arXiv subjects

S. Bogdanov

Publications and source records attributed to S. Bogdanov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Radius of the Neutron Star PSR J0614-3329 from NICER Data

Neutron star radius measurements, particularly using X-ray data collected with the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), have provided invaluable information for models of cold, catalyzed matter at densities above that of nuclear saturation. Here we present an analysis of NICER data on the 318-Hz pulsar PSR J0614-3329, which has a mass ~1.4-1.5 solar masses determined from radio observations. The best-fitting model we explore has three uniform-temperature circular hot spots and yields a symmetric 68% credible range for the equatorial circumferential radius of 9.88-12.77 km. We also explore joint fits to the NICER data and the X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM-Newton) data on this pulsar, but find that the models that best fit both data sets systematically underpredict the XMM-Newton data when, as is standard, it is assumed that the XMM-Newton background is known from observations of surrounding fields. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results, combined with data on other neutron stars, for the properties of the dense matter in neutron star cores.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Low-complexity neural network equalization for long-haul coherent transmission with cascaded semiconductor optical amplifiers

In this letter, we numerically investigate a long-haul coherent data transmission system with a cascade of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). We exploit low-complexity neural networks that can be implemented in real time to compensate for the accumulated distortions induced by a cascade of SOAs. This equalization provides an order-of-magnitude reduction in bit error rate at low dispersion (in the O-band), whereas higher dispersion degrades performance.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

XMM-Newton Observation and Optical Monitoring of the Candidate Redback Millisecond Pulsar 1FGL J0523.5$-$2529

1FGL J0523.5$-$2529 is a Fermi selected redback millisecond pulsar candidate that exhibited luminous optical and X-ray flares in 2020-2021. We obtained a simultaneous X-ray and $U$-band observation with XMM-Newton in 2025, the first to cover the 16.5 hr orbit of 1FGL J0523.5$-$2529. The X-ray luminosity was in an intermediate state with a power-law photon spectral index of $\Gamma=1.53\pm0.02$. Apparent fluctuations were superposed on a broad, single-peaked modulation, the latter characteristic of intrabinary shock models in which the shock front is wrapped around the pulsar. The $U$-band light curve was dominated by ellipsoidal modulation of the nearly Roche lobe filling companion star, similar to that seen in ground-based optical photometry. We also used this effect in 10 years of ATLAS monitoring to improve the precision of the orbital period to 0.6881366(19) days. Considering that searches for radio pulsations from 1FGL J0523.5$-$2529 at all orbital phases have been unsuccessful, it may be that the shocked wind usually surrounds the pulsar.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

The Radius of PSR J0437-4715 from NICER Data

Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) data have been used to estimate the masses and radii of the rotation-powered millisecond pulsars PSR J0030$+$0451, PSR J0740$+$6620, PSR J0437$-$4715, PSR J1231$-$1411, and PSR J0614$-$3329, sometimes in joint analyses with X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM-Newton) data. These measurements provide invaluable information about the properties of cold, catalyzed matter beyond nuclear saturation density. Here we present the results of our modeling of NICER data on PSR J0437$-$4715 using several different models of hot thermal X-ray emitting spots on the stellar surface. For this pulsar, previous Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations established that there is also a modulated nonthermal component to the emission, but the previously published analysis of NICER data did not model this component. We find that the Bayesian evidence is significantly higher when the modulated nonthermal component is included, and that omission of this component leads to poor fits to the bolometric NICER data and thus risks bias in the resulting radius estimates. Our models, which we pursue to inferential convergence, therefore have modulated nonthermal emission, and our headline model has in addition three uniform-temperature thermally-emitting circular spots. Using this model, the symmetric 68% credible range in the radius is 11.8 km to 15.1 km, which at the independently-measured mass of $M=1.418\pm 0.044~M_\odot$ is consistent with previous reports of the radius of the $\sim 1.4~M_\odot$ pulsar PSR J0030$+$0451. We discuss the implications of this measurement for the equation of state of dense matter.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Low-temperature electron dephasing rates indicate magnetic disorder in superconducting TiN films

