Related papers: X-ray emission processes in stars
Observations with space-borne X-ray telescopes revealed the existence of soft, diffuse X-ray emission from the inner regions of planetary nebulae. Although the existing images support the idea that this emission arises from the hot shocked…
Particles are accelerated to very high, non-thermal energies during explosive energy-release phenomena in space, solar, and astrophysical plasma environments. In the case of solar flares, it has been established that magnetic reconnection…
Galactic winds shape the stellar, gas, and metal content of galaxies. To quantify their impact, we must understand their physics. We review potential wind-driving mechanisms and observed wind properties, with a focus on the warm ionized and…
The X-ray observatories XMM-Newton and Chandra provided a wealth of exciting new results. Chandra delivered X-ray images of outstanding detail, reaching subarcsecond spatial resolution for the first time in X-ray astronomy. XMM-Newton…
Massive stars drive powerful, supersonic winds via the radiative momentum associated with the thermal UV emission from their photospheres. Shock phenomena are ubiquitous in these winds, heating them to millions, and sometimes tens of…
This "pedagogical" review describes the key Chandra and XMM-Newton extragalactic surveys to date and details some of their implications for AGN physics and evolution. We additionally highlight two topics of current widespread interest: (1)…
The X-ray emission of neutron stars enables a probe of their temperatures, geometries, and magnetospheric properties. The current number of X-ray emitting pulsars is insufficient to rule out observational biases that may arise from poorly…
Winds are an important ingredient in the evolution of X-ray binary (XRB) systems, particularly those at high accretion rates such as ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), because they may regulate the accretion of matter onto the compact…
In recent years, the development of spectropolarimetric techniques deeply modified our knowledge of stellar magnetism. In the case of solar-type stars, the challenge is to measure a geometrically complex field and determine its evolution…
Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars, that radiate at the expense of their strong magnetic field and their high surface temperature. Five decades of multi-wavelength observations showed a large variety of physical parameters, such as…
The spectral properties of X--ray radiation produced in a static atmosphere around a neutron star accreting at very low rates are investigated. Previous results by Alme \& Wilson (1973) are extended to the range $10^{-7}\leq L/L_{Edd}\leq…
The possibility for direct investigation of thermal emission from isolated neutron stars was opened about 25 years ago with the launch of the first X-ray observatory, Einstein. A significant contribution to this study was provided by ROSAT…
The R~300-1000 grating spectra from XMM-Newton and Chandra are a radical advance, allowing spectroscopic physics techniques to be applied to X-ray astronomy, revolutionizing a wide range of research. Ten years on these spectra will be…
Most of the ordinary matter in the local Universe has not been converted into stars but resides in a largely unexplored diffuse, hot, X-ray emitting plasma. It pervades the gravitational potentials of massive galaxies, groups and clusters…
The X-ray spectra of isolated neutron stars (INSs) typically include a thermal component, that comes from the cooling surface, and a non-thermal component, produced by highly-relativistic particles accelerated in the stellar magnetosphere.…
We review the state of the art for measuring the X-ray polarization of neutron stars. We discuss how valuable precision measurements of the degree and position angle of polarization as a function of energy and, where relevant, of pulse…
A personal selection of noteworthy X-ray results on CVs are presented, with emphasis on XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. Progressing roughly from broad-band view to narrow-band, high spectral resolution studies, I summarize: the energy…
In massive stars, magnetic fields are thought to confine the outflowing radiatively-driven wind, resulting in X-ray emission that is harder, more variable and more efficient than that produced by instability-generated shocks in non-magnetic…
Today's sensistive, high resolution Chandra X-ray observations allow the study of many populations of X-ray sources. The traditional astronomical tools of photometric diagrams and luminosity functions are now applied to these populations,…
In massive stars, magnetic fields are thought to confine the outflowing radiatively-driven wind, resulting in X-ray emission that is harder, more variable and more efficient than that produced by instability-generated shocks in non-magnetic…