Probing thermonuclear bursts and X-ray reflection features in Aql X-1 during 2024 outburst

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mandal, Manoj, Pal, Sabyasachi, Jaisawal, G. K., Lohfink, Anne, Naik, Sachindra, Chauhan, Jaiverdhan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915256979161088
author Mandal, Manoj
Pal, Sabyasachi
Jaisawal, G. K.
Lohfink, Anne
Naik, Sachindra
Chauhan, Jaiverdhan
author_facet Mandal, Manoj
Pal, Sabyasachi
Jaisawal, G. K.
Lohfink, Anne
Naik, Sachindra
Chauhan, Jaiverdhan
contents We report the broadband timing and spectral properties of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Aql X-1 during the 2024 outburst with NICER, NuSTAR, and Swift observatories. We detected six thermonuclear X-ray bursts during the NICER and NuSTAR observations, with the observed X-ray burst profiles exhibiting a strong energy dependence. The time-resolved burst spectra indicate the presence of soft excess during the burst, which can be modeled by using a variable persistent emission method ($f_a$ method), or the relxillNS reflection model. We found that the reflection model can contribute $\sim$20% of total emission as observed during the NICER burst. The reflection and blackbody component fluxes are strongly correlated as observed during a burst. The excess emission is possible due to the enhanced mass accretion rate to the neutron star due to the Poynting-Rodertson drag and a fraction of burst emission may be reflected from the disk. The bursts did not show photospheric radius expansion during the peak. Moreover, we examined the burst-free accretion emission in the broadband range with NuSTAR, NICER, and Swift at two epochs of the outburst. The persistent emission showed X-ray reflection feature, which can be well modeled with the relativistic reflection model relxillCp. The inner disk radius (R$_{in}$) is found to be nearly 22 and 10 times $\rm R_{g}$ for two observations, respectively. Assuming that the inner disk is truncated at the magnetospheric radius, the magnetic field strength at the poles of the neutron star is estimated to be $(0.6-1.9) \times 10^9$ G.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_17653
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Probing thermonuclear bursts and X-ray reflection features in Aql X-1 during 2024 outburst
Mandal, Manoj
Pal, Sabyasachi
Jaisawal, G. K.
Lohfink, Anne
Naik, Sachindra
Chauhan, Jaiverdhan
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
We report the broadband timing and spectral properties of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Aql X-1 during the 2024 outburst with NICER, NuSTAR, and Swift observatories. We detected six thermonuclear X-ray bursts during the NICER and NuSTAR observations, with the observed X-ray burst profiles exhibiting a strong energy dependence. The time-resolved burst spectra indicate the presence of soft excess during the burst, which can be modeled by using a variable persistent emission method ($f_a$ method), or the relxillNS reflection model. We found that the reflection model can contribute $\sim$20% of total emission as observed during the NICER burst. The reflection and blackbody component fluxes are strongly correlated as observed during a burst. The excess emission is possible due to the enhanced mass accretion rate to the neutron star due to the Poynting-Rodertson drag and a fraction of burst emission may be reflected from the disk. The bursts did not show photospheric radius expansion during the peak. Moreover, we examined the burst-free accretion emission in the broadband range with NuSTAR, NICER, and Swift at two epochs of the outburst. The persistent emission showed X-ray reflection feature, which can be well modeled with the relativistic reflection model relxillCp. The inner disk radius (R$_{in}$) is found to be nearly 22 and 10 times $\rm R_{g}$ for two observations, respectively. Assuming that the inner disk is truncated at the magnetospheric radius, the magnetic field strength at the poles of the neutron star is estimated to be $(0.6-1.9) \times 10^9$ G.
title Probing thermonuclear bursts and X-ray reflection features in Aql X-1 during 2024 outburst
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.17653