We investigate electron transport and phase-breaking processes in thin titanium nitride (TiN) films of epitaxial quality. Previous studies show that a minute surface magnetic disorder significantly reduces the critical temperature ($T_\mathrm{c}$) and broadens the superconducting transition as the film thickness and device size decrease. We measure electron dephasing rates via magnetoresistance from $T_\mathrm{c}$ to $\sim 4T_\mathrm{c}$ in various-thickness TiN films. Electron dephasing occurs on the picosecond timescale and is nearly independent of temperature, differing from the expected inelastic scattering due to the electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions near $T_\mathrm{c}$, which occur over a nanosecond timescale. We propose spin-flip scattering as a possible additional phase-breaking mechanism. The significant increase in the dephasing rate for the thinnest film indicates that magnetic disorder resides near the surface of naturally oxidized films. Our research suggests that magnetic disorder may be a significant contributor to RF dissipation in superconducting devices based on TiN.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Trainable dynamical masking for readout-free optical computing

Nonlinear systems, transforming an input signal into a high-dimensional output feature space, can be used for non-conventional computing. This approach, however, requires a change of system parameters during training rather than coefficients in a software program. We propose here to use available off-the-shelf high-speed optical communication devices and technologies to implement a trainable dynamical mask in addition to or even instead of the traditional readout layer for extreme learning machine-based computing. The computational potential of the proposed approach is demonstrated with both regression and time series prediction tasks.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Natural width of the superconducting transition in epitaxial TiN films

We investigate the effect of various fluctuation mechanisms on the DC resistance in superconducting devices based on epitaxial titanium nitride (TiN) films. The samples we studied show a relatively steep resistive transition (RT), with a transition width $\Delta T/T_\mathrm{c} \sim 0.002-0.025$, depending on the film thickness (20 nm, 9 nm, and 5 nm) and device dimensions. This value is significantly broader than expected due to conventional superconducting fluctuations ($\Delta T/T_\mathrm{c} \ll 10^{-3}$). The shape and width of the RT can be perfectly described by the well-known effective medium theory, which allows us to understand the origin of the inhomogeneity in the superconducting properties of TiN films. We propose that this inhomogeneity can have both dynamic and static origins. The dynamic mechanism is associated with spontaneous fluctuations in electron temperature (T-fluctuations), while the static mechanism is due to a random spatial distribution of surface magnetic disorder (MD). Our analysis has revealed clear correlations between the transition width and material parameters as well as device size for both proposed mechanisms. While T-fluctuations may contribute significantly to the observed transition width, our findings suggest that the dominant contribution comes from the MD mechanism. Our results provide new insights into the microscopic origin of broadening of the superconducting transition and inhomogeneity in thin superconducting films.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Slow electron-phonon relaxation controls the dynamics of the superconducting resistive transition

We investigate the temporal and spatial scales of resistance fluctuations ($R$-fluctuations) at the superconducting resistive transition accessed through voltage fluctuations measurements in thin epitaxial TiN films. This material is characterized by a slow electron-phonon relaxation, which puts it far beyond the applicability range of the textbook scenario of superconducting fluctuations. The measured Lorentzian spectrum of the $R$-fluctuations identifies their correlation time, which is nearly constant across the transition region and has no relation to the conventional Ginzburg-Landau time scale. Instead, the correlation time coincides with the energy relaxation time determined by a combination of the electron-phonon relaxation and the relaxation via diffusion into reservoirs. Our data is quantitatively consistent with the model of spontaneous temperature fluctuations and highlight the lack of understanding of the resistive transition in materials with slow electron-phonon relaxation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER and XMM-Newton Data

PSR J0740$+$6620 has a gravitational mass of $2.08\pm 0.07~M_\odot$, which is the highest reliably determined mass of any neutron star. As a result, a measurement of its radius will provide unique insight into the properties of neutron star core matter at high densities. Here we report a radius measurement based on fits of rotating hot spot patterns to Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) and X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM-Newton) X-ray observations. We find that the equatorial circumferential radius of PSR J0740$+$6620 is $13.7^{+2.6}_{-1.5}$ km (68%). We apply our measurement, combined with the previous NICER mass and radius measurement of PSR J0030$+$0451, the masses of two other $\sim 2~M_\odot$ pulsars, and the tidal deformability constraints from two gravitational wave events, to three different frameworks for equation of state modeling, and find consistent results at $\sim 1.5-3$ times nuclear saturation density. For a given framework, when all measurements are included the radius of a $1.4~M_\odot$ neutron star is known to $\pm 4$% (68% credibility) and the radius of a $2.08~M_\odot$ neutron star is known to $\pm 5$%. The full radius range that spans the $\pm 1σ$ credible intervals of all the radius estimates in the three frameworks is $12.45\pm 0.65$ km for a $1.4~M_\odot$ neutron star and $12.35\pm 0.75$ km for a $2.08~M_\odot$ neutron star.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2021

