Recursos de colección

Caltech Authors (144.724 recursos)

Repository of works by Caltech published authors.

Group = NuSTAR

1. Multi-epoch analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the active galactic nucleus in NGC 5506

Sun, Shangyu; Guainazzi, Matteo; Ni, Qingling; Wang, Jingchun; Qian, Chenyang; Shi, Fangzheng; Wang, Yu; Bambi, Cosimo
We present a multi-epoch X-ray spectroscopy analysis of the nearby narrow-line Seyfert I galaxy NGC 5506. For the first time, spectra taken by Chandra, XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and NuSTAR - covering the 2000-2014 time span - are analyzed simultaneously, using state-of-the-art models to describe reprocessing of the primary continuum by optical thick matter in the AGN environment. The main goal of our study is determining the spin of the supermassive black hole (SMBH). The nuclear X-ray spectrum is photoelectrically absorbed by matter with column density $\simeq 3 \times 10^{22}$~cm$^{-2}$. A soft excess is present at energies lower than the photoelectric cut-off. Both photo-ionized and collisionally ionized components are required to...

2. NuSTAR Hard X-ray Observations of the Energetic Millisecond Pulsars PSR B1821-24, PSR B1937+21, and PSR J0218+4232

Gotthelf, E. V.; Bogdanov, S.
We present Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) hard X-ray timing and spectroscopy of the three exceptionally energetic rotation-powered millisecond pulsars PSRs B1821-24, B1937+21, and J0218+4232. By correcting the NuSTAR on-board clock for phase and frequency drifts between observation intervals, we are able to recover the intrinsic hard X-ray pulse profiles of all three pulsars with a resolution down to < 15 microsec. The substantial reduction of background emission relative to previous broad-band X-ray observations allows us to detect for the first time pulsed emission up to ~50 keV, ~20 keV, and ~25 keV, for the three pulsars, respectively. We conduct phase-resolved spectroscopy in the 0.5-79 keV range for all...

3. Spectral and temporal properties of the ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar in M82 from 15 years of Chandra observations and analysis of the pulsed emission using NuSTAR

Brightman, Murray; Harrison, Fiona; Walton, Dominic J.; Fuerst, Felix; Hornschemeier, Ann; Zezas, Andreas; Bachetti, Matteo; Grefenstette, Brian; Ptak, Andrew; Tendulkar, Shriharsh; Yukita, Mihoko
The recent discovery by Bachetti et al. of a pulsar in M82 that can reach luminosities of up to 1040 erg s−1, a factor of ~100 times the Eddington luminosity for a 1.4 M⊙ compact object, poses a challenge for accretion physics. In order to better understand the nature of this source and its duty cycle, and in light of several physical models that have been subsequently published, we conduct a spectral and temporal analysis of the 0.5–8 keV X-ray emission from this source from 15 years of Chandra observations. We analyze 19 ACIS observations where the point-spread function (PSF)...

4. The NuSTAR Hard X-Ray Survey of the Norma Arm Region

Fornasini, Francesca M.; Forster, Karl; Grefenstette, Brian W.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Madsen, Kristin K.; Mao, Peter H.; Miyasaka, Hiromasa; Rana, Vikram
We present a catalog of hard X-ray sources in a square-degree region surveyed by the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) in the direction of the Norma spiral arm. This survey has a total exposure time of 1.7 Ms, and the typical and maximum exposure depths are 50 ks and 1 Ms, respectively. In the area of deepest coverage, sensitivity limits of 5 × 10^(−14) and 4 × 10^(−14) erg s^(−1) cm^(−2) in the 3–10 and 10–20 keV bands, respectively, are reached. Twenty-eight sources are firmly detected, and 10 are detected with low significance; 8 of the 38 sources are expected...

5. The infrared to X-ray correlation spectra of unobscured type 1 active galactic nuclei

García-Bernete, I.; Ramos Almeida, C.; Landt, H.; Ward, M. J.; Baloković, M.; Acosta-Pulido, J. A.
We use new X-ray data obtained with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), near-infrared (NIR) fluxes, and mid-infrared (MIR) spectra of a sample of 24 unobscured type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGN) to study the correlation between various hard X-ray bands between 3 and 80 keV and the infrared (IR) emission. The IR to X-ray correlation spectrum (IRXCS) shows a maximum at ~15-20 micron, coincident with the peak of the AGN contribution to the MIR spectra of the majority of the sample. There is also a NIR correlation peak at ~2 micron, which we associate with the NIR bump observed in some type 1 AGN at ~1-5 micron...

