Related papers: The Be X-ray Binary Outburst Zoo
In this chapter, I present the main X-ray observational characteristics of black-hole binaries and low magnetic field neutron-star binaries, concentrating on what can be considered similarities or differences, with particular emphasis on…
From late September 2017 to February 2018, the Be X-ray binary (BeXB) Swift J0243.6+6124 underwent an unprecedently bright giant outburst. The reported X-ray luminosities were so high that the system was classified as an Ultraluminous X-ray…
Many distinct classes of high-energy variability have been observed in astrophysical sources, on a range of timescales. The widest range (spanning microseconds-decades) is found in accreting, stellar-mass compact objects, including neutron…
Compact binaries have long been a paradigm for accretion theory. Much of our present view of how accretion occurs comes directly from the comparison of theory with observations of these sources. Since theory differs little for other objects…
As a session chair I have the privilege to write down a few comments on four talks that were delivered under the general title of "outflows and jets I". This and the session that followed it, grouped work on circumstellar environments of,…
Context: Episodic flaring activity is a common feature of X-ray pulsars in HMXBs. In some Be/X-ray binaries flares were observed in quiescence or prior to outbursts. EXO 2030+375 is a Be/X-ray binary showing "normal" outbursts almost every…
We present recent contemporaneous X-ray and optical observations of the Be/X-ray binary system A\,0535+26 with the \textit{Fermi}/Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and several ground-based observatories. These new observations are put into the…
Relativistic outflows, or `Jets', represent one of the most obvious, important and yet poorly-explained phenomena associated with accreting relativistic objects, including X-ray binaries. In the past decade we have observed highly…
Be/X-ray binaries are the most numerous group of high-mass X-ray binaries. Their long-term optical and infrared variability reflects the evolution of the circumstellar disk around the luminous companion. This variability manifests…
The transient X-ray pulsar GRO J1008-57 was previously found to exhibit Type I outbursts occurring at stable orbital phases before its first observed Type II outburst in 2012. In this work, we extend the study to investigate the phase…
Hydrogen and helium accreted onto a neutron star undergo thermonuclear burning. Explosive burning is observed as a type I X-ray burst. We describe the different burning regimes and focus on some of the current inconsistencies between theory…
We present an analysis of the RXTE observations of X-ray transient source XTE J2012+381 during its 1998 outburst. The spectral and timing properties of the source emission and their evolution during the outburst are very similar to what of…
New high-cadence observations with BRITE covering many months confirm that coupled pairs of nonradial pulsation modes are widespread among early-type Be stars. With the difference frequency between the parental variations they may form a…
INTEGRAL monitoring of the Galactic Plane is revealing a growing number of recurrent X-ray transients, characterised by short outbursts with very fast rise times (~ tens of minutes) and typical durations of a few hours. Here we show that…
It is widely believed that outflows of gamma-ray bursts are jetted. Some people also suggest that the jets may have structures like $\epsilon(\theta)\propto\theta^{-k}$. We test the possibility of X-ray flashes coming from such jets in this…
Very faint X-ray binaries (VFXBs), defined as having peak luminosities Lx of 10^34-10^36 erg/s, have been uncovered in significant numbers, but remain poorly understood. We analyse three published outburst light curves of two transient…
Transient Low-Mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are discovered largely by X-ray and gamma-ray all-sky monitors. The X-ray outburst is also accompanied by an optical brightening, which empirically can precede detection of X-rays. Newly sensitive…
The INTEGRAL satellite has revealed a major population of supergiant High Mass X-ray Binaries in our Galaxy, revolutionizing our understanding of binary systems and their evolution. This population, constituted of a compact object orbiting…
The outbursts of novae are among the strongest explosions in the Universe. The eruptions involve physical processes that span the whole electromagnetic spectrum, demanding multifrequency observations. The photometric and spectroscopic…
In the past years, a clear picture of the evolution of outbursts of black-hole X-ray binaries has emerged. While the X-ray properties can be classified into our distinct states, based on spectral and timing properties, the observations in…