Related papers: ASTRO-H White Paper - Low-mass X-ray Binaries
The process of mass-exchange between the components of High Mass X-ray Binary (HMXB) systems with neutron stars undergoing wind-fed accretion is discussed. The X-ray luminosity of these systems allows us to evaluate the mass capture rate by…
Neutron star high-mass X-ray binaries are well-studied in wavebands between the infrared and hard X-rays. Their low-frequency millimeter and radio properties, on the other hand, remain poorly understood. We present observations of the…
In this short introductory commentary on the paper (Hessels et al 2006, Science, 311, 1901) reporting the discovery of the shortest spin period millisecond pulsar (MSP) Ter5-ad in the globular cluster Terzan 5, I also point out a new…
4U 1700-37 is a wind-fed high-mass X-ray binary hosting a compact object, likely a neutron star, accreting from O6.5 Iaf+ supergiant HD 153919. Coherent pulsations not firmly detected; magnetic field strength remains uncertain. We analyze…
The heating and cooling of transiently accreting neutron stars provides a powerful probe of the structure and composition of their crust. Observations of superbursts and crust cooling of accretion-heated neutron stars require more heat…
As many as $10^9$ neutron stars populate the Galaxy, but only $\approx 10^3$ are directly observed as pulsars or as accreting sources in X-ray binaries. In principle also the accretion of the interstellar medium may make isolated neutron…
We present the first joint NuSTAR and NICER observations of the ultra-compact X-ray binary (UCXB) 4U 1543$-$624 obtained in 2020 April. The source was at a luminosity of $L_{0.5-50\ \mathrm{keV}} = 4.9 (D/7\ \mathrm{kpc})^{2}\times10^{36}$…
Motivated by the unknown nature of the $2.50-2.67\,M_\odot$ compact object in the binary merger event GW190814, we study the maximum neutron star mass based on constraints from low-energy nuclear physics, neutron star tidal deformabilities…
Observations of thermal radiation from neutron stars allow one to measure the surface temperatures and confront them with cooling scenarios. Detection of gravitationally redshifted spectral lines can yield the mass-to-radius ratio. In the…
We present a novel method to estimate accurate redshifts of star-forming galaxies by measuring the flux ratio of the same emission line observed through two adjacent narrow-band filters. We apply this method to our NB912 and new NB921 data…
We have monitored the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-342058 in quiescence after its ~4.5 month outburst in 2015. The source has been observed using Swift and XMM-Newton. Its X-ray spectra were dominated by a…
We study the spectral state evolution of the Terzan 5 transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary IGR J17480-2446, and how the best-fit spectral parameters and burst properties evolved with these states, using the Rossi X-ray Timing…
Neutron stars (NSs) are compact objects that host the densest forms of matter in the observable universe, providing unique opportunities to study the behaviour of matter at extreme densities. While precision measurements of NS masses…
Precise and reliable measurements of the masses and radii of neutron stars with a variety of masses would provide valuable guidance for improving models of the properties of cold matter with densities above the saturation density of nuclear…
In this paper, we explore the prospect for improving the measurement accuracy of masses and radii of neutron stars. We consider imminent and long-term upgrades of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo, as…
The aim of this paper is to provide a measurement of the mass accretion rate in a large, complete sample of objects in the core of the star forming region Rho-Oph. The sample includes most of the objects (104 out of 111) with evidence of a…
High mass accretion rate onto strongly magnetised neutron stars results in the appearance of accretion columns supported by the radiation pressure and confined by the strong magnetic field of a star. At mass accretion rates above $\sim…
The mass-metallicity relation (MZR) provides crucial insights into the baryon cycle in galaxies and provides strong constraints on galaxy formation models. We use \jwst\ NIRSpec observations from the UNCOVER program to measure the gas-phase…
Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) with neutron stars show quite different features which depend on the rate of mass transfer from the donor star. With a high transfer rate the Z sources are in a persistent soft spectral state, with a moderate…
We accurately determine the fundamental system parameters of the neutron-star X-ray transient Cen X-4 solely using phase-resolved high-resolution UVES spectroscopy. We first determine the radial-velocity curve of the secondary star and then…