6. NuSTAR and Swift observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source IC 342 X-1 in 2016: witnessing spectral evolution

Shidatsu, Megumi; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Fabrika, Sergei
We report on an X-ray observing campaign of the ultraluminous X-ray source IC 342 X-1 with NuSTAR and Swift in 2016 October, in which we captured the very moment when the source showed spectral variation. The Swift/XRT spectrum obtained in October 9--11 has a power-law shape and is consistent with those observed in the coordinated XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations in 2012. In October 16--17, when the 3--10 keV flux became $\approx$4 times higher, we performed simultaneous NuSTAR and Swift observations. In this epoch, the source showed a more round-shaped spectrum like that seen with ASCA 23 years ago. Thanks to the wide energy coverage and high sensitivity of...

7. Properties of AGN coronae in the NuSTAR era – II. Hybrid plasma

Fabian, A. C.; Lohfink, A.; Belmont, R.; Malzac, J.; Coppi, P.
The corona, a hot cloud of electrons close to the centre of the accretion disc, produces the hard X-ray power-law continuum commonly seen in luminous Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). The continuum has a high-energy turnover, typically in the range of one to several 100 keV and is suggestive of Comptonization by thermal electrons. We are studying hard X-ray spectra of AGN obtained with NuSTAR after correction for X-ray reflection and under the assumption that coronae are compact, being only a few gravitational radii in size as indicated by reflection and reverberation modelling. Compact coronae raise the possibility that the temperature...

8. A strongly truncated inner accretion disc in the Rapid Burster

van den Eijnden, J.; Bagnoli, T.; Degenaar, N.; Lohfink, A. M.; Parker, M. L.; in ‘t Zand, J. J. M; Fabian, A. C.
The neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) the Rapid Burster (RB; MXB 1730-335) uniquely shows both Type I and Type II X-ray bursts. The origin of the latter is ill-understood but has been linked to magnetospheric gating of the accretion flow. We present a spectral analysis of simultaneous Swift, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the RB during its 2015 outburst. Although a broad Fe K line has been observed before, the high quality of our observations allows us to model this line using relativistic reflection models for the first time. We find that the disc is strongly truncated at...

9. NuSTAR observations of the X-ray pulsar LMC X-4: A constraint on the magnetic field and tomography of the system in the fluorescent iron line

Shtykovsky, A. E.; Lutovinov, A. A.; Arefiev, V. A.; Molkov, S. V.; Tsygankov, S. S.; Revnivtsev, M. G.
We present the results of the spectral and timing analysis of the X-ray pulsar LMC X-4 based on data from the NuSTAR observatory in the broad X-ray energy range 3-79 keV. Along with a detailed analysis of the source's averaged spectrum, high-precision spectra corresponding to different phases of the neutron star spin cycle have been obtained for the first time. The Comptonization model is shown to describe best the source's spectrum, and the evolution of its parameters as a function of the pulse phase has been traced. For all spectra (the averaged and phase-resolved ones) in the energy range 5-55...

10. A re-analysis of the NuSTAR and XMM-Newton broad-band spectrum of Serpens X-1

Matranga, M.; Di Salvo, T.; Iaria, R.; Gambino, A. F.; Burderi, L.; Riggio, A.; Sanna, A.
Context. High-resolution X-ray spectra of neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the energy range 6.4-6.97 keV are often characterized by the presence of Kα transition features of iron at different ionization stages. Since these lines are thought to originate by reflection of the primary Comptonization spectrum over the accretion disk, the study of these features allows us to investigate the structure of the accretion flow close to the central source. Thus, the study of these features gives us important physical information on the system parameters and geometry. Ser X-1 is a well studied LMXB that clearly shows a broad...

