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Soft gamma-ray emission (100 keV -- 10 MeV) has previously been detected in the hard state of several microquasars. In some sources, this emission was found to be highly polarized and was suggested to be emitted at the base of the jet. Until now, no $\gamma$-ray polarization had been found in any other state. Using INTEGRAL/IBIS, we studied the soft gamma-ray spectral and polarization properties of Swift J1727.8-1613 throughout its outburst. We detect a highly polarized spectral component in both the hard intermediate state and the early stages of the soft intermediate state above 210 keV. In the hard intermediate state, the polarization angle significantly deviates from the compact jet angle projected onto the sky, whereas in the soft intermediate they are closely aligned. This constitutes the first detection of jet-aligned polarization in the soft gamma-ray for a microquasar. We attribute this polarized spectral component to synchrotron emission from the jet, which indicates that some of the jet might persist into the softer states., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

Black hole X-ray binaries (BH XRBs) are ideal targets to study the connection between accretion inflow and jet outflow. Here we present quasi-simultaneous, multi-wavelength observations of the Galactic black hole system MAXI J1820+070, throughout its 2018-2019 outburst. Our data set includes coverage from the radio through X-ray bands from 17 different instruments/telescopes, and encompasses 19 epochs over a 7 month time period, resulting in one of the most well-sampled multi-wavelength data sets of a BH XRB outburst to date. With our data, we compile and model the broad-band spectra of this source using a phenomenological model that includes emission from the jet, companion star, and accretion flow. This modeling allows us to track the evolution of the spectral break in the jet spectrum, a key observable that samples the jet launching region. We find that the spectral break location changes over at least $\approx3$ orders of magnitude in electromagnetic frequency over this period. Using these spectral break measurements, we link the full cycle of jet behavior, including the rising, quenching, and re-ignition, to the changing accretion flow properties as the source evolves through its different accretion states. Our analyses show a consistent jet behavior with other sources in similar phases of their outbursts, reinforcing that the jet quenching and recovery may be a global feature of BH XRB systems in outburst. Our results also provide valuable evidence supporting a close connection between the geometry of the inner accretion flow and the base of the jet., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

We report on a timing and spectral analysis of a 50-ks NuSTAR observation of IGR J16320-4751 (= AX J1631.9-4752); a high-mass X-ray binary hosting a slowly-rotating neutron star. In this observation from 2015, the spin period was 1,308.8+/-0.4 s giving a period derivative dP/dt ~ 2E-8 s s-1 when compared with the period measured in 2004. In addition, the pulsed fraction decreased as a function of energy, as opposed to the constant trend that was seen previously. This suggests a change in the accretion geometry of the system during the intervening 11 years. The phase-averaged spectra were fit with the typical model for accreting pulsars: a power law with an exponential cutoff. This left positive residuals at 6.4 keV attributable to the known iron K-alpha line, as well as negative residuals around 14 keV from a candidate cyclotron line detected at a significance of 5-sigma. We found no significant differences in the spectral parameters across the spin period, other than the expected changes in flux and component normalizations. A flare lasting around 5 ks was captured during the first half of the observation where the X-ray emission hardened and the local column density decreased. Finally, the binary orbital period was refined to 8.9912+/-0.0078 d thanks to Swift/BAT monitoring data from 2005-2022., Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, Referee-revised version accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

In our self-similar, analytical, magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) accretion-ejection solution, the density at the base of the outflow is explicitly dependent on the disk accretion rate - a unique property of this class of solutions. We had earlier found that the ejection index $p >\sim 0.1 (\dot{M}_{acc} \propto r^p ) $ is a key MHD parameter that decides if the flow can cause absorption lines in the high resolution X-ray spectra of black hole binaries. Here we choose 3 dense warm solutions with $p = 0.1, 0.3, 0.45$ and carefully develop a methodology to generate spectra which are convolved with the Athena and XRISM response functions to predict what they will observe seeing through such MHD outflows. In this paper two other external parameters were varied - extent of the disk, $\rm{r_o|_{max}} = 10^5, \, 10^6 \,\, \rm{r_G}$, and the angle of the line of sight, $i \sim 10 - 25^{\circ}$. Resultant absorption lines (H and He-like Fe, Ca, Ar) change in strength and their profiles manifest varying degrees of asymmetry. We checked if a) the lines and ii) the line asymmetries are detected, in our suit of synthetic Athena and XRISM spectra. Our analysis shows that Athena should detect the lines and their asymmetries for a standard 100 ksec observation of a 100 mCrab source - lines with equivalent width as low as a few eV should be detected if the 6-8 keV counts are larger than $10^4 - 10^5$ even for the least favourable simulated cases., Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures in the main body and 3 figures in the appendix. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present a detailed study of the evolution of the Galactic black hole transient GRS 1716-249 during its 2016-2017 outburst at optical (Las Cumbres Observatory), mid-infrared (Very Large Telescope), near-infrared (Rapid Eye Mount telescope), and ultraviolet (the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope) wavelengths, along with archival radio and X-ray data. We show that the optical/near-infrared and UV emission of the source mainly originates from a multi-temperature accretion disk, while the mid-infrared and radio emission are dominated by synchrotron emission from a compact jet. The optical/UV flux density is correlated with the X-ray emission when the source is in the hard state, consistent with an X-ray irradiated accretion disk with an additional contribution from the viscous disk during the outburst fade. We also report the long-term optical light curve of the source and find that the quiescent i-band magnitude is 21.39$\pm$0.15 mag. Furthermore, we discuss how previous estimates of the system parameters of the source are based on various incorrect assumptions, and so are likely to be inaccurate. By comparing our GRS 1716-249 dataset to those of other outbursting black hole X-ray binaries, we find that while GRS 1716-249 shows similar X-ray behaviour, it is noticeably optically fainter, if the literature distance of 2.4 kpc is adopted. Using several lines of reasoning, we argue that the source distance is further than previously assumed in the literature, likely within 4-17 kpc, with a most likely range of $\sim$4-8 kpc., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Low Frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations or LF QPOs are ubiquitous in BH X-ray binaries and provide strong constraints on the accretion-ejection processes. Although several models have been proposed so far, none has been proven to reproduce all observational constraints and no consensus has emerged yet. We make the conjecture that disks are threaded by a large scale vertical magnetic field that splits it into two radial zones. In the inner Jet Emitting Disk (JED), a near equipartition field allows to drive powerful self-collimated jets, while beyond a transition radius, the disk magnetization is too low and a Standard Accretion Disk (SAD) is settled. In a series of papers, this hybrid JED-SAD disk configuration has been shown to successfully reproduce most multi-wavelength (radio and X-rays) observations, as well as the concurrence with the LFQPOs for the archetypal source GX 339-4. We first analyze the main QPO scenarios provided in the literature: 1) a specific process occurring at the transition radius, 2) the accretion-ejection instability and 3) the solid-body Lense-Thirring disk precession. We recall their main assumptions and shed light on some severe theoretical issues that question the capability to reproduce LF QPOs. We then argue that none of these models could be operating under the JED-SAD physical conditions. We finally propose an alternative scenario where LF QPOs would be the disk response to an instability triggered in the jets, near a magnetic recollimation zone. Such a situation could account for most Type-C QPO phenomenology and is consistent with the global behavior of black hole binaries. The calculation of this non-destructive jet instability remains however to be done. If the existence of this instability is numerically confirmed, then it could also naturally account for the jet wobbling phenomenology seen in various accreting sources., Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We present the two-point cross-correlation function between high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and their likely birthplaces (OB Associations: OBAs). This function compares the spatial correlation between the observed HMXB and OBA populations against mock catalogs in which the members are distributed randomly across the sky. A significant correlation (15 sigma) is found for the HMXB and OBA populations when compared with a randomized catalog in which the OBAs are distributed uniformly over the SMC. A less significant correlation (4 sigma) is found for a randomized catalog of OBAs built with a bootstrap method. However, no significant correlation is detected when the randomized catalogs assume the form of a Gaussian ellipsoid or a distribution that reflects the star-formation history from 40 Myr ago. Based on their observed distributions and assuming a range of migration timescales, we infer that the average value of the kick velocity inherited by an HMXB during the formation of its compact object is 2-34 km/s. This is considerably less than the value obtained for their counterparts in the Milky Way hinting that the galactic environment affecting stellar evolution plays a role in setting the average kick velocity of HMXBs., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

