arXiv subjects

P. Pradhan

Publications and source records attributed to P. Pradhan.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Double-hump spectrum, pulse profile dip, and pulsed fraction spectra from the low-accretion regime in the X-ray pulsar MAXI J0655-013

Accreting X-ray pulsars (XRPs) undergo different physical regimes depending on the mass accretion rate. Recent observations have shown a dramatic change in the emission properties of this class of sources observed at low luminosity. We explore the timing and spectral properties of the XRP MAXI J0655-013 observed in the low-luminosity regime (about 5x$10^{33}$ erg/s) to witness the corresponding spectral shape and pulse profiles. We employ recent $XMM$ and $NuSTAR$ pointed observations of the MAXI J0655-013 X-ray activity during the low-luminosity stage. We explore several spectral models to fit the data and test theoretical expectations of the dramatic transition of the spectral shape. We study the pulsating nature of the source and find a phase-connected timing solution. We explore the energy-resolved pulse profiles and the derived energy-dependence of different pulsed fraction estimators ($PF_{minmax}$ and $PF_{rms}$). We also obtain $NuSTAR$ pulsed fraction spectra (PFS) at different luminosity regimes. MAXI J0655-013 spectrum is well fitted by a double Comptonization model, in agreement with recent observational results and theoretical expectations that explain the observed spectrum as being composed of two distinct bumps, each dominated by different polarization modes. We measure a spin period of $1081.86\pm0.02$ s, consistent with the source spinning-up compared to previous observations, yielding an upper limit for the magnetic field strength of B<9x$10^{13}$ G. The pulse profiles show a single broad peak interrupted by a sharp dip that coincides with an increase in the hardness ratio. For the low-luminosity observation, the $PF_{minmax}$ increases with energy up to $\sim100\%$ in the 10-30 keV band, while the $PF_{rms}$ remains steady at $\sim60\%$. The PFS obtained at high luminosity shows evidence of an iron $K\alpha$ emission line but no indications of a cyclotron line.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

EWOCS-IV: 1Ms ACIS Chandra observation of the supergiant B[e] star Wd1-9

Supergiant B[e] (sgB[e]) stars are exceptionally rare objects, with only a handful of confirmed examples in the Milky Way. The evolutionary pathways leading to the sgB[e] phase remain largely debated, highlighting the need for additional observations. The sgB[e] star Wd1-9, located in the massive cluster Westerlund 1 (Wd1), is enshrouded in a dusty cocoon--likely the result of past eruptive activity--leaving its true nature enigmatic. We present the most detailed X-ray study of Wd1-9 to date, using X-rays that pierce through its cocoon with the aim to uncover its nature and evolutionary state. We utilize 36 Chandra observations of Wd1 from the 'Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters Survey' (EWOCS), plus eight archival datasets, totalling 1.1 Ms. This dataset allows investigation of long-term variability and periodicity in Wd1-9, while X-ray colours and spectra are analysed over time to uncover patterns that shed light on its nature. Wd1-9 exhibits significant long-term X-ray variability, within which we identify a strong 14-day periodic signal. We interpret this as the orbital period, marking the first period determination for the system. The X-ray spectrum of Wd1-9 is thermal and hard (kT approximately 3.0 keV), resembling the spectra of bright Wolf-Rayet (WR) binaries in Wd1, while a strong Fe emission line at 6.7 keV indicates hot plasma from a colliding-wind X-ray binary. Wd1-9, with evidence of past mass loss, circumbinary material, a hard X-ray spectrum, and a newly detected 14-day period, displays all the hallmarks of a binary--likely a WR+OB--that recently underwent early Case B mass transfer. Its sgB[e] classification is likely phenomenological reflecting emission from the dense circumbinary material. This places Wd1-9 in a rarely observed phase, possibly revealing a newly formed WN star, bridging the gap between immediate precursors and later evolutionary stages in Wd1.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Rapid Mid-Infrared Spectral-Timing with JWST. I. The prototypical black hole X-ray Binary GRS 1915+105 during a MIR-bright and X-ray-obscured state

