arXiv subjects

Long Ji

Publications and source records attributed to Long Ji.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Broad-band analysis of X-ray pulsar 2S 1845$-$024

We present results of detailed investigation of the poorly studied X-ray pulsar 2S 1845$-$024 based on the data obtained with $NuSTAR$ observatory during the type I outburst in 2017. Neither pulse phase-averaged, nor phase-resolved spectra of the source show evidence for a cyclotron absorption feature. We also used the data obtained from other X-ray observatories ($Swift$, $XMM-Newton$ and $Chandra$) to study the spectral properties as a function of orbital phase. The analysis revealed a high hydrogen column density for the source reaching $\sim$10$^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$ around the periastron. Using high-quality $Chandra$ data we were able to obtain an accurate localization of 2S 1845$-$024 at R.A. = 18$^{h}$48$^{m}$16$^{s}$.8 and Dec. = $-$2$^{\circ}$25'25".1 (J2000) that allowed us to use infrared (IR) data to roughly classify the optical counterpart of the source as an OB supergiant at the distance of $\gtrsim$15 kpc.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Spectral evolution of X-ray pulsar 4U 1901+03 during the 2019 outburst based on Insight-HXMT and NuSTAR observations

We report on a detailed spectral analysis of emission from X-ray pulsar 4U 1901+03 using data obtained by the Insight-HXMT and NuSTAR observatories during the 2019 outburst of the source. Thanks to the extensive coverage of the outburst by Insight-HXMT, we were able to investigate the spectral evolution of the source as a function of flux, and compare these results to the previous reports, focusing on the properties of a putative absorption feature at around 10 keV. In particular, we demonstrate that the broadband X-ray continuum of 4U 1901+03 can be well described with a two-component continuum model without an absorption line at 10 keV, which casts doubt on its interpretation as a cyclotron line. The high quality of the data also allowed us to perform both phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectral analyses as a function of luminosity. Finally, we performed a detailed investigation of another absorption feature in the spectrum of the source around 30 keV recently reported in the NuSTAR data. We show that this feature appears to be significantly detected both in phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectra irrespective of the continuum model.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Disk vs wind accretion in X-ray pulsar GX 301-2

GX 301-2 provides a rare opportunity to study both disk and wind accretion in a same target. We report Insight-HXMT observations of the spin-up event of GX 301-2 happened in 2019 and compare with those of wind-fed state. The pulse profiles of the initial rapid spin-up period are dominated by one main peak, while those of the later slow spin-up period are composed of two similar peaks, as those of wind-fed state. These behaviors are confirmed by Fermi/GBM data, which also show that during the rapid spin-up period, the main peak increases with luminosity up to $8\times10^{37}$ erg s$^{-1}$, but the faint peak keeps almost constant. The absorption column densities during the spin-up period are $\sim1.5\times10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$, much less than those of wind-fed state at similar luminosity ($\sim9\times10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$), supporting the scenario that most of material is condensed into a disk during the spin-up period. We discuss possible differences between disk and wind accretion that may explain the observed different trend of pulse profiles.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

Testing evolution of LFQPOs with mass accretion rate in GRS 1915+105 with Insight-HXMT

Using the Insight-HXMT observations of GRS 1915+105 when it exhibits low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), we measure the evolution of the QPO frequency along with disk inner radius and mass accretion rate. We find a tight positive correlation between the QPO frequency and mass accretion rate. Our results extend the finding of previous work with AstroSat to a larger range of accretion rate with independent instruments and observations. Treating the QPO frequency of GRS 1915+105 as the relativistic dynamic frequency of a truncated disk, we are able to confirm the high spin nature of the black hole in GRS 1915+105. We also address the potential of our finding to test general relativity in the future.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

