Related papers: Studying magnetic fields of ultraluminous X-ray pu…
(Abridged) We revisit the question of the nature of ULXs through a detailed investigation of their spectral shape, using the highest quality X-ray data available in the XMM-Newton public archives. We confirm that simple spectral models…
The reported discovery of a cyclotron resonance scattering feature (CRSF) in the spectrum of M51 ULX-8 may provide an important clue as to the nature of the magnetic field in those ultraluminous X-ray sources hosting neutron stars. In this…
We report the results of a 2019-2021 monitoring campaign with Swift and associated target-of-opportunity observations with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, examining the spectral and timing behavior of the highly variable ultraluminous X-ray source…
The emission of Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) and Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters (SGRs) is believed to be powered by the dissipation of their strong magnetic fields, which coined the name `magnetar'. By combining timing and energy observational…
The classical limit on the accretion luminosity of a neutron star is given by the Eddington luminosity. The advanced models of accretion onto magnetized neutron stars account for the appearance of magnetically confined accretion columns and…
The extreme extragalactic sources known as Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULX) represent a unique testing environment for compact objects population studies and the accretion process. Their nature has long been disputed. Their luminosity,…
Most models of anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) account for the observed X-ray spectra and pulsations by means of radiation processes that occur on the surfaces of neutron stars. For any such model, general relativistic deflection of light…
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are point-like sources that exhibit apparent X-ray luminosities exceeding the Eddington limit for stellar-mass compact objects. A widely accepted interpretation is that these systems are X-ray binaries…
Spin evolution of X-ray pulsars in High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) is discussed under various assumptions about the geometry and physical parameters of the accretion flow. The torque applied to the neutron star from the accretion flow and…
We report the results of a programme of dual-epoch Chandra ACIS-S observations of five ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in nearby spiral galaxies. All five ULXs are detected as unresolved, point-like X-ray sources by Chandra, though two…
Context. ULXs ($L_\textrm{X}>10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$) are excellent probes of accretion physics, star formation and IMBHs searches. As the sample size of X-ray data from modern observatories increases, producing extensive catalogues of ULXs…
Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters (SGRs) and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) are interpreted as young highly magnetized neutron stars (NSs). Their X-ray luminosity in quiescence, exceeding 10^{35} erg s^{-1} cannot be explained as due to cooling of a…
Both neutron stars and strange stars are capable of supporting fast rotations observed in pulsars. On the basis of this it has been argued that some of the pulsars could be strange stars. We investigate whether strange stars can sustain…
Quasi-spherical subsonic accretion can be realized in slowly rotating wind-fed X-ray pulsars (XPSRs) at X-ray luminosities <4 10^{36} erg/s. In this regime the accreting matter settles down subsonically onto the rotating magnetosphere,…
X-ray pulsars shine thanks to the conversion of the gravitational energy of accreted material to X-ray radiation. The accretion rate is modulated by geometrical and hydrodynamical effects in the stellar wind of the pulsar companions and/or…
We report the results of spectral and temporal variability studies of the ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) contained within the interacting pair of galaxies NGC 4485/4490, combining Chandra and XMM-Newton observations. Each of the four…
We analyse all the available Chandra observations of the Cartwheel Galaxy and its compact group, taken between 2001 and 2008, with the main aim of addressing the variability in the X-ray band for this spectacular collisional ring galaxy. We…
We report new magnetic field measurements for 14 classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs). We combine these data with one previous field determination in order to compare our observed field strengths with the field strengths predicted by…
Ultramagnetized neutron stars or magnetars have been invoked to explain several astrophysical phenomena. We examine how the magnetic field of a magnetar will decay over time and how this decay affects the cooling of the object. We find that…
One hundred fifty-four discrete non-nuclear Ultra-Luminous X-ray (ULX) sources, with intrinsic X-ray luminosities >1e39 ergs/s, are identified in 82 galaxies observed with Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer. Source positions, X-ray…