Related papers: Light curves from highly compact neutron stars wit…
We present computed spectra, as seen by a distant observer, from the accretion disc around a rapidly rotating neutron star. Our calculations are carried out in a fully general relativistic framework, with exact treatment of rotation. We…
Here, we study the microlensing of radially pulsating stars. Discerning and characterizing the properties of distant, faint pulsating stars is achievable through high-cadence microlensing observations. Combining stellar variability period…
We investigate the microlensing effects on a source star surrounded by a circumstellar disk, as a function of wavelength. The microlensing light curve of the system encodes the geometry and surface brightness profile of the disk. In the…
In this lecture, we give a first introduction to neutron stars, based on fundamental physical principles. After outlining their outstanding macroscopic properties, as obtained from observations, we infer the extreme conditions of matter in…
A moderately spinning neutron star acquires an oblate shape and a spacetime with a significant quadrupole moment. These two properties affect its apparent surface area for an observer at infinity, as well as the lightcurve arising from a…
We predict how a remote observer would see the brightness variations of giant planets similar to Jupiter and Saturn as they orbit their central stars. We model the geometry of Jupiter, Saturn and Saturn's rings for varying orbital and…
The strong gravitational potential of neutron stars (NSs) makes them ideal astrophysical objects for testing extreme gravity phenomena. We explore the potential of NS X-ray pulsed lightcurve observations to probe deviations from general…
We consider small-scale spheroidal clusters of weakly interacting massive particles in our Galaxy as non-compact gravitational microlenses and predict the appearance of caustics in the plane of a lensed source. The crossing of these…
This paper employs the backward ray tracing method to study the optical images of neutron stars under the conditions of a spherical light source and a thin accretion disk, considering a polynomial equation of state given by $p = K \rho^{1 +…
The light curve of an isolated bright spot in a Keplarian orbit is studied to investigate the signature of the firewall around the event horizon of the black hole. An increase in total observed flux is found. In addition to that, for…
We calculate the magnification light curves due to stellar microlensing of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows. A GRB source appears on the sky as a thin ring which expands faster than the speed of light and is maximally magnified as it…
As a planet eclipses its parent star, a dark spot on the surface of the star may be occulted, causing a detectable variation in the light curve. A total of 77 consecutive transit light curves of CoRoT-2 were observed with a high temporal…
In this paper, we discuss the influence of the gravitational darkening effect on the emergent spectrum of a fast-rotating, flattened neutron star. Model atmosphere codes always calculate spectra of emergent intensities and fluxes emitted…
We study light curves and spectra (equivalent widths of the iron line and some other spectral characteristics) which arise by reflection on the surface of an accretion disc, following its illumination by a primary off-axis source - an X-ray…
The luminosity variation of a stellar source due to the gravitational microlensing effect can be considered also if the light rays are defocused (instead of focused) toward the observer. In this case, we should detect a gap instead of a…
A sudden increase in stellar luminosity may lead to the ejection of a large part of any optically thin gas orbiting the star. Test particles in circular orbits will become unbound, and will escape to infinity (if radiation drag is…
The discovery of high-amplitude brightness oscillations at the spin frequency or its first overtone in six neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries during type~1 X-ray bursts provides a powerful new way to constrain the compactness of these…
We consider the velocity shift of light in presence of radiation emitted by a black body. Within geometric optics formalism we calculate the bending angle of a light ray when there is a gradient in the energy density. We model the bending…
Gravitational-wave detections are enabling measurements of the rate of coalescences of binaries composed of two compact objects -- neutron stars and/or black holes. The coalescence rate of binaries containing neutron stars is further…
With the advent of space-based precision photometry missions the quantity and quality of starspot light curves has greatly increased. This paper presents a large number of starspot models and their resulting light curves to: 1) better…