SGR 0755$-$2933: a new High Mass X-ray binary with the wrong name

The soft gamma-ray repeater candidate SGR 0755$-$2933 was discovered in 2016 by Swift/BAT, which detected a short ($\sim$30 ms) powerful burst typical of magnetars. To understand the nature of the source, we present here an analysis of follow-up observations of the tentative soft X-ray counterpart of the source obtained with Swift/XRT, NuSTAR and Chandra. From our analysis we conclude that, based on the observed counterpart position and properties, it is actually not a soft gamma ray repeater but rather a new high mass X-ray binary. We suggest to refer to it as 2SXPS J075542.5$-$293353. We conclude, therefore, that the available data do not allow us to confirm existence and identify the true soft X-ray counterpart to the burst event. Presence of a soft counterpart is, however, essential to unambiguously associate the burst with a magnetar flare, and thus we conclude that magnetar origin of the burst and precise burst location remain uncertain and require further investigation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

A variable ionized disk wind in the black-hole candidate EXO 1846-031

After 34 years, the black-hole candidate EXO 1846-031 went into outburst again in 2019. We investigate its spectral properties in the hard intermediate and the soft states with NuSTAR and Insight-HXMT. A reflection component has been detected in the two spectral states but possibly originating from different illumination spectra: in the intermediate state, the illuminating source is attributed to a hard coronal component, which has been commonly observed in other X-ray binaries, whereas in the soft state the reflection is probably produced by the disk self-irradiation. Both cases support EXO 1846-031 as a low inclination system of ~40 degrees. An absorption line is clearly detected at ~7.2 keV in the hard intermediate state, corresponding to a highly ionized disk wind (log ξ > 6.1) with a velocity up to 0.06c. Meanwhile, quasi-simultaneous radio emissions have been detected before and after the X-rays, implying the co-existence of disk winds and jets in this system. Additionally, the observed wind in this source is potentially driven by magnetic forces. The absorption line disappeared in the soft state and a narrow emission line appeared at ~6.7 keV on top of the reflection component, which may be evidence for disk winds, but data with the higher spectral resolution are required to examine this.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Observations of GRO J1744-28 in quiescence with XMM-Newton

We report on the deep observations of the "bursting pulsar" GRO J1744-28, which were performed with XMM-Newton and aimed to clarify the origin of its X-ray emission in quiescence. We detect the source at a luminosity level of $\sim10^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$ with an X-ray spectrum that is consistent with the power law, blackbody, or accretion-heated neutron star atmosphere models. The improved X-ray localization of the source allowed us to confirm the previously identified candidate optical counterpart as a relatively massive G/K~III star at 8 kpc close to the Galactic center, implying an almost face-on view of the binary system. Although we could only find a nonrestricting upper limit on the pulsed fraction of $\sim20$%, the observed hard X-ray spectrum and strong long-term variability of the X-ray flux suggest that the source is also still accreting when not in outburst. The luminosity corresponding to the onset of centrifugal inhibition of accretion is thus estimated to be at least two orders of magnitude lower than previously reported. We discuss this finding in the context of previous studies and argue that the results indicate a multipole structure in the magnetic field with the first dipole term of $\sim 10^{10}$ G, which is much lower than previously assumed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Discovery of oscillations above 200 keV in a black hole X-ray binary with Insight-HXMT

Low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs) are commonly found in black hole X-ray binaries, and their origin is still under debate. The properties of LFQPOs at high energies (above 30 keV) are closely related to the nature of the accretion flow in the innermost regions, and thus play a crucial role in critically testing various theoretical models. The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) is capable of detecting emissions above 30 keV, and is therefore an ideal instrument to do so. Here we report the discovery of LFQPOs above 200 keV in the new black hole MAXI J1820+070 in the X-ray hard state, which allows us to understand the behaviours of LFQPOs at hundreds of kiloelectronvolts. The phase lag of the LFQPO is constant around zero below 30 keV, and becomes a soft lag (that is, the high-energy photons arrive first) above 30 keV. The soft lag gradually increases with energy and reaches ~0.9s in the 150-200 keV band. The detection at energies above 200 keV, the large soft lag and the energy-related behaviors of the LFQPO pose a great challenge for most currently existing models, but suggest that the LFQPO probably originates from the precession of a small-scale jet.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

A peculiar cyclotron line near 16 keV detected in the 2015 outburst of 4U 0115+63?

