Related papers: Cyclotron Line Variability and Accretion Dynamics …
The cyclotron line feature in the X-ray spectrum of the accretion powered pulsar Her X-1 has been observed and monitored for over three decades. The line energy exhibited a slow secular decline over the period 1995-2014, with a possible…
The radiation from accreting X-ray pulsars was expected to be highly polarized, with some estimates for the polarization degree of up to 80%. However, phase-resolved and energy-resolved polarimetry of X-ray pulsars is required in order to…
Studies of some bright, super-Eddington transient pulsars show a negative correlation between the energy of the cyclotron resonance scattering feature (CRSF) and the bolometric luminosity. For Her X-1, using repeated RXTE observations…
We present the results of the neutron star X-ray binary system Cen X-3 performed by $Insight$-HXMT with two observations during 2017 and 2018. During these two observations, the source reached a X-ray luminosity of $\sim 10^{38}$ erg…
Her~X-1 is one of the most remarkable members of the class of binary X-ray pulsars. It does not only show a large number of observable features, but has repeatedly been the first object for which fundamental discoveries were made: it was…
Accretion-powered X-ray pulsars exhibit significant variability of the Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature (CRSF) centroid energy on pulse-to-pulse timescales, and also on much longer timescales. Two types of spectral variability are…
High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) serve as useful laboratories for exploring the behaviour of accreted matter onto compact objects and for probing the complex wind environments of massive stars. These investigations are essential for…
We analyze the observations of the transient X-ray pulsar 4U 0115+63 with the RXTE and INTEGRAL observatories in a wide X-ray (3-100 keV) energy band during its intense outbursts in 1999 and 2004. The energy of the fundamental harmonic of…
We present pulse phase averaged spectra of the high mass X-ray binary pulsar 4U 1538-52/QV Nor. Observations of this persistent accreting pulsar were made with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). We study the variability of cyclotron…
The RXTE observed four outbursts of the accreting X-ray binary transient source, GX 304-1 in 2010 and 2011. We present results of detailed 3-100 keV spectral analysis of 69 separate observations, and report a positive correlation between…
The study of X-ray pulsar accretion columns helps us characterize accretion physics in this extreme regime of strong gravity and strong magnetic fields. Previous observations of the X-ray pulsar Hercules X-1 revealed a highly broadened Fe K…
Using archival BATSE (Burst and Transient Source Experiment) 20-60 keV band X-ray flux and pulse frequency time series, we look for correlations between torque, luminosity and specific angular momentum for three high mass X-ray binary…
Bright and eclipsing, the high-mass X-ray binary Vela X-1 offers a unique opportunity to study accretion onto a neutron star from clumpy winds of O/B stars and to disentangle the complex accretion geometry of these systems. In Chandra-HETGS…
Recent improvements on the sensitivity and spectral resolution of X-ray observations have led to a better understanding of the properties of matter in the vicinity of High Mass X-ray Binaries hosting a supergiant star and a compact object.…
We report on the spectral (pulse averaged) and timing analysis of the ~ 20 ksec observation of the X-ray binary pulsar Vela X-1 performed during the BeppoSAX Science Verification Phase. The source was observed in two different intensity…
Vela X-1 is the archetypical eclipsing high-mass X-ray binary, composed of a neutron star (NS) accreting the B-star wind. It was observed by nearly all X-ray observatories, often multiple times, featuring a rich spectrum of variable…
Aims. We investigate the long-term evolution of the Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature (CRSF) in the spectrum of the binary X-ray pulsar Her X-1 and present evidence of a true long-term decrease in the centroid energy Ecyc of the…
Observed cyclotron resonant scattering features (CRSFs) in X-ray pulsars (XRPs) exhibit strong variability. In the subcritical luminosity regime, the centroid energy ($E_{CRSF}$) and line width ($\sigma_{CRSF}$) often show positive…
We report the results of the spectral and timing analysis of observations of the Vela pulsar with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The spectrum shows no statistically significant spectral lines in the observed 0.25--8.0 keV band. It consists…
We report the broad-band spectral properties of the X-ray pulsar Cep X-4 by using a Suzaku observation in 2014 July. The 0.8-70 keV spectrum was found to be well described by three continuum models - Negative and Positive power-law with…