Related papers: Echoes in X-ray binaries; mapping the accretion fl…
The properties of the aperiodic variability in X-ray binaries with black holes are considered. The power spectra of the luminosity variability for a flat accretion disk that is an emission source with a power-law energy spectrum have been…
The observations and theory of the exciting new class of galactic black hole X-ray transients is reviewed. Seven of these systems have measured mass functions or mass estimates in excess of stable neutron stars, making them excellent black…
X-ray echo spectroscopy, a counterpart of neutron spin-echo, is being introduced here to overcome limitations in spectral resolution and weak signals of the traditional inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) probes. An image of a point-like x-ray…
We recommend that the search for exoplanets around binary stars be extended to include X-ray binaries in which the accretor is a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole. We present a novel idea for detecting planets bound to such mass…
Models of X-ray reverberation from extended coronae are developed from general relativistic ray tracing simulations. Reverberation lags between correlated variability in the directly observed continuum emission and that reflected from the…
With the discovery of pulsations in some of the ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), it is quite clear that most of the ULXs harbor either a neutron star or a stellar mass black hole as a compact object accreting at super-Eddington rates.…
We report on the X-ray spectral and timing behavior of the recurrent X-ray transient 4U 1630-47 for 51 RXTE observations made during the decay of its 1998 outburst. The observations began when the source was still relatively bright, and,…
X-ray reverberation in Active Galactic Nuclei, believed to be the result of the reprocessing of coronal photons by the underlying accretion disc, has allowed us to probe the properties of the inner-most regions of the accretion flow and the…
Very faint X-ray binaries appear to be transient in many cases with peak luminosities much fainter than that of usual soft X-ray transients, but their nature still remains elusive. We investigate the possibility that this transient…
The recent discovery of a new class of recurrent and fast X-ray transient sources, the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients, poses interesting questions on the possible mechanisms responsible for their transient X-ray emission. The association…
The high energy radiation emitted by black hole X-ray binaries originates in an accretion disk, hence the variability of the lightcurves mirrors the dynamics of the disc. We study the time evolution of the emitted flux in order to find…
We have analyzed all archival RXTE/PCA monitoring observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) M82 X-1 in order to study the properties of its 62 day X-ray period (Kaaret & Feng 2007). Based on its high coherence it has been argued…
Short-term variability of X-ray spectra has been reported for several Active Galactic Nuclei. Significant X-ray flux variations are observed within time scales down to 10^4 -- 10^5 seconds. We discuss short variability time scales in the…
Ultra-compact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) are accreting systems with periods less than 1 hour, which qualifies them to contain a degenerate donor-companion. One would expect such systems to have the easiest theoretical explanation, compared to…
The outbursts of low mass X-ray binaries are prolonged relative to those of dwarf nova cataclysmic variables as a consequence of X-ray irradiation of the disc. We show that the time-scale of the decay light curve and its luminosity at a…
A phenomenological model of X-ray variability of accreting black holes is considered, where the variable emission is attributed to multiple active regions/perturbations moving radially towards the central black hole. The hard X-rays are…
The simultaneous presence of a strong quasi periodic oscillation of period of about 10 seconds in the optical and X-ray lightcurves of the X-ray transient XTE J1118+480 suggests that a significant fraction of the optical flux originates…
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. A substantial…
We investigate the effect of X-ray echo emission in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We find that the echo emission can provide an alternative way of understanding X-ray shallow decays and jet breaks. In particular, a shallow decay followed by a…
We present new results of our X-ray monitoring of the transient binary supersoft X-ray source RX J0513.9-6951 in the LMC and of our re-analysis of optical light curves obtained during the MACHO project. We have covered a complete X-ray…