In 2015 October, the Be/X-ray binary 4U 0115+63 underwent a type II outburst, reaching an X-ray luminosity of $\sim$ {\DP{38}\es}. During the outburst, Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array ({\it NuSTAR}) performed two Target of Opportunity observations. Using the broad-band spectra from {\it NuSTAR} (3$-$79 keV), we have detected multiple cyclotron lines of the source, i.e., $\sim$ 12, 16, 22 and 33/35 keV. Obviously, the 16 keV line is not a harmonic component of the 12 keV line. As described by the phase-dependent equivalent widths of these cyclotron lines, the 16 keV and 12 keV lines are two different fundamental lines. In our work, we apply the two-poles cyclotron line model to the observation, i.e., the two line sets are formed at the same altitude ($\sim$ 0.2 km over the NS surface) of different magnetic poles, with $\sim$ {1.1\TDP{12}} and {1.4\TDP{12}} G in two poles, respectively.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

The evolution of the broadband temporal features observed in the black-hole transient MAXI J1820+070 with Insight-HXMT

We study the evolution of the temporal properties of MAXI 1820+070 during the 2018 outburst in its hard state from MJD 58190 to 58289 with Insight-HXMT in a broad energy band 1-150 keV. We find different behaviors of the hardness ratio, the fractional rms and time lag before and after MJD 58257, suggesting a transition occurred at around this point. The observed time lags between the soft photons in the 1-5 keV band and the hard photons in higher energy bands, up to 150 keV, are frequency-dependent: the time lags in the low-frequency range, 2-10 mHz, are both soft and hard lags with a timescale of dozens of seconds but without a clear trend along the outburst; the time lags in the high-frequency range, 1-10 Hz, are only hard lags with a timescale of tens of milliseconds; first increase until around MJD 58257 and decrease after this date. The high-frequency time lags are significantly correlated to the photon index derived from the fit to the quasi-simultaneous NICER spectrum in the 1-10 keV band. This result is qualitatively consistent with a model in which the high-frequency time lags are produced by Comptonization in a jet.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

A diagnostic on the orbital spectrum of LS 5039 with Fermi-LAT

LS 5039 is a well-known $γ$-ray binary system which consists of an unknown compact object and a massive companion O star. It shows rather stable emissions at high energies over years and hence serves as an ideal laboratory to investigate the emission mechanism for such peculiar systems which emit prominent $γ$-rays. To this end, we take the orbital phase resolved energy spectrum as observed by \fermi over 10 years. We divide the orbit into four orbital phases, each with an orbital phase range of 0.25, centered at 0.00, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 respectively, where the phase 0.0 is the periastron and phase 0.5 is the apastron. The phases around 0.25 and 0.75 are symmetric and hence are supposed to have identical local acceleration environment. The spectral analysis shows that, the \fermi spectra are largely different from these two symmetric orbital phases: the emission from orbital phase 0.25 turns out to be significantly stronger than that from 0.75. This result does not fit a scenario that $γ$-rays are Doppler boosted emission from bow shock tails if LS 5039 has a shock configuration similar to PSR B1259-63, and indicates that the inverse Compton scatterings between the shock accelerated plasma and the stellar particle environment is the underline procedure. We also find that the previous report for a disappearance of the orbital modulation at 3--20 GeV is due to the similar spectral turn-over energies of the different orbital phases. The spectral properties of periastron and apastron regions are addressed in the context of the measurements in phase regions around 0.25 and 0.75.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Insight-HXMT observations of Swift J0243.6+6124 during its 2017-2018 outburst

The recently discovered neutron star transient Swift J0243.6+6124 has been monitored by {\it the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope} ({\it Insight-\rm HXMT). Based on the obtained data, we investigate the broadband spectrum of the source throughout the outburst. We estimate the broadband flux of the source and search for possible cyclotron line in the broadband spectrum. No evidence of line-like features is, however, found up to $\rm 150~keV$. In the absence of any cyclotron line in its energy spectrum, we estimate the magnetic field of the source based on the observed spin evolution of the neutron star by applying two accretion torque models. In both cases, we get consistent results with $B\rm \sim 10^{13}~G$, $D\rm \sim 6~kpc$ and peak luminosity of $\rm >10^{39}~erg~s^{-1}$ which makes the source the first Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source hosting a neutron star.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Long-term evolutions of the cyclotron line energies in Her X-1, Vela X-1 and Cen X-3 as observed with Swift/BAT