11. The Relativistic Jet-accretion Flow–wind Connection in Mrk 231

Reynolds, Cormac; Punsly, Brian; Miniutti, Giovanni; O’Dea, Christopher P.; Hurley-Walker, Natasha
Long-term radio monitoring of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasar Mrk 231 at 17.6 GHz detected a strong flare in 2015. This triggered four epochs of Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations from 8.4 to 43 GHz as well as three epochs of X-ray observations with NuSTAR and two with XMM over a 15 week period. Two ejected components were detected by the VLBA observations. A conservative lower bound on the apparent speed of the first ejection is attained by assuming that it was ejected when the flare began, {v}{app}> 3.15c. Serendipitous far-UV Hubble Space Telescope observations combined with our...

12. A Hard Look at the Neutron Stars and Accretion Disks in 4U 1636-53, GX 17+2, and 4U 1705-44 with NuStar

Ludlam, R. M.; Miller, J. M.; Bachetti, M.; Barret, D.; Bostrom, A. C.; Cackett, E. M.; Degenaar, N.; Di Salvo, T.; Natalucci, L.; Tomsick, J. A.; Paerels, F.; Parker, M. L.
We present NuSTAR observations of neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries: 4U 1636-53, GX 17+2, and 4U 1705-44. We observed 4U 1636-53 in the hard state, with an Eddington fraction, {F}{Edd}, of 0.01; GX 17+2 and 4U 1705-44 were in the soft state with fractions of 0.57 and 0.10, respectively. Each spectrum shows evidence for a relativistically broadened Fe K α line. Through accretion disk reflection modeling, we constrain the radius of the inner disk in 4U 1636-53 to be {R}{in}=1.03+/- 0.03 ISCO (innermost stable circular orbit), assuming a dimensionless spin parameter {a}* ={cJ}/{{GM}}2=0.0, and {R}{in}=1.08+/- 0.06 ISCO for {a}*...

13. AGN Coronae through a Jet Perspective

King, Ashley L.; Lohfink, Anne; Kara, Erin
This paper presents an in-depth look at the jet and coronal properties of 41 active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Utilizing the highest quality NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and NRAO VLA Sky Survey 1.4 GHz data, we find that the radio Eddington luminosity inversely scales with X-ray reflection fraction, and positively scales with the distance between the corona and the reflected regions in the disk. We next investigate a model fit to the data that predicts the corona is outflowing and propagates into the large-scale jet. We find this model describes the data well and predicts that the corona has mildly relativistic velocities, 0.04<...

14. Shedding Light on the Compton-thick Active Galactic Nucleus in the Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy UGC 5101 with Broadband X-Ray Spectroscopy

Oda, Saeko; Tanimoto, Atsushi; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Imanishi, Masatoshi; Terashima, Yuichi; Ricci, Claudio
We report the broadband X-ray spectra of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG) UGC 5101 in the 0.25–100 keV band observed with the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and Chandra. A Compton-thick active galactic nucleus (AGN) obscured with a hydrogen column density of ≈ 1.3 × 10^(24) cm^(-2) is detected above 10 keV. A spectral fit with a numerical torus model favors a large half-opening angle of the torus, > 41°, suggesting that the covering fraction of material heavily obscuring the X-ray source is moderate. The intrinsic 2–10 keV luminosity is determined to be ≈...

15. The high-Eddington NLS1 Ark 564 has the coolest corona

Kara, E.; Garcia, J. A.; Lohfink, A.; Fabian, A. C.; Reynolds, C. S.; Tombesi, F.; Wilkins, D. R.
Ark 564 is an archetypal Narrow line Seyfert 1 that has been well observed in soft X-rays from 0.3-10 keV, revealing a steep spectrum, strong soft excess, iron K emission line and dramatic variability on the order of hours. Because of its very steep spectrum, observations of the source above 10 keV have been sparse. We report here on the first NuSTAR observation of Ark 564. The source was observed for 200 ks with NuSTAR, 50 ks of which were concurrent with Suzaku observations. NuSTAR and Suzaku observed a dramatic flare, in which the hard emission is clearly delayed with respect to the soft emission, consistent with previous...