ESA's INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) was launched on 17 Oct 2002 at 06:41 CEST. Since then, it has been providing long, uninterrupted observations (up to about 47 hr, or 170 ksec, per satellite orbit of 2.7 days) with a large field-of-view (fully coded: 100 deg^2), msec time resolution, keV energy resolution, polarization measurements, as well as additional coverage in the optical. This is realized by two main instruments in the 15 keV to 10 MeV range, the spectrometer SPI (spectral resolution 3 keV at 1.8 MeV) and the imager IBIS (angular resolution 12 arcmin FWHM), complemented by X-ray (JEM-X; 3-35 keV) and optical (OMC; Johnson V-band) monitors. All instruments are co-aligned to simultaneously observe the target region. A particle radiation monitor (IREM) measures charged particle fluxes near the spacecraft. The Anti-coincidence subsystems of the main instruments are also efficient all-sky gamma-ray detectors, which provide omni-directional monitoring above ~75 keV. INTEGRAL can also rapidly (within a couple of hours) re-point and conduct Target of Opportunity observations. INTEGRAL has build an impressive legacy: e.g. discovery of >600 new high-energy sources; first-ever direct detection of 56Ni and 56Co radio-active decay lines from a Type Ia supernova; new insights on positron annihilation in the Galactic bulge and disk; pioneering gamma-ray polarization studies. INTEGRAL is also a successful in multi-messenger astronomy: INTEGRAL found the first prompt electromagnetic radiation in coincidence with a binary neutron star merger. More than 1750 papers based on INTEGRAL data have been published in refereed journals. Here we give a comprehensive update of the satellite status after more than 18 years of operations in a harsh space environment, and an account of the successful Ground Segment., Comment: 29 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in special issue of New Astronomy Reviews

Here we report on X-ray observations of ten 17-60 keV sources discovered by the INTEGRAL satellite. The primary new information is sub-arcsecond positions obtained by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In six cases (IGR J17040-4305, IGR J18017-3542, IGR J18112-2641, IGR J18434-0508, IGR J19504+3318, and IGR J20084+3221), a unique Chandra counterpart is identified with a high degree of certainty, and for five of these sources (all but J19504), Gaia distances or proper motions indicate that they are Galactic sources. For four of these, the most likely classifications are that the sources are magnetic Cataclysmic Variables (CVs). J20084 could be either a magnetic CV or a High Mass X-ray Binary. We classify the sixth source (J19504) as a likely Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN). In addition, we find likely Chandra counterparts to IGR J18010-3045 and IGR J19577+3339, and the latter is a bright radio source and probable AGN. The other two sources, IGR J12529-6351 and IGR J18013-3222 do not have likely Chandra counterparts, indicating that they are transient, highly variable, or highly absorbed., Comment: 17 pages, 9 tables, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ

High mass X-ray binaries are among the brightest X-ray sources in the Milky Way, as well as in nearby Galaxies. Thanks to their highly variable emissions and complex phenomenology, they have attracted the interest of the high energy astrophysical community since the dawn of X-ray Astronomy. In more recent years, they have challenged our comprehension of physical processes in many more energy bands, ranging from the infrared to very high energies. In this review, we provide a broad but concise summary of the physical processes dominating the emission from high mass X-ray binaries across virtually the whole electromagnetic spectrum. These comprise the interaction of stellar winds with the high gravitational and magnetic fields of compact objects, the behaviour of matter under extreme magnetic and gravity conditions, and the perturbation of the massive star evolutionary processes by presence in a binary system. We highlight the role of the INTEGRAL mission in the discovery of many of the most interesting objects in the high mass X-ray binary class and its contribution in reviving the interest for these sources over the past two decades. We show how the INTEGRAL discoveries have not only contributed to significantly increase the number of high mass X-ray binaries known, thus advancing our understanding of the population as a whole, but also have opened new windows of investigation that stimulated the multi-wavelength approach nowadays common in most astrophysical research fields. We conclude the review by providing an overview of future facilities being planned from the X-ray to the very high energy domain that will hopefully help us in finding an answer to the many questions left open after more than 18 years of INTEGRAL scientific observations., Comment: 61 pages, 22 figures, 1 table, will be published in New Astronomy Reviews