We study the long-term evolution of the centroid energy of cyclotron lines - often referered to as Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Features (CRSF) - in Her X-1, Vela X-1 and Cen X-3, using survey observations of the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) onboard Swift. We find a significant decrease of the fundamental CRSF energy in Her X-1 and the first harmonic line energy in Vela X-1, since the launch of Swift in 2004 and until 2010 and 2012, respectively.In both sources the decreases stopped at some time, with a quite stable centroid energy thereafter. Unlike in Her X-1 and Vela X-1, the CRSF energy in Cen X-3 does not show a long-term decrease. It is observed not to change for at least the past 14 years. The long-term variation of the line energy is a direct way to investigate the magnetic field structure in the polar regions of pulsars. Our results may stimulate the development of theoretical models, especially regarding to how the accreted mass accumulates in the accretion mound or how the magnetic field distorts around the polar cap.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Physics and astrophysics of strong magnetic field systems with eXTP

In this paper we present the science potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies of strongly magnetized objects. We will focus on the physics and astrophysics of strongly magnetized objects, namely magnetars, accreting X-ray pulsars, and rotation powered pulsars. We also discuss the science potential of eXTP for QED studies. Developed by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Observatory science with eXTP

In this White Paper we present the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies related to Observatory Science targets. These include flaring stars, supernova remnants, accreting white dwarfs, low and high mass X-ray binaries, radio quiet and radio loud active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events, and gamma-ray bursts. eXTP will be excellently suited to study one common aspect of these objects: their often transient nature. Developed by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Dense matter with eXTP

In this White Paper we present the potential of the Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for determining the nature of dense matter; neutron star cores host an extreme density regime which cannot be replicated in a terrestrial laboratory. The tightest statistical constraints on the dense matter equation of state will come from pulse profile modelling of accretion-powered pulsars, burst oscillation sources, and rotation-powered pulsars. Additional constraints will derive from spin measurements, burst spectra, and properties of the accretion flows in the vicinity of the neutron star. Under development by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

The enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission - eXTP

In this paper we present the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission - eXTP. eXTP is a space science mission designed to study fundamental physics under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. The mission aims at determining the equation of state of matter at supra-nuclear density, measuring effects of QED, and understanding the dynamics of matter in strong-field gravity. In addition to investigating fundamental physics, eXTP will be a very powerful observatory for astrophysics that will provide observations of unprecedented quality on a variety of galactic and extragalactic objects. In particular, its wide field monitoring capabilities will be highly instrumental to detect the electro-magnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources. The paper provides a detailed description of: (1) the technological and technical aspects, and the expected performance of the instruments of the scientific payload; (2) the elements and functions of the mission, from the spacecraft to the ground segment.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2018

The GeV emission of PSR B1259-63 during its last three periastron passages observed by Fermi-LAT

PSR B1259-63 is a $γ$-ray emitting high mass X-ray binary system, in which the compact object is a millisecond pulsar. The system has an orbital period of 1236.7 d and shows peculiar $γ$-ray flares when the neutron star moves out of the stellar disk of the companion star. The $γ$-ray flare events were firstly discovered by using Fermi-LAT around the 2010 periastron passage, which was repeated for the 2014 and 2017 periastron passages. We analyze the Fermi-LAT data for all the three periastron passages and found that in each flare the energy spectrum can be represented well by a simple power law. The $γ$-ray light curves show that in 2010 and 2014 after each periastron there are two main flares, but in 2017 there are four flares including one precursor about 10 d after the periastron passage. The first main flares in 2010 and 2014 are located at around 35 d after the periastron passage, and the main flare in 2014 is delayed by roughly 1.7 d with respect to that in 2010. In the 2017 flare, the source shows a precursor about 10 d after the periastron passage, but the following two flares become weaker and lag behind those in 2010 by roughly 5 d. The strongest flares in 2017 occurred 58 d and 70 d after the periastron passage. These results challenge the previous models.

astro-ph.HE↗