16. A NuSTAR Observation of the Gamma-ray Emitting Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1723-2837

Kong, A. K. H.; Hui, C. Y.; Takata, J.; Li, K. L.; Tam, P. H. T.
We report on the first NuSTAR observation of the gamma-ray emitting millisecond pulsar binary PSR J1723-2837. X-ray radiation up to 79 keV is clearly detected and the simultaneous NuSTAR and Swift spectrum is well described by an absorbed power-law with a photon index of ~1.3. We also find X-ray modulations in the 3-10 keV, 10-20 keV, 20-79 keV, and 3-79 keV bands at the 14.8-hr binary orbital period. All these are entirely consistent with previous X-ray observations below 10 keV. This new hard X-ray observation of PSR J1723-2837 provides strong evidence that the X-rays are from the intrabinary shock via an interaction between the pulsar wind and the...

17. Insight Into "Changing-Look" AGN Mrk 1018 from the Fe Kα Line: The Reprocessing Gas Has Yet to Fully Respond to the Fading of the AGN

LaMassa, Stephanie M.; Yaqoob, Tahir; Kilgard, Roy
Mrk 1018 is a “changing-look” AGN whose optical spectrum transitioned from a Type 1.9 to Type 1 between 1979 and 1984 and back to a Type 1.9 in 2015. This latest transition was accompanied by a decrease in X-ray flux. We analyze the Chandra spectra from 2010 and 2016 and NuSTAR spectra from 2016, carefully treating pile-up in the Chandra spectrum from 2010 and self-consistently modeling absorption, reflection, and Fe Kα line emission in the X-ray spectra from 2016. We demonstrate that while the 2-10 keV X-ray flux decreased by an order of magnitude (1.46+0.10 −0.13 × 10−11 erg s−1 cm−2 to 1.31+0.09 −0.04×10−12 erg s−1 cm−2 ), the Fe Kα equivalent...

18. The Spin of the Supermassive Black Hole in MCG-05-23-16

Wang, Yu; Ghasemi-Nodehi, M.; Guainazzi, Matteo; Bambi, Cosimo
We present the results of a multi-epoch and multi-instrument study of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy MCG-05-23-16 aiming at the determination of its spin. We have analyzed high quality X-ray data of MCG-05-23-16 from XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and NuSTAR obtained over a period of about 10~years. We have built a double-reflection spectral model that well describes the observed spectrum based on prior results suggesting that the iron K$\alpha$ line includes both a broad component from the disk's reflection spectrum and a narrow component due to fluorescence and scattering off material by more distant matter. Our measurement of the black hole spin parameter is \$a_* =...

19. Identification of the Hard X-ray Source Dominating the E > 25 keV Emission of the Nearby Galaxy M31

Yukita, M.; Ptak, A.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Wik, D.; Maccarone, T. J.; Pottschmidt, K.; Zezas, A.; Antoniou, V.; Ballhausen, R.; Lehmer, B. D.; Lien, A.; Williams, B.; Baganoff, F.; Boyd, P. T.; Enoto, T.; Kennea, J.; Page, K. L.; Choi, Y.
We report the identification of a bright hard X-ray source dominating the M31 bulge above 25 keV from a simultaneous NuSTAR-Swift observation. We find that this source is the counterpart to Swift J0042.6+4112, which was previously detected in the Swift BAT All-sky Hard X-ray Survey. This Swift BAT source had been suggested to be the combined emission from a number of point sources; our new observations have identified a single X-ray source from 0.5 to 50 keV as the counterpart for the first time. In the 0.5-10 keV band, the source had been classified as an X-ray binary candidate in various Chandra and XMM studies; however, since it...

20. Coronal properties of the luminous radio-quiet quasar QSO B2202–209

Kammoun, E. S.; Risaliti, G.; Stern, D.; Jun, H. D.; Graham, M.; Celotti, A.; Behar, E.; Elvis, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Matt, G.; Walton, D. J.
We present an analysis of the joint XMM–Newton and NuSTAR observations of the radio-quiet quasar QSO B2202–209. Using an optical observation from the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory, we revise the redshift of the source from the previously reported z = 1.77 to z = 0.532, and we estimate the mass of the central black hole, log (M_(BH)/M_⊙) = 9.08 ± 0.18. The X-ray spectrum of this source can be well described by a power law of photon index Γ = 1.82 ± 0.05 with E_(cut) = 152^(+103)_(−54) keV, in the rest frame of the source. Assuming a Comptonization model,...

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