The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) satellite has detected in excess of 1000 sources in the ~20-100 keV band during its surveys of the sky over the past 17 years. We obtained 5 ks observations of 15 unclassified IGR sources with the Chandra X-ray Observatory in order to localize them, to identify optical/IR counterparts, to measure their soft X-ray spectra, and to classify them. For 10 of the IGR sources, we detect Chandra sources that are likely (or in some cases certain) to be the counterparts. IGR J18007-4146 and IGR J15038-6021 both have Gaia parallax distances, placing them at 2.5+0.5-0.4 and 1.1+1.5-0.4 kpc, respectively. We tentatively classify both of them as intermediate polar-type Cataclysmic Variables. Also, IGR J17508-3219 is likely to be a Galactic source, but it is unclear if it is a Dwarf Nova or another type of transient. For IGR J17118-3155, we provide a Chandra localization, but it is unclear if the source is Galactic or extragalactic. Based on either near-IR/IR colors or the presence of extended near-IR emission, we classify four sources as Active Galactic Nuclei (IGR J16181-5407, IGR J16246-4556, IGR J17096-2527, and IGR J19294+1327), and IGR J20310+3835 and IGR J15541-5613 are AGN candidates. In addition, we identified an AGN in the INTEGRAL error circle of IGR J16120-3543 that is a possible counterpart., Comment: Accepted by ApJ

Instruments flown on CubeSats are small. Meaningful applications of CubeSats in astronomical observations rely on the choice of a particular subject that is feasible for CubeSats. Here we report the result of a feasibility study for observing gamma-ray polarization from Cygnus X-1 using a small Compton polarimeter on board a 3U CubeSat. Silicon detectors and cerium bromide scintillators were employed in the instrument models that we discussed in this study. Through Monte Carlo simulations with Geant4-based MEGAlib package, we found that, with a 10-Ms on-axis, zenith-direction observation in a low inclination, low altitude earth orbit radiation background environment, the minimum detectable polarization degree can be down to about 10\% in 160 - 250 keV, 20\% in 250 - 400 keV, and 65\% in 400 - 2000 keV. A 3U CubeSat dedicated to observing Cygnus X-1 can therefore yield useful information on the polarization state of gamma-ray emissions from the brightest persistent X-ray black-hole binary in the sky., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted on June 11, 2020, for publication in The Astronomical Journal

IGR J17591-2342 is an accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar discovered in 2018 August in scans of the Galactic bulge and center by the INTEGRAL X-ray and gamma-ray observatory. It exhibited an unusual outburst profile with multiple peaks in the X-ray, as observed by several X-ray satellites over three months. Here we present observations of this source performed in the X-ray/gamma-ray and near infrared domains, and focus on a simultaneous observation performed with the Chandra-High Energy Transmission Gratings Spectrometer (HETGS) and the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). HETGS provides high resolution spectra of the Si-edge region, which yield clues as to the source's distance and reveal evidence (at 99.999% significance) of an outflow with a velocity of $\mathrm{2\,800\,km\,s^{-1}}$. We demonstrate good agreement between the NICER and HETGS continua, provided that one properly accounts for the differing manners in which these instruments view the dust scattering halo in the source's foreground. Unusually, we find a possible set of Ca lines in the HETGS spectra (with significances ranging from 97.0% to 99.7%). We hypothesize that IGR J17591-2342 is a neutron star low mass X-ray binary at a distance of the Galactic bulge or beyond that may have formed from the collapse of a white dwarf system in a rare, calcium rich Type Ib supernova explosion., Comment: To be published in the Astrophysical Journal

In this White Paper we present the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies related to Observatory Science targets. These include flaring stars, supernova remnants, accreting white dwarfs, low and high mass X-ray binaries, radio quiet and radio loud active galactic nuclei, tidal disruption events, and gamma-ray bursts. eXTP will be excellently suited to study one common aspect of these objects: their often transient nature. Developed by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s., Comment: Accepted for publication on Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. (2019)

In this paper we present the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission - eXTP. eXTP is a space science mission designed to study fundamental physics under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. The mission aims at determining the equation of state of matter at supra-nuclear density, measuring effects of QED, and understanding the dynamics of matter in strong-field gravity. In addition to investigating fundamental physics, eXTP will be a very powerful observatory for astrophysics that will provide observations of unprecedented quality on a variety of galactic and extragalactic objects. In particular, its wide field monitoring capabilities will be highly instrumental to detect the electro-magnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources. The paper provides a detailed description of: (1) the technological and technical aspects, and the expected performance of the instruments of the scientific payload; (2) the elements and functions of the mission, from the spacecraft to the ground segment., Comment: Accepted for publication on Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. (2019)

In this paper we describe the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies related to accretion flows in the strong field gravity regime around both stellar-mass and supermassive black-holes. eXTP has the unique capability of using advanced 'spectral-timing-polarimetry' techniques to analyze the rapid variations with three orthogonal diagnostics of the flow and its geometry, yielding unprecedented insight into the inner accreting regions, the effects of strong field gravity on the material within them and the powerful outflows which are driven by the accretion process., Comment: Accepted for publication on Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. (2019)

We present the analysis of an extended \textit{INTEGRAL} dataset of the high-mass microquasar Cygnus X-1. We first classify, in a model-independent way, all the \textit{INTEGRAL} individual pointings taken between 2003 and 2016 in three basic spectral states. This, in particular, allows us to triple the exposure time of the soft state in comparison with previous publication. We then study the spectral properties of the 5--400 keV stacked spectra of the soft and hard states and provide the parameters obtained with our modelling. Using a refined alternative method of extracting the Compton double events of the IBIS telescope, we then extract high-energy ($>$400 keV) spectra in the two states. We do detect an hard tail in both states. Our refined analysis allows us to obtain a hard state (count) spectrum at a flux lower than previously published by our team. Although a full estimate of the calibration property of this improved software is still needed, this seems to be more inline with the hard state hard tail seen with other instruments., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Soci\'et\'e Francaise d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique (SF2A)