NICER Detection of Thermal X-ray Pulsations from the Massive Millisecond Pulsars PSR J0740+6620 and PSR J1614-2230

We report the detection of X-ray pulsations from the rotation-powered millisecond-period pulsars PSR J0740+6620 and PSR J1614-2230, two of the most massive neutron stars known, using observations with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). We also analyze X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) data for both pulsars to obtain their time-averaged fluxes and study their respective X-ray fields. PSR J0740+6620 exhibits a broad double-peaked profile with a separation of ~0.4 in phase. PSR J1614-2230, on the other hand, has a broad single-peak profile. The broad modulations with soft X-ray spectra of both pulsars are indicative of thermal radiation from one or more small regions of the stellar surface. We show the NICER detections of X-ray pulsations for both pulsars and also discuss the phase relationship to their radio pulsations. In the case of PSR J0740+6620, this paper documents the data reduction performed to obtain the pulsation detection and prepare for pulse profile modeling analysis.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

The SUrvey for Pulsars and Extragalactic Radio Bursts IV: Discovery and polarimetry of a 12.1-second radio pulsar

We report the discovery of PSR~J2251$-$3711, a radio pulsar with a spin period of 12.1 seconds, the second longest currently known. Its timing parameters imply a characteristic age of 15 Myr, a surface magnetic field of $1.3 \times 10^{13}$~G and a spin-down luminosity of $2.9 \times 10^{29}~\mathrm{erg~s}^{-1}$. Its dispersion measure of 12.12(1)~$\mathrm{pc}~\mathrm{cm}^{-3}$ leads to distance estimates of 0.5 and 1.3 kpc according to the NE2001 and YMW16 Galactic free electron density models, respectively. Some of its single pulses show an uninterrupted 180 degree sweep of the phase-resolved polarization position angle, with an S-shape reminiscent of the rotating vector model prediction. However, the fact that this sweep occurs at different phases from one pulse to another is remarkable and without straightforward explanation. Although PSR~J2251$-$3711 lies in the region of the $P-\dot{P}$ parameter space occupied by the X-ray Isolated Neutron Stars (XINS), there is no evidence for an X-ray counterpart in our Swift XRT observation; this places a 99\%-confidence upper bound on its unabsorbed bolometric thermal luminosity of $1.1 \times 10^{31}~(d / 1~\mathrm{kpc})^2~\mathrm{erg/s}$ for an assumed temperature of 85 eV, where $d$ is the distance to the pulsar. Further observations are needed to determine whether it is a rotation-powered pulsar with a true age of at least several Myr, or a much younger object such as an XINS or a recently cooled magnetar. Extreme specimens like PSR J2251$-$3711 help bridge populations in the so-called neutron star zoo in an attempt to understand their origins and evolution.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

A NICER view of PSR J0030+0451: Implications for the dense matter equation of state

Both the mass and radius of the millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451 have been inferred via pulse-profile modeling of X-ray data obtained by NASA's NICER mission. In this Letter we study the implications of the mass-radius inference reported for this source by Riley et al. (2019) for the dense matter equation of state (EOS), in the context of prior information from nuclear physics at low densities. Using a Bayesian framework we infer central densities and EOS properties for two choices of high-density extensions: a piecewise-polytropic model and a model based on assumptions of the speed of sound in dense matter. Around nuclear saturation density these extensions are matched to an EOS uncertainty band obtained from calculations based on chiral effective field theory interactions, which provide a realistic description of atomic nuclei as well as empirical nuclear matter properties within uncertainties. We further constrain EOS expectations with input from the current highest measured pulsar mass; together, these constraints offer a narrow Bayesian prior informed by theory as well as laboratory and astrophysical measurements. The NICER mass-radius likelihood function derived by Riley et al. (2019) using pulse-profile modeling is consistent with the highest-density region of this prior. The present relatively large uncertainties on mass and radius for PSR J0030+0451 offer, however, only a weak posterior information gain over the prior. We explore the sensitivity to the inferred geometry of the heated regions that give rise to the pulsed emission, and find a small increase in posterior gain for an alternative (but less preferred) model. Lastly, we investigate the hypothetical scenario of increasing the NICER exposure time for PSR J0030+0451.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

