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PULXs as Accreting Magnetars: Observational Manifestations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2023

Nabil Brice Open the ORCID record for Nabil Brice [Opens in a new window] ,
Silvia Zane ,
Roberto Taverna Open the ORCID record for Roberto Taverna [Opens in a new window] ,
Roberto Turolla  and
Kinwah Wu
Nabil Brice
Affiliation:
Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK
Silvia Zane
Affiliation:
Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK
Roberto Taverna
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131Padova, Italy
Roberto Turolla
Affiliation:
Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, via Marzolo 8, 35131Padova, Italy
Kinwah Wu
Affiliation:
Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT, UK
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Abstract

Pulsating Ultra Luminous X-ray sources (PULXs) are thought to be X-ray bright, accreting, magnetized neutron stars, and could be the first and only evidence for the existence of magnetars in binary systems. Their apparent soft (< 20 keV) X-ray luminosity can exceed the Eddington luminosity for a neutron star (NS) by a few orders of magnitude. Although several scenarios have been proposed to explain the different components observed in the X-ray spectra and the characteristics of the X-ray lightcurve of these system, detailed quantitative calculations are still missing. In particular, the observed soft X-ray lightcurves are almost sinuosidal and show an increase in the pulsed fraction (from 8% up to even 30%) with increasing energy. Here, we present how emission originating from an optically thick envelope, expected to be formed during super-Eddington accretion, can result in pulsed fractions similar to observations.

Keywords

stars: neutron – X-rays: binaries – accretionaccretion discs
Type
Contributed Paper
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 16 , Symposium S363: Neutron Star Astrophysics at the Crossroads: Magnetars and the Multimessenger Revolution , June 2020 , pp. 263 - 266
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Astronomical Union

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