The black hole candidate MAXI J1836-194 was discovered in 2011 when it went into an outburst, and was the subject of numerous, quasi-simultaneous, multi-wavelength observations in the radio, infrared, optical and X-rays. In this paper, we model its multi-wavelength radio to optical spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with an internal shock jet model. The jet emission is modelled on five dates of the outburst, during which the source is in the hard and hard intermediate X-ray spectral states. The model assumes that fluctuations of the jet velocity are driven by the variability in the accretion flow which is traced by the observed X-ray timing properties of the source. While the global shape of the SED is well reproduced by this model for all the studied observations, the variations in bolometric flux and typical energies require at least two parameters to evolve during the outburst. Here we investigate variations of the jet power and mean Lorentz factor, which are both found to increase with the source luminosity. Our results are compatible with the evolution of the jet Lorentz factor reported in earlier studies of this source. However, due to the large degeneracy of the parameters of the ishem model, our proposed scenario is not unique., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures

Using the two main XTE J1550-564 outbursts (1998-99 and 2000) we gathered about 30 observations with confirmed detections of HFQPOs. While this is a small sample it is enough to start looking at the generic properties of these oscillations, especially focusing on their frequencies and their potential harmonic relationship. This then will provide us with a list of constraints, necessary for any attempt of modelling their origin. We defined five groups based on their similarities in the Fourier domain, namely the continuum of their power density spectra (PDS) and the HFQPO frequencies. We then combined the individual PDSs of each family to obtain a PDS with higher statistics to search for other potential, previously undetected, weaker peaks. While we have two $3\sigma$ potential detections of a pair of HFQPOs in our combined PDSs, none of them shows HFQPOs with frequencies in a previously claimed 3:2 ratio. Using the results presented here we propose an updated list of requirements for any model trying to explain the HFQPOs in microquasars., Comment: accepted by ApJ

Using the simultaneous Infra-Red (IR) and X-ray light curves obtained by Kalamkar et al. (2016), we perform a Fourier analysis of the IR/X-ray timing correlations of the black hole X-ray binary (BHB) GX 339-4. The resulting IR vs X-ray Fourier coherence and lag spectra are similar to those obtained in previous studies of GX 339-4 using optical light curves. In particular, above 1 Hz, the lag spectrum features an approximately constant IR lag of about 100 ms. We model simultaneously the radio to IR Spectral Energy Distribution (SED), the IR Power Spectral Density (PSD), and the coherence and lag spectra using the jet internal shock model ISHEM assuming that the fluctuations of the jet Lorentz factor are driven by the accretion flow. It turns out that most of the spectral and timing features, including the 100 ms lag, are remarkably well reproduced by this model. The 100 ms time-scale is then associated with the travel time from the accretion flow to the IR emitting zone. Our exploration of the parameter space favours a jet which is at most mildly relativistic ($\bar{\Gamma}< 3$), and a linear and positive relation between the jet Lorentz factor and X-ray light curve i.e. $\Gamma(t)-1\propto L_{X}(t)$. The presence of a strong Low Frequency Quasi Periodic Oscillation (LFQPO) in the IR light curve could be caused by jet precession driven by Lense-Thirring precession of the jet-emitting accretion flow. Our simulations confirm that this mechanism can produce an IR LFQPO similar to that observed in GX 339-4., Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The recent detections of microquasars at energies above a few hundred keV up to the TeV in one case has stimulated a strong interest and raised several questions. How are the MeV, GeV, and even TeV emissions, produced? What are the emission processes and in-fine the physics and media at the origin of the broad band spectra? What is the content of these media, and how are they powered? These sources are machines accelerating particles and matter to very high speed in collimated jets. While these are now known for more than twenty years (mainly with radio observations) and their behavior known to be tied to the accretion processes onto the compact object (studied via X-ray observations), their potential influence at high energy is just being recognized. In this review I will present a selection of recent results obtained with XMM-Newton, INTEGRAL, Fermi on 4U 1630$-$40, Cygnus X-1, and V404 Cygni and will discuss the possible interpretations of these results., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Invited review at the "7 years of MAXI : monitoring X-ray transients" conference held in Riken Wako (Japan) Dec. 5-7, 2016

The microquasar GRS~1915+105 is known for its spectacular discrete ejections. They occur unexpectedly, thus their inception escapes direct observation. It has been shown that the X-ray flux increases in the hours leading up to a major ejection. In this article, we consider the serendipitous interferometric monitoring of a modest version of a discrete ejection described in Reid et al. (2014) that would have otherwise escaped detection in daily radio light curves. The observation begins $\sim 1$ hour after the onset of the ejection, providing unprecedented accuracy on the estimate of the ejection time. The astrometric measurements allow us to determine the time of ejection as $\rm{MJD}\, 56436.274^{+0.016}_{-0.013}$, i.e., within a precision of 41 minutes (95\% confidence). Just like larger flares, we find that the X-ray luminosity increases in last 2 - 4 hours preceding ejection. Our finite temporal resolution indicates that this elevated X-ray flux persists within $21.8^{+22.6}_{-19.1}$ minutes of the ejection with 95\% confidence, the highest temporal precision of the X-ray - superluminal ejection connection to date. This observation provides direct evidence that the physics that launches major flares occurs on smaller scales as well (lower radio flux and shorter ejection episodes). The observation of a X-ray spike prior to a discrete ejection, although of very modest amplitude suggests that the process linking accretion behavior to ejection is general from the smallest scales to high luminosity major superluminal flares., Comment: To appear in ApJ

The accretion onto the black hole in the system HDE 226868/Cygnus X-1 is powered by the strong line driven stellar wind of the O-type donor star. We study the X-ray properties of the stellar wind in the hard state of Cyg X-1 as determined with data from the Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings. Large density and temperature inhomogeneities are present in the wind, with a fraction of the wind consisting of clumps of matter with higher density and lower temperature embedded in a photoionized gas. Absorption dips observed in the light curve are believed to be caused by these clumps. This work concentrates on the non-dip spectra as a function of orbital phase. The spectra show lines of H-like and He-like ions of S, Si, Na, Mg, Al and highly ionized Fe (Fe xvii-Fe xxiv). We measure velocity shifts, column densities, and thermal broadening of the line series. The excellent quality of these five observations allows us to investigate the orbital phase dependence of these parameters. We show that the absorber is located close to the black hole. Doppler shifted lines point at a complex wind structure in this region, while emission lines seen in some observations are from a denser medium than the absorber. The observed line profiles are phase dependent. Their shapes vary from pure, symmetric absorption at the superior conjunction to P Cygni profiles at the inferior conjunction of the black hole., Comment: A&A, accepted (26 pages, 18 figures)