We present mid-infrared (MIR) spectral-timing measurements of the prototypical Galactic microquasar GRS 1915+105. The source was observed with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) onboard JWST in June 2023 at a MIR luminosity L(MIR)~10^{36} erg/s exceeding past IR levels by about a factor of 10. By contrast, the X-ray flux is much fainter than the historical average, in the source's now-persistent 'obscured' state. The MIRI low-resolution spectrum shows a plethora of emission lines, the strongest of which are consistent with recombination in the hydrogen Pfund (Pf) series and higher. Low amplitude (~1%) but highly significant peak-to-peak photometric variability is found on timescales of ~1,000 s. The brightest Pf(6-5) emission line lags the continuum. Though difficult to constrain accurately, this lag is commensurate with light-travel timescales across the outer accretion disc or with expected recombination timescales inferred from emission line diagnostics. Using the emission line as a bolometric indicator suggests a moderate (~5-30% Eddington) intrinsic accretion rate. Multiwavelength monitoring shows that JWST caught the source close in-time to unprecedentedly bright MIR and radio long-term flaring. Assuming a thermal bremsstrahlung origin for the MIRI continuum suggests an unsustainably high mass-loss rate during this time unless the wind remains bound, though other possible origins cannot be ruled out. PAH features previously detected with Spitzer are now less clear in the MIRI data, arguing for possible destruction of dust in the interim. These results provide a preview of new parameter space for exploring MIR spectral-timing in XRBs and other variable cosmic sources on rapid timescales.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

The giant outburst of EXO 2030+375 II: Broadband spectroscopy and evolution

In 2021, the high-mass X-ray binary EXO 2030+375 underwent a giant X-ray outburst, the first since 2006, that reached a peak flux of ${\sim}600\,\mathrm{mCrab}$ (3-50\,keV). The goal of this work is to study the spectral evolution over the course of the outburst, search for possible cyclotron resonance scattering features (CRSFs), and to associate spectral components with the emission pattern of the accretion column. We used broadband spectra taken with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), and Chandra near the peak and during the decline phase of the outburst. We describe the data with established empirical continuum models and perform pulse-phase-resolved spectroscopy. We compare the spectral evolution with pulse phase using a proposed geometrical emission model. We find a significant spectral hardening toward lower luminosity, a behavior that is expected for super-critical sources. The continuum shape and evolution cannot be described by a simple power-law model with exponential cutoff; it requires additional absorption or emission components. We can confirm the presence of a narrow absorption feature at ${\sim}10\,\mathrm{keV}$ in both NuSTAR observations. The absence of harmonics puts into question the interpretation of this feature as a CRSF. The empirical spectral components cannot be directly associated with identified emission components from the accretion column.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

The giant outburst of EXO 2030+375 I: Spectral and pulse profile evolution

The Be X-ray binary EXO 2030+375 went through its third recorded giant outburst from June 2021 to early 2022. We present the results of both spectral and timing analysis based on NICER monitoring, covering the 2-10 keV flux range from 20 to 310 mCrab. Dense monitoring with observations carried out about every second day and a total exposure time of 160 ks allowed us to closely track the source evolution over the outburst. Changes in spectral shape and pulse profiles showed a stable luminosity dependence during the rise and decline. The same type of dependence has been seen in past outbursts. The pulse profile is characterized by several distinct peaks and dips. The profiles show a clear dependence on luminosity with a stark transition at a luminosity of 2x10^36 erg/s, indicating a change in the emission pattern. Using relativistic ray-tracing, we demonstrate how anisotropic beaming of emission from an accretion channel with constant geometrical configuration can give rise to the observed pulse profiles over a range of luminosities.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): A New Window into Neutron Star Accretion

Accreting neutron stars (NSs) represent a unique laboratory for probing the physics of accretion in the presence of strong magnetic fields ($B\gtrsim 10^8$ G). Additionally, the matter inside the NS itself exists in an ultra-dense, cold state that cannot be reproduced in Earth-based laboratories. Hence, observational studies of these objects are a way to probe the most extreme physical regimes. Here we present an overview of the field and discuss the most important outstanding problems related to NS accretion. We show how these open questions regarding accreting NSs in both low-mass and high-mass X-ray binary systems can be addressed with the High-Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) via simulated data. In particular, with the broad X-ray passband and improved sensitivity afforded by a low X-ray background, HEX-P will be able to 1) distinguish between competing continuum emission models; 2) provide tighter upper limits on NS radii via reflection modeling techniques that are independent and complementary to other existing methods; 3) constrain magnetic field geometry, plasma parameters, and accretion column emission patterns by characterizing fundamental and harmonic cyclotron lines and exploring their behavior with pulse phase; 4) directly measure the surface magnetic field strength of highly magnetized NSs at the lowest accretion luminosities; as well as 5) detect cyclotron line features in extragalactic sources and probe their dependence on luminosity in the super-Eddington regime in order to distinguish between geometrical evolution and accretion-induced decay of the magnetic field. In these ways HEX-P will provide an essential new tool for exploring the physics of NSs, their magnetic fields, and the physics of extreme accretion.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2022

The unaltered pulsar: GRO J1750-27, a super-critical X-ray neutron star that does not blink an eye

