from the INTEGRAL satellite, we tested our model on broad band spectra of a sample of persistently low magnetic field bright neutron star Low Mass X-ray Binaries, covering different spectral states. The case of the bright source GX 5-1 is presented here. Particular attention is given to the transient powerlaw-like hard X-ray (above 30 keV) tail that we interpret in the framework of the bulk motion Comptonization process, qualitatively describing the physical conditions of the environment in the innermost part of the system.

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arXiv2009

Wide band observations of the X-ray burster GS 1826-238

GS 1826-238 is a well-studied X-ray bursting neutron star in a low mass binary system. Thermal Comptonisation by a hot electron cloud is a widely accepted mechanism accounting for its high energy emission, while the nature of most of its soft X-ray output is not completely understood. A further low energy component is typically needed to model the observed spectra: pure blackbody and Comptonisation-modified blackbody radiation by a lower temperature (a few keV) electron plasma were suggested to explain the low energy data. We studied the steady emission of GS 1826-238 by means of broad band (X to soft Gamma-rays) measurements obtained by the INTEGRAL observatory in 2003 and 2006. The newly developed, up-to-date Comptonisation model CompTB is applied for the first time to study effectively the low-hard state variability of a low-luminosity neutron star in a low-mass X-ray binary system. We confirm that the 3-200 keV emission of \GS is characterised by Comptonisation of soft seed photons by a hot electron plasma. A single spectral component is sufficient to model the observed spectra. At lower energies, no direct blackbody emission is observed and there is no need to postulate a low temperature Compton region. Compared to the 2003 measurements, the plasma temperature decreased from 20 to 14 keV in 2006, together with the seed photons temperature. The source intensity was also found to be 30% lower in 2006, whilst the average recurrence frequency of the X-ray bursts significantly increased. Possible explanations for this apparent deviation from the typical limit-cycle behaviour of this burster are discussed.

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arXiv2009

A Chandra view of NGC 3621: a bulgeless galaxy hosting an AGN in its early phase?

We report the detection of a weak X-ray point source coincident with the nucleus of the bulgeless disk galaxy NGC 3621, recently discovered by Spitzer to display high ionization mid-infrared lines typically associated with AGN. These Chandra observations provide confirmation for the presence of an AGN in this galaxy, adding to the growing evidence that black holes do form and grow in isolated bulgeless disk galaxies. Although the low signal-to-noise ratio of the X-ray spectrum prevents us from carrying out a detailed spectral analysis of the nuclear source, the X-ray results, combined with the IR and optical spectroscopic results, suggests that NGC 3621 harbors a heavily absorbed AGN, with a supermassive black hole of relatively small mass accreting at a high rate. Chandra also reveals the presence of two bright sources straddling the nucleus located almost symmetrically at 20" from the center. Both sources have X-ray spectra that are well-fitted by an absorbed power-law model. Assuming they are at the distance of NGC 3621, these two sources have luminosities of the order of 1.e39 erg/s, which make them ULXs and suggest that they are black hole systems. Estimates of the black hole mass based on the X-ray spectral analysis and scaling laws of black hole systems suggest that the 2 bright sources might be intermediate mass black holes with M_BH of the order of a few thousand solar masses. However, higher quality X-ray data combined with multi-wavelength observations are necessary to confirm these conclusions.

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arXiv2009

The X-ray spectral evolution of Cyg X-2 in the framework of bulk Comptonization

We used the newly developed thermal plus bulk Comptonization model comptb to investigate the spectral evolution of the neutron star LMXB Cyg X-2 along its Z-track. We selected a single source in order to trace in a quantitative way the evolution of the physical parameters of the model. We analyzed archival broad-band BeppoSAX spectra of Cyg X-2. Five broad-band spectra have been newly extracted according to the source position in the Z-track described in the colour-colour and colour-intensity diagrams. We have fitted the spectra of the source with two comptb components. The first one, with bulk parameter delta=0, dominates the overall source broad-band spectrum and its origin is related to thermal upscattering (Comptonization) of cold seed photons off warm electrons in high-opacity enviroment. We attribute the origin of these seed photons to the part of the disk which illuminates the outer coronal region (transition layer) located between the accretion disk itself and the neutron star surface. This thermal component is roughly constant with time and with inferred mass accretion rate. The second comptb model describes the overall Comptonization (thermal plus bulk, delta > 0) of hotter seed photons which come from both the inner transition layer and from the neutron star surface. The appearance of this component in the colour-colour or hardness-intensity diagram is more pronounced in the horizontal branch and is progressively disappearing towards the normal branch, where a pure blackbody spectrum is observed. The spectral evolution of Cyg X-2 is studied and interpreted in terms of changes in the innermost environmental conditions of the system, leading to a variable thermal-bulk Comptonization efficiency.

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arXiv2008

A new Comptonization model for low-magnetized accreting neutron stars in low mass X-ray binaries

We developed a new model for the X-ray spectral fitting \xspec package which takes into account the effects of both thermal and dynamical (i.e. bulk) Comptonization. The model consists of two components: one is the direct blackbody-like emission due to seed photons which are not subjected to effective Compton scattering, while the other one is a convolution of the Green's function of the energy operator with a blackbody-like seed photon spectrum. When combined thermal and bulk effects are considered, the analytic form of the Green's function may be obtained as a solution of the diffusion Comptonization equation. Using data from the BeppoSAX, INTEGRAL and RXTE satellites, we test our model on the spectra of a sample of six persistently low magnetic field bright neutron star Low Mass X-ray Binaries, covering three different spectral states. Particular attention is given to the transient powerlaw-like hard X-ray (> 30 keV) tails that we interpret in the framework of the bulk motion Comptonization process. We show that the values of the best-fit delta-parameter, which represents the importance of bulk with respect to thermal Comptonization, can be physically meaningful and can at least qualitatively describe the physical conditions of the environment in the innermost part of the system. Moreover, we show that in fitting the thermal Comptonization spectra to the X-ray spectra of these systems, the best-fit parameters of our model are in excellent agreement with those of COMPTT, a broadly used and well established XSPEC model.

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arXiv2007

The hard X-ray tails in neutron star low mass X-ray binaries: BeppoSAX observations and possible theoretical explanation of the GX 17+2 case

We report results of a new spectral analysis of two BeppoSAX observations of the Z source GX 17+2. In one of the two observations the source exhibits a powerlaw-like hard (> 30 keV) X-ray tail which was described in a previous work by a hybrid Comptonization model. Recent high-energy observations with INTEGRAL of a sample of Low Mass X-Ray Binaries including both Z and atoll classes have shown that bulk (dynamical) Comptonization of soft photons can be a possible alternative mechanism for producing hard X-ray tails in such systems. We start from the INTEGRAL results and we exploit the broad-band capability of BeppoSAX to better investigate the physical processes at work. We use GX 17+2 as a representative case. Moreover, we suggest that weakening (or disappearance) of the hard X-ray tail can be explained by increasing radiation pressure originated at the surface of the neutron star (NS). As a result the high radiation pressure stops the bulk inflow and consequently this radiation feedback of the NS surface leads to quenching the bulk Comptonization.

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