Most of our knowledge of the radio morphology and kinematics of X-ray binary partially synchrotron self-absorbed compact jets (hereafter compact jets) is based on the observations of GRS~1915+105 which has the most prominent compact jet. Yet, the compact jet bulk velocity, $v$, is poorly constrained in the literature, $0.07 < v/c < 0.98$. In spite of this uncertainty, compact jets are often unified with relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei. We have estimated $v$ as part of a temporal analysis of GRS~1915+105 jets in "high plateau states" (HPS). We define the HPS as a state showing a hard X-ray spectrum and low level of long-term ($>10$s) X-ray activity associated with 15 GHz flux density $>70$ mJy for $>7$ consecutive days. The radio emission is associated with compact jet emission. Two HPS were monitored at 15 GHz during their termination with e-folding times of 3.8 hrs and 8.6 hrs. We combine this time scale with the scale of spatial variation of the linear source of a VLBA image preceding the fade of one of these HPS in order to estimate the jet speed. Our assumption that the reduction in radio emissivity propagates as an approximate discontinuity down the HPS jet (leaving a weak jet in its wake) indicates $0.17

Microquasars are stellar-mass black holes accreting matter from a companion star and ejecting plasma jets at almost the speed of light. They are analogues of quasars that contain supermassive black holes of $10^6$ to $10^{10}$ solar masses. Accretion in microquasars varies on much shorter timescales than in quasars and occasionally produces exceptionally bright X-ray flares. How the flares are produced is unclear, as is the mechanism for launching the relativistic jets and their composition. An emission line near 511 kiloelectronvolts has long been sought in the emission spectrum of microquasars as evidence for the expected electron-positron plasma. Transient high-energy spectral features have been reported in two objects, but their positron interpretation remains contentious. Here we report observations of $\gamma$-ray emission from the microquasar V404 Cygni during a recent period of strong flaring activity. The emission spectrum around 511 kiloelectronvolts shows clear signatures of variable positron annihilation, which implies a high rate of positron production. This supports the earlier conjecture that microquasars may be the main sources of the electron-positron plasma responsible for the bright diffuse emission of annihilation $\gamma$-rays in the bulge region of our Galaxy. Additionally, microquasars could be the origin of the observed megaelectronvolt continuum excess in the inner Galaxy., Comment: Accepted and published in Nature; 11 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables. Further information on data analysis added in version 2: 9 pages, 11 figures

We report on the analysis of the broad Fe Kalpha line feature of Cygnus X-1 in the spectra of four simultaneous hard intermediate state observations made with the X-ray Multiple Mirror mission (XMM-Newton), the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), and the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL). The high quality of the XMM-Newton data taken in the Modified Timing Mode of the EPIC-pn camera provides a great opportunity to investigate the broadened Fe Kalpha reflection line at 6.4keV with a very high signal to noise ratio. The 4-500keV energy range is used to constrain the underlying continuum and the reflection at higher energies. We first investigate the data by applying a phenomenological model that consists of the sum of an exponentially cutoff power law and relativistically smeared reflection. Additionally, we apply a more physical approach and model the irradiation of the accretion disk directly from the lamp post geometry. All four observations show consistent values for the black hole parameters with a spin of $a\sim 0.9$, in agreement with recent measurements from reflection and disk continuum fitting. The inclination is found to be $i\sim30^\circ$, consistent with the orbital inclination and different from inclination measurements made during the soft state, which show a higher inclination. We speculate that the difference between the inclination measurements is due to changes in the inner region of the accretion disk., Comment: (25 pages, 16 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, accepted)

We report on 0.3-10 keV observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory of eight hard X-ray sources discovered within 8 degrees of the Galactic plane by the INTEGRAL satellite. The short (5 ks) Chandra observations of the IGR source fields have yielded very likely identifications of X-ray counterparts for three of the IGR sources: IGR J14091-6108, IGR J18088-2741, and IGR J18381-0924. The first two have very hard spectra in the Chandra band that can be described by a power-law with photon indices of Gamma = 0.6+/-0.4 and -0.7(+0.4)(-0.3), respectively (90% confidence errors are given), and both have a unique near-IR counterpart consistent with the Chandra position. IGR J14091-6108 also displays a strong iron line and a relatively low X-ray luminosity, and we argue that the most likely source type is a Cataclysmic Variable (CV), although we do not completely rule out the possibility of a High Mass X-ray Binary. IGR J18088-2741 has an optical counterpart with a previously measured 6.84 hr periodicity, which may be the binary orbital period. We also detect five cycles of a possible 800-950 s period in the Chandra light curve, which may be the compact object spin period. We suggest that IGR J18088-2741 is also most likely a CV. For IGR J18381-0924, the spectrum is intrinsically softer with Gamma = 1.5(+0.5)(-0.4), and it is moderately absorbed, nH = (4+/-1)e22 cm-2. There are two near-IR sources consistent with the Chandra position, and they are both classified as galaxies, making it likely that IGR J18381-0924 is an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN). For the other five IGR sources, we provide lists of nearby Chandra sources, which may be used along with further observations to identify the correct counterparts, and we discuss the implications of the low inferred Chandra count rates for these five sources., Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 14 pages