When accreting X-ray pulsars (XRPs) undergo bright X-ray outbursts, their luminosity-dependent spectral and timing features can be analysed in detail. The XRP GRO J1750-27 recently underwent one of such episodes, during which it was observed with $NuSTAR$ and monitored with $NICER$. Such a data set is rarely available, as it samples the outburst over more than a month at a luminosity that is always exceeding ${\sim}5\times10^{37}\,$erg/s. This value is larger than the typical critical luminosity value, where a radiative shock is formed above the neutron star's surface. Our data analysis of the joint spectra returns a highly ($N_H\sim(5-8)\times10^{22}\,$cm$^{-2}$) absorbed spectrum showing a K$\alpha$ iron line, a soft blackbody component likely originating from the inner edge of the accretion disk, and confirms the discovery of one of the deepest cyclotron lines, at a centroid energy of ${\sim}44\,$keV corresponding to a magnetic field strength of $4.7\times10^{12}\,$G. This value is independently supported by the best-fit physical model for spectral formation in accreting XRPs which, in agreement with recent findings, favours a distance of $14$ kpc and also reflects a bulk-Comptonization dominated accretion flow. Contrary to theoretical expectations and observational evidence from other similar sources, the pulse profiles as observed by $NICER$ through the outburst raise, peak and decay remain remarkably steady. The $NICER$ spectrum, including the iron K$\alpha$ line best-fit parameters, also remain almost unchanged at all probed outburst stages, similar to the pulsed fraction behaviour. We argue that all these phenomena are linked and interpret them as resulting from a saturation effect of the accretion column's emission, which occurs in the high-luminosity regime.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Quantification of nonlinear absorption in ternary As-Sb-Se chalcogenide glasses

In this article, we studied intensity dependent third order nonlinear optical response in ternary As40Sb7Se53 and As40Sb10Se50 chalcogenide glasses by employing nanosecond Z-scan technique. At low intensity, we observed saturable absorption in As40Sb7Se53 which makes a remarkable transition to reverse saturable absorption at higher intensities. On the other hand, when the Sb concentration increased in As40Sb10Se50, saturable absorption disappears and the sample exhibits only two-photon absorption. Experimental results further indicate that the strong two-photon absorption in our samples can be exploited to fabricate high performance solid state optical limiting devices for next generation all-optical network.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Multi-wavelength observations of IGR J17544-2619 from quiescence to outburst

In this paper we report on a long multi-wavelength observational campaign of the supergiant fast X-ray transient prototype IGR J17544-2619. A 150 ks-long observation was carried out simultaneously with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, catching the source in an initial faint X-ray state and then undergoing a bright X-ray outburst lasting about 7 ks. We studied the spectral variability during outburst and quiescence by using a thermal and bulk Comptonization model that is typically adopted to describe the X-ray spectral energy distribution of young pulsars in high mass X-ray binaries. Although the statistics of the collected X-ray data were relatively high we could neither confirm the presence of a cyclotron line in the broad-band spectrum of the source (0.5-40 keV), nor detect any of the previously reported tentative detection of the source spin period. The monitoring carried out with Swift/XRT during the same orbit of the system observed by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR revealed that the source remained in a low emission state for most of the time, in agreement with the known property of all supergiant fast X-ray transients being significantly sub-luminous compared to other supergiant X-ray binaries. Optical and infrared observations were carried out for a total of a few thousands of seconds during the quiescence state of the source detected by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. The measured optical and infrared magnitudes were slightly lower than previous values reported in the literature, but compatible with the known micro-variability of supergiant stars. UV observations obtained with the UVOT telescope on-board Swift did not reveal significant changes in the magnitude of the source in this energy domain compared to previously reported values.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Is 4U 0114+65 an eclipsing HMXB?

We present the pulsation and spectral characteristics of the HMXB 4U 0114+65 during a \emph{Suzaku} observation covering the part of the orbit that included the previously known low intensity emission of the source (dip) and the egress from this state. This dip has been interpreted in previous works as an X-ray eclipse. Notably, in this Suzaku observation, the count rate during and outside the dip vary by a factor of only 2-4 at odds with the eclipses of other HMXBs, where the intensity drops upto two orders of magnitude. The orbital intensity profile of 4U 0114+65 is characterized by a narrow dip in the RXTE-ASM (2-12 \rm{keV}) light curve and a shallower one in the Swift-BAT (15-50 \rm{keV}), which is different from eclipse ingress/egress behaviour of other HMXBs. The time-resolved spectral analysis reveal moderate absorption column density (N$_{H}$ - 2-20 $\times$ $10^{22}$ atoms $cm^{-2}$) and a relatively low equivalent width ($\sim$ 30 \rm{eV} \& 12 \rm{eV} of the iron K$_α$ and K$_β$ lines respectively) as opposed to the typical X-ray spectra of HMXBs during eclipse where the equivalent width is $\sim$ 1 \rm{keV}. Both XIS and PIN data show clear pulsations during the dip, which we have further confirmed using the entire archival data of the IBIS/ISGRI and JEM-X instruments onboard \emph{INTEGRAL}. The results we presented question the previous interpretation of the dip in the light curve of 4U 0114+65 as an X-ray eclipse. We thus discuss alternative interpretations of the periodic dip in the light curve of 4U 0114+65.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2006