PSR J0030+0451 Mass and Radius from NICER Data and Implications for the Properties of Neutron Star Matter

Neutron stars are not only of astrophysical interest, but are also of great interest to nuclear physicists, because their attributes can be used to determine the properties of the dense matter in their cores. One of the most informative approaches for determining the equation of state of this dense matter is to measure both a star's equatorial circumferential radius $R_e$ and its gravitational mass $M$. Here we report estimates of the mass and radius of the isolated 205.53 Hz millisecond pulsar PSR J0030+0451 obtained using a Bayesian inference approach to analyze its energy-dependent thermal X-ray waveform, which was observed using the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). This approach is thought to be less subject to systematic errors than other approaches for estimating neutron star radii. We explored a variety of emission patterns on the stellar surface. Our best-fit model has three oval, uniform-temperature emitting spots and provides an excellent description of the pulse waveform observed using NICER. The radius and mass estimates given by this model are $R_e = 13.02^{+1.24}_{-1.06}$ km and $M = 1.44^{+0.15}_{-0.14}\ M_\odot$ (68%). The independent analysis reported in the companion paper by Riley et al. (2019) explores different emitting spot models, but finds spot shapes and locations and estimates of $R_e$ and $M$ that are consistent with those found in this work. We show that our measurements of $R_e$ and $M$ for PSR J0030$+$0451 improve the astrophysical constraints on the equation of state of cold, catalyzed matter above nuclear saturation density.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

NICER X-ray Observations of Seven Nearby Rotation-Powered Millisecond Pulsars

NICER observed several rotation-powered millisecond pulsars to search for or confirm the presence of X-ray pulsations. When broad and sine-like, these pulsations may indicate thermal emission from hot polar caps at the magnetic poles on the neutron star surface. We report confident detections ($\ge4.7σ$ after background filtering) of X-ray pulsations for five of the seven pulsars in our target sample: PSR J0614-3329, PSR J0636+5129, PSR J0751+1807, PSR J1012+5307, and PSR J2241-5236, while PSR J1552+5437 and PSR J1744-1134 remain undetected. Of those, only PSR J0751+1807 and PSR J1012+5307 had pulsations previously detected at the 1.7$σ$ and almost 3$σ$ confidence levels, respectively, in XMM-Newton data. All detected sources exhibit broad sine-like pulses, which are indicative of surface thermal radiation. As such, these MSPs are promising targets for future X-ray observations aimed at constraining the neutron star mass-radius relation and the dense matter equation of state using detailed pulse profile modeling. Furthermore, we find that three of the detected millisecond pulsars exhibit a significant phase offset between their X-ray and radio pulses.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Radio and X-ray monitoring of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J17591-2342 in outburst

IGR J17591$-$2342 is a new accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar (AMXP) that was recently discovered in outburst in 2018. Early observations revealed that the source's radio emission is brighter than that of any other known neutron star low-mass X-ray binary (NS-LMXB) at comparable X-ray luminosity, and assuming its likely $\gtrsim 6$ kpc distance. It is comparably radio bright to black hole LMXBs at similar X-ray luminosities. In this work, we present the results of our extensive radio and X-ray monitoring campaign of the 2018 outburst of IGR J17591$-$2342. In total we collected 10 quasi-simultaneous radio (VLA, ATCA) and X-ray (Swift-XRT) observations, which make IGR J17591$-$2342 one of the best-sampled NS-LMXBs. We use these to fit a power-law correlation index $β= 0.37^{+0.42}_{-0.40}$ between observed radio and X-ray luminosities ( $L_\mathrm{R}\propto L_\mathrm{X}^β$). However, our monitoring revealed a large scatter in IGR J17591$-$2342's radio luminosity (at a similar X-ray luminosity, $L_\mathrm{X} \sim 10^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$, and spectral state), with $L_\mathrm{R} \sim 4 \times 10^{29}$ erg s$^{-1}$ during the first three reported observations, and up to a factor of 4 lower $L_\mathrm{R}$ during later radio observations. Nonetheless, the average radio luminosity of IGR J17591$-$2342 is still one of the highest among NS-LMXBs, and we discuss possible reasons for the wide range of radio luminosities observed in such systems during outburst. We found no evidence for radio pulsations from IGR J17591$-$2342 in our Green Bank Telescope observations performed shortly after the source returned to quiescence. Nonetheless, we cannot rule out that IGR J17591$-$2342 becomes a radio millisecond pulsar during quiescence.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