We report on the X-ray spectral behavior within the steady states of GRS 1915+105. Our work is based on the full data set on the source obtained using the Proportional Counter Array on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and 15 GHz radio data obtained using the Ryle Telescope. The steady observations within the X-ray data set naturally separated into two regions in the color-color diagram and we refer to them as steady-soft and steady-hard. GRS 1915+105 displays significant curvature in the coronal component in both the soft and hard data within the {\it RXTE}/PCA bandpass. A majority of the steady-soft observations displays a roughly constant inner disk radius (R_in), while the steady-hard observations display an evolving disk truncation which is correlated to the mass accretion rate through the disk. The disk flux and coronal flux are strongly correlated in steady-hard observations and very weakly correlated in the steady-soft observations. Within the steady-hard observations we observe two particular circumstances when there are correlations between the coronal X-ray flux and the radio flux with log slopes \eta~0.68 +/- 0.35 and \eta ~ 1.12 +/- 0.13. They are consistent with the upper and lower tracks of Gallo et al. (2012), respectively. A comparison of model parameters to the state definitions show that almost all steady-soft observations match the criteria of either thermal or steep power law state, while a large portion of the steady-hard observations match the hard state criteria when the disk fraction constraint is neglected., Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Cygnus region hosts one of the most remarkable star-forming regions in the Milky Way. Indeed, the total mass in molecular gas of the Cygnus X complex exceeds 10 times the total mass of all other nearby star-forming regions. Surveys at all wavelengths, from radio to gamma-rays, reveal that Cygnus contains such a wealth and variety of sources---supernova remnants (SNRs), pulsars, pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), H II regions, Wolf-Rayet binaries, OB associations, microquasars, dense molecular clouds and superbubbles---as to practically be a galaxy in microcosm. The gamma-ray observations along reveal a wealth of intriguing sources at energies between 1 GeV and tens of TeV. However, a complete understanding of the physical phenomena producing this gamma-ray emission first requires us to disentangle overlapping sources and reconcile discordant pictures at different energies. This task is made more challenging by the limited angular resolution of instruments such as the Fermi Large Area Telescope, ARGO-YBJ, and HAWC and the limited sensitivity and field of view of current imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes (IACTs). The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), with its improved angular resolution, large field of view, and order of magnitude gain in sensitivity over current IACTs, has the potential to finally create a coherent and well-resolved picture of the Cygnus region between a few tens of GeV and a hundred TeV. We describe a proposed strategy to study the Cygnus region using CTA data, which combines a survey of the whole region at $65^{\circ} < l < 85^{\circ}$ and $-3.5^{\circ} < b < 3.5^{\circ} $ with deeper observations of two sub-regions that host rich groups of known gamma-ray sources., Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at arXiv:1508.05894

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory will be one of the largest ground-based very high-energy gamma-ray observatories. The On-Site Analysis will be the first CTA scientific analysis of data acquired from the array of telescopes, in both northern and southern sites. The On-Site Analysis will have two pipelines: the Level-A pipeline (also known as Real-Time Analysis, RTA) and the level-B one. The RTA performs data quality monitoring and must be able to issue automated alerts on variable and transient astrophysical sources within 30 seconds from the last acquired Cherenkov event that contributes to the alert, with a sensitivity not worse than the one achieved by the final pipeline by more than a factor of 3. The Level-B Analysis has a better sensitivity (not be worse than the final one by a factor of 2) and the results should be available within 10 hours from the acquisition of the data: for this reason this analysis could be performed at the end of an observation or next morning. The latency (in particular for the RTA) and the sensitivity requirements are challenging because of the large data rate, a few GByte/s. The remote connection to the CTA candidate site with a rather limited network bandwidth makes the issue of the exported data size extremely critical and prevents any kind of processing in real-time of the data outside the site of the telescopes. For these reasons the analysis will be performed on-site with infrastructures co-located with the telescopes, with limited electrical power availability and with a reduced possibility of human intervention. This means, for example, that the on-site hardware infrastructure should have low-power consumption. A substantial effort towards the optimization of high-throughput computing service is envisioned to provide hardware and software solutions with high-throughput, low-power consumption at a low-cost., Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at arXiv:1508.05894

Here, we report on observations of two hard X-ray sources that were originally discovered with the INTEGRAL satellite: IGR J04059+5416 and IGR J08297-4250. We use the Chandra X-ray Observatory to localize the sources and then archival near-IR images to identify the counterparts. Both sources have counterparts in the catalog of extended 2 Micron All-Sky Survey sources, and the counterpart to IGR J04059+5416 has been previously identified as a galaxy. Thus, we place IGR J04059+5416 in the class of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), and we suggest that IGR J08297-4250 is also an AGN. If this identification is correct, the near-IR images suggest that the host galaxy of IGR J08297-4250 may be merging with a smaller nearby galaxy. For IGR J04059+5416, the 0.3-86 keV spectrum from Chandra and INTEGRAL is consistent with an absorbed power-law with a column density of N_H = 3.1(+2.0)(-1.5)e22 cm-2 and a photon index of Gamma = 1.4+/-0.7, and we suggest that it is a Seyfert galaxy. For IGR J08297-4250, the photon index is similar, Gamma = 1.5+/-0.8, but the source is highly absorbed (N_H = 6.1(+10.1)(-4.3)e23 cm-2)., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables

We use a 43-ks XMM-Newton observation to investigate the nature of sources first distinguished by a follow-up Chandra observation of the field surrounding INTEGRAL source IGR J17448-3232, which includes extended emission and a bright point source previously classified as a blazar. We establish that the extended emission is a heretofore unknown massive galaxy cluster hidden behind the Galactic bulge. The emission-weighted temperature of the cluster within the field of view is 8.8 keV, with parts of the cluster reaching temperatures of up to 12 keV; no cool core is evident. At a redshift of 0.055, the cluster is somewhat under-luminous relative to the X-ray luminosity-temperature relation, which may be attributable to its dynamical state. We present a preliminary analysis of its properties in this paper. We also confirm that the bright point source is a blazar, and we propose that it is either a flat spectrum radio quasar or a low-frequency peaked BL Lac object. We find four other fainter sources in the field, which we study and tentatively identify. Only one, which we propose is a foreground Galactic X-ray binary, is hard enough to contribute to IGR J17448-3232, but it is too faint to be significant. We thus determine that IGR J17448-3232 is in fact the galaxy cluster up to $\approx$45 keV and the blazar beyond., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present time resolved X-ray spectroscopy of the microquasar GRS1915+105 with the MAXI observatory in order to study the accretion state just before and during the ejections associated with its major flares. Radio monitoring with the RATAN-600 radio telescope from 4.8 - 11.2 GHz has revealed two large steep spectrum major flares in the first eight months of 2013. Since, the RATAN receives one measurement per day, we cannot determine the jet forming time without more information. Fortunately, this is possible since a distinct X-ray light curve signature that occurs preceding and during major ejections has been determined in an earlier study. The X-ray luminosity spikes to very high levels in the hours before ejection then becomes variable (with a nearly equal X-ray luminosity when averaged over the duration of the ejection) during a brief 3 to 8 hour ejection process. By comparing this X-ray behavior to MAXI light curves, we can estimate the beginning and end of the ejection episode of the strong 2013 flares to within $\sim$3 hours. Using this estimate in conjunction with time resolved spectroscopy from the data in the MAXI archives allows us to deduce that the X-ray absorbing hydrogen column density increases significantly in the hours preceding the ejections and remains elevated during the ejections responsible for the major flares. This finding is consistent with an out-flowing wind or enhanced accretion at high latitudes., Comment: To appear in ApJ