Light-Shift Imbalance Induced Blockade of Collective Excitations Beyond the Lowest Order

Current proposals focusing on neutral atoms for quantum computing are mostly based on using single atoms as quantum bits (qubits), while using cavity induced coupling or dipole-dipole interaction for two-qubit operations. An alternative approach is to use atomic ensembles as qubits. However, when an atomic ensemble is excited, by a laser beam matched to a two-level transition (or a Raman transition) for example, it leads to a cascade of many states as more and more photons are absorbed^1. In order to make use of an ensemble as a qubit, it is necessary to disrupt this cascade, and restrict the excitation to the absorption (and emission) of a single photon only. Here, we show how this can be achieved by using a new type of blockade mechanism, based on the light-shift imbalance (LSI) in a Raman transition. We describe first a simple example illustrating the concept of light shift imbalanced induced blockade (LSIIB) using a multi-level structure in a single atom, and show verifications of the analytic prediction using numerical simulations. We then extend this model to show how a blockade can be realized by using LSI in the excitation of an ensemble. Specifically, we show how the LSIIB process enables one to treat the ensemble as a two level atom that undergoes fully deterministic Rabi oscillations between two collective quantum states, while suppressing excitations of higher order collective states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2004

Two-dimensional Nanolithography Using Atom Interferometry

We propose a novel scheme for the lithography of arbitrary, two-dimensional nanostructures via matter-wave interference. The required quantum control is provided by a pi/2-pi-pi/2 atom interferometer with an integrated atom lens system. The lens system is developed such that it allows simultaneous control over atomic wave-packet spatial extent, trajectory, and phase signature. We demonstrate arbitrary pattern formations with two-dimensional 87Rb wavepackets through numerical simulations of the scheme in a practical parameter space. Prospects for experimental realizations of the lithography scheme are also discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Demonstration Of A Continuously Guided Atomic Interferometer Using A Single-Zone Optical Excitation

We demonstrate an atomic interferometer in which the atom passes through a single-zone optical beam, consisting of a pair of bichromatic counter-propagating fields. During the passage, the atomic wave packets in two distinct internal states trace out split trajectories, guided by the optical beams, with the amplitude and spread of each wave-packet varying continuously, producing fringes that can reach a visibility close to unity. We show that the rotation sensitivity of this continuous interferometer (CI) can be comparable to that of the Borde-Chu Interferometer (BCI). The relative simplicity of the CI makes it a potentially better candidate for practical applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Wavelength Teleportation via Distant Quantum Entanglement

Recently, we have shown theoretically [1] as well as experimentally [2] how the phase of an electromagnetic field can be determined by measuring the population of either of the two states of a two-level atomic system excited by this field, via the so-called Bloch-Siegert oscillation resulting from the interference between the co- and counter-rotating excitations. Here, we show how a degenerate entanglement, created without transmitting any timing signal, can be used to teleport this phase information. This phase-teleportation process may be applied to achieve wavelength teleportation, which in turn may be used for frequency-locking of remote oscillators.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Continuously Guided Atomic Interferometry Using a Single-Zone Optical Excitation: Theoretical Analysis

In an atomic interferometer, the phase shift due to rotation is proportional to the area enclosed by the split components of the atom. However, this model is unclear for an atomic interferometer demonstrated recently by Shahriar et al., for which the atom simply passes through a single-zone optical beam, consisting of a pair of bichromatic counter-propagating beams. During the passage, the atomic wave packets in two distinct internal states couple to each other continuously. The two internal states trace out a complicated trajectory, guided by the optical beams, with the amplitude and spread of each wavepacket varying continuously. Yet, at the end of the single-zone excitation, there is an interference with fringe amplitudes that can reach a visibility close to unity. For such a situation, it is not clear how one would define the area of the interferometer, and therefore, what the rotation sensitivity of such an interferometer would be. In this paper we analyze this interferometer in order to determine its rotation sensitivity, and thereby determine its effective area. In many ways, the continuous interferometer (CI) can be thought of as a limiting version of the Borde-Chu Interferometer (BCI). We identify a quality factor that can be used to compare the performance of these interferometers. Under conditions of practical interest, we show that the rotation sensitivity of the CI can be comparable to that of the BCI. The relative simplicity of the CI (e.g., elimination of the task of precise angular alignment of the three zones) then makes it a potentially better candidate for practical atom interferometry for rotation sensing.

quant-ph↗