High-Precision X-ray Timing of Three Millisecond Pulsars with NICER: Stability Estimates and Comparison with Radio

The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) is an X-ray astrophysics payload on the International Space Station. It enables unprecedented high-precision timing of millisecond pulsars without the pulse broadening and delays due to dispersion and scattering within the interstellar medium that plague radio timing. We present initial timing results from a year of data on the millisecond pulsars PSR B1937+21 and PSR J0218+4232, and nine months of data on PSR B1821-24. NICER time-of-arrival uncertainties for the three pulsars are consistent with theoretical lower bounds and simulations based on their pulse shape templates and average source and background photon count rates. To estimate timing stability, we use the $σ_z$ measure, which is based on the average of the cubic coefficients of polynomial fits to subsets of timing residuals. So far we are achieving timing stabilities $σ_z \approx 3 \times 10^{-14}$ for PSR B1937+21 and on the order of $10^{-12}$ for PSRs B1821$-$24 and J0218+4232. Within the span of our \textit{NICER} data we do not yet see the characteristic break point in the slope of $σ_z$; detection of such a break would indicate that further improvement in the cumulative root-mean-square (RMS) timing residual is limited by timing noise. We see this break point in our comparison radio data sets for PSR B1821-24 and PSR B1937+21 on time scales of $> 2$ years.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

NuSTAR and NICER reveal IGR J17591-2342 as a new accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar

We report on the discovery by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J17591-2342, detecting coherent X-ray pulsations around 527.4 Hz (1.9 ms) with a clear Doppler modulation. This implies an orbital period of ~8.8 hours and a projected semi-major axis of ~1.23 lt-s. From the binary mass function, we estimate a minimum companion mass of 0.42 solar masses, obtained assuming a neutron star mass of 1.4 solar masses and an inclination angle lower than 60 degrees, as suggested by the absence of eclipses or dips in the light-curve of the source. The broad-band energy spectrum is dominated by Comptonisation of soft thermal seed photons with a temperature of ~0.7 keV by electrons heated to 21 keV. We also detect black-body-like thermal direct emission compatible with an emission region of a few kilometers and temperature compatible with the seed source of Comptonisation. A weak Gaussian line centered on the iron K-alpha; complex can be interpreted as a signature of disc reflection. A similar spectrum characterises the NICER spectra, measured during the outburst fading.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

The implementation of a Fast-Folding pipeline for long-period pulsar searching in the PALFA survey

The Pulsar Arecibo L-Band Feed Array (PALFA) survey, the most sensitive blind search for radio pulsars yet conducted, is ongoing at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The vast majority of the 180 pulsars discovered by PALFA have spin periods shorter than 2 seconds. Pulsar surveys may miss long-period radio pulsars due to the summing of a finite number of harmonic components in conventional Fourier analyses (typically $\sim$16), or due to the strong effect of red noise at low modulation frequencies. We address this reduction in sensitivity by using a time-domain search technique: the Fast-Folding Algorithm (FFA). We designed a program that implements a FFA-based search in the PALFA processing pipeline, and tested the efficiency of the algorithm by performing tests under both ideal, white noise conditions, as well as with real PALFA observational data. In the two scenarios, we show that the time-domain algorithm has the ability to outperform the FFT-based periodicity search implemented in the survey. We perform simulations to compare the previously reported PALFA sensitivity with that obtained using our new FFA implementation. These simulations show that for a pulsar having a pulse duty cycle of roughly 3%, the performance of our FFA pipeline exceeds that of our FFT pipeline for pulses with DM $\lesssim$ 40 pc cm$^{-3}$ and for periods as short as $\sim$500 ms, and that the survey sensitivity is improved by at least a factor of two for periods $\gtrsim$ 6 sec. Discoveries from the implementation of the algorithm in PALFA are also presented in this paper.

astro-ph.HE↗