We report a comprehensive study on spectral and timing properties of hard X-ray dips uniquely observed in some so-called variability classes of the micro-quasars GRS 1915+105 and IGR J17091-3624. These dips are characterized by a sudden decline in the 2.0-60.0 keV X-ray intensity by a factor of 4-12 simultaneous with the increase in hardness ratio by a factor of 2-4. Using 31 observations of GRS 1915+105 with RXTE/PCA, we show that different behavior are observed in different types of variability classes, and we find that a dichotomy is observed between classes with abrupt transitions vs those with smoother evolution. For example, both energy-lag spectra and frequency-lag spectra of hard X-ray dips in classes with abrupt transitions and shorter dip intervals show hard-lag (hard photons lag soft photons), while both lag spectra during hard dips in classes with smoother evolution and longer dip intervals show soft-lag. Both lag time-scales are of the order of 100-600 msec. We also show that timing and spectral properties of hard X-ray dips observed in light curves of IGR J17091-3624 during its 2011 outburst are consistent with the properties of the abrupt transitions in GRS 1915+105 rather than smooth evolution. A global correlation between the X-ray intensity cycle time and hard dip time is observed for both abrupt and smooth transition which may be due to two distinct physical processes whose time-scales are eventually correlated. We discuss implications of our results in the light of some generic models., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We analyze the energetics of the major radio flare of October 8 2005 in GRS 1915+105. The flare is of particular interest because it is one of the most luminous and energetic radio flares from a Galactic black hole that has ever been observed. The motivation is two-fold. One, to learn more about the energetics of this most extreme phenomenon and its relationship to the accretion state. The second is to verify if the calibrated estimates of the energy of major radio flares (based on the peak low frequency optically thin flux) derived from flares in the period 1996-2001 in Punsly & Rodriguez (2013), PR13 hereafter, can be used to estimate plasmoid energy beyond this time period. We find evidence that the calibrated curves are still accurate for this strong flare. Furthermore, the physically important findings of PR13 are supported by the inclusion of this flare: the flare energy is correlated with both the intrinsic bolometric X-ray luminosity, $L_{\mathrm{bol}}$, $\sim 1$ hour before ejection and $L_{\mathrm{bol}}$ averaged over the duration of the ejection of the plasmoid and $L_{\mathrm{bol}}$ is highly elevated relative to historic levels just before and during the ejection episode. A search of the data archives reveal that only the October 8 2005 flare and those in PR13 have adequate data sampling to allow estimates of both the energy of the flare and the X-ray luminosity before and during flare launch., Comment: To appear in MNRAS

Detecting gamma-rays from microquasars is a challenging but worthwhile endeavor for understanding particle acceleration, the jet mechanism, and for constraining leptonic/hadronic emission models. We present results from a likelihood analysis on timescales of 1 d and 10 d of ~4 years worth of gamma-ray observations (0.1-10 GeV) by Fermi-LAT of Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3, GRS 1915+105, and GX 339-4. Our analysis reproduced all but one of the previous gamma-ray outbursts of Cyg X-3 as reported with Fermi or AGILE, plus 5 new days on which Cyg X-3 is detected at a significance of ~5-sigma that are not reported in the literature. In addition, Cyg X-3 is significantly detected on 10-d timescales outside of known gamma-ray flaring epochs which suggests that persistent gamma-ray emission from Cyg X-3 has been detected for the first time. For Cyg X-1, we find three low significance excesses (~3-4-sigma) on daily timescales that are contemporaneous with gamma-ray flares reported (also at low significance) by AGILE. Two other microquasars, GRS 1915+105 and GX 339-4, are not detected and we derive 3-sigma upper limits of 2.3e-8 ph/cm2/s and 1.6e-8 ph/cm2/s, respectively, on the persistent flux in the 0.1-10 GeV range. These results enable us to define a list of the general conditions that are necessary for the detection of gamma-rays from microquasars., Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

White dwarfs, neutron stars and stellar mass black holes are key laboratories to study matter in most extreme conditions of gravity and magnetic field. The unprecedented effective area of Athena+ will allow us to advance our understanding of emission mechanisms and accretion physics over a wide range of mass accretion rates, starting from lower and sub-luminous quiescent X-ray binaries up to super-Eddington ultra-luminous sources. Athena+ will measure stellar black hole spins in a much higher number of binaries than achievable now, opening the possibility to study how spin varies with black hole history. The high throughput and energy resolution of the X-IFU will be instrumental in establishing how disc wind properties depend on accretion state, in determining wind launching mechanism and in quantifying the impact of the wind induced mass loss on binary evolution and environment. Triggers and high quality optical and radio data originating from large wide field contemporaneous instruments will provide essential complementary information on jet launching mechanisms and on the physics of rotation powered pulsars, for instance. In addition, Athena+ will furnish multiple, independent measurements of the neutron star mass/radius relation in a wide range of environments and conditions so as to constrain the debated equation of state., Comment: Supporting paper for the science theme "The Hot and Energetic Universe" to be implemented by the Athena+ X-ray observatory (http://www.the-athena-x-ray-observatory.eu). 9 pages, 4 figures

This White Paper, submitted to the recent ESA call for science themes to define its future large missions, advocates the need for a transformational leap in our understanding of two key questions in astrophysics: 1) How does ordinary matter assemble into the large scale structures that we see today? 2) How do black holes grow and shape the Universe? Hot gas in clusters, groups and the intergalactic medium dominates the baryonic content of the local Universe. To understand the astrophysical processes responsible for the formation and assembly of these large structures, it is necessary to measure their physical properties and evolution. This requires spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy with a factor 10 increase in both telescope throughput and spatial resolving power compared to currently planned facilities. Feedback from supermassive black holes is an essential ingredient in this process and in most galaxy evolution models, but it is not well understood. X-ray observations can uniquely reveal the mechanisms launching winds close to black holes and determine the coupling of the energy and matter flows on larger scales. Due to the effects of feedback, a complete understanding of galaxy evolution requires knowledge of the obscured growth of supermassive black holes through cosmic time, out to the redshifts where the first galaxies form. X-ray emission is the most reliable way to reveal accreting black holes, but deep survey speed must improve by a factor ~100 over current facilities to perform a full census into the early Universe. The Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (Athena+) mission provides the necessary performance (e.g. angular resolution, spectral resolution, survey grasp) to address these questions and revolutionize our understanding of the Hot and Energetic Universe. These capabilities will also provide a powerful observatory to be used in all areas of astrophysics., Comment: Submitted in response to the call for White Papers for the definition of the L2 and L3 missions in the ESA Science program. More information: http://www.the-athena-x-ray-observatory.eu/. 19 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables

We study the long term time averaged kinetic luminosity, $\bar{Q}$, of the major flares of the Galactic microquasar GRS 1915+105 and the relationship to the intrinsic X-ray (bolometric) luminosity, $L_{\mathrm{bol}}$, and scale it to that of a complete sample of SDSS/FIRST FR II quasars. If the scale invariance hypothesis for black holes (BHs) holds then we show that the expected distribution in the $\bar{Q}$ - $L_{\mathrm{bol}}$ scatter plane of GRS 1915+105 is consistent with FR II quasars for distances D = 10.7 - 11 kpc. We compare the specific values of kinetic luminosity and $L_{\mathrm{bol}}$ during flares of GRS 1915+105 to that predicted by several 3-D MHD simulations of BH accretion flows with relativistic ejections. If FR II quasars are a scaled up version of GRS 1915+105, the data are consistent with numerical models when they contain an ergospheric disk jet and the BH spin is $a/M= 0.99$ or $a/M=0.998$ (we estimate $a/M>0.984$). In the framework of scale invariance of BHs, our results may imply that FR II quasars also hold rapidly rotating BHs., Comment: To appear in ApJ

The black hole candidate, XTE J1752-223, was discovered in 2009 October when it entered an outburst. We obtained radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array for the duration of the ~9 month event. The lightcurves show that the radio emission from the compact jet persisted for the duration of an extended hard state and through the transition to the intermediate state. The flux then rose rapidly by a factor of 10 and the radio source entered a series of at least 7 maxima, the first of which was likely to be emission associated with the compact jet. The subsequent 6 flares were accompanied by variable behaviour in terms of radio spectrum, degree of linear polarisation, morphology and associated X-ray behaviour. They were, however, remarkably similar in terms of the estimated minimum power required to launch such an ejection event. We compare the timing of radio peaks with the location of the ejecta, imaged by contemporaneous VLBI experiments. We then discuss the mechanism behind the events, in terms of whether discrete ejections is the most likely description of the behaviour. One ejection, at least, appears to be travelling with apparent superluminal motion. The range of properties, however, suggests that mutiple mechanisms may be relevant and that at least some of the emission is coming from shocked interactions amongst the ejecta and between the ejecta and the interstellar medium. We also compare the radio flux density with the X-ray source during the hard state and conclude that XTE J1752-223 is a radio-weak/X-ray-bright outlier on the universal correlation for black hole transient sources., Comment: 14 pages; Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We perform the most detailed analysis to date of the X-ray state of the Galactic black hole candidate GRS 1915+105 just prior to (0 to 4 hours) and during the brief (1 to 7 hour) ejection of major (superluminal) radio flares. A very strong model independent correlation is found between the 1.2 keV - 12 keV X-ray flux 0 to 4 hours before flare ejections with the peak optically thin 2.3 GHz emission of the flares. This suggests a direct physical connection between the energy in the ejection and the luminosity of the accretion flow preceding the ejection. In order to quantify this concept, we develop techniques to estimate the intrinsic (unabsorbed) X-ray luminosity, $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}$, from RXTE ASM data and to implement known methods to estimate the time averaged power required to launch the radio emitting plasmoids, $Q$ (sometimes called jet power). We find that the distribution of intrinsic luminosity from 1.2 keV - 50 keV, $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}(1.2 - 50)$, is systematically elevated just before ejections compared to arbitrary times when there are no major ejections. The estimated $Q$ is strongly correlated with $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}(1.2 - 50)$ 0 to 4 hours before the ejection, the increase in $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}(1.2 - 50)$ in the hours preceding the ejection and the time averaged $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}(1.2 - 50)$ during the flare rise. Furthermore, the total time averaged power during the ejection ($Q$ + the time average of $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}(1.2 - 50)$ during ejection) is strongly correlated with $L_{\mathrm{intrinsic}}(1.2 - 50)$ just before launch with near equality if the distance to the source is $ \approx 10.5$ kpc., Comment: To appear in ApJ

We report on the optical spectroscopic follow up observations of the candidate counterparts to four INTEGRAL sources: IGR J04069+5042, IGR J06552-1146, IGR J21188+4901 and IGR J22014+6034. The candidate counterparts were determined with Chandra, and the optical observations were performed with 1.5-m RTT-150 telescope (T\"{U}B\.{I}TAK National Observatory, Antalya, Turkey) and 2.4-m Hiltner Telescope (MDM Observatory, Kitt Peak, Arizona). Our spectroscopic results show that one of the two candidates of IGR J04069+5042 and the one observed for IGR J06552-1146 could be active late-type stars in RS CVn systems. However, according to the likelihood analysis based on Chandra and INTEGRAL, two optically weaker sources in the INTEGRAL error circle of IGR J06552-1146 have higher probabilities to be the actual counterpart. The candidate counterparts of IGR J21188+4901 are classified as an active M-type star and a late-type star. Among the optical spectra of four candidates of IGR J22014+6034, two show H\alpha emission lines, one is a late-type star and the other is a M type. The likelihood analysis favors a candidate with no distinguishing features in the optical spectrum. Two of the candidates classified as M type dwarfs are similar to some IGR candidates claimed to be symbiotic stars. However, some of the prominent features of symbiotic systems are missing in our spectra, and their NIR colors are not consistent with those expected for giants. We consider the IR colors of all IGR candidates claimed to be symbiotic systems and find that low resolution optical spectrum may not be enough for conclusive identification., Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ

The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) is a telescope specifically designed for high sensitivity measurements of low-surface-brightness features at cm-wavelength and has unique, important capabilities. It consists of two interferometer arrays operating over 13.5-18 GHz that image structures on scales of 0.5-10 arcmin with very low systematics. The Small Array (AMI-SA; ten 3.7-m antennas) couples very well to Sunyaev-Zel'dovich features from galaxy clusters and to many Galactic features. The Large Array (AMI-LA; eight 13-m antennas) has a collecting area ten times that of the AMI-SA and longer baselines, crucially allowing the removal of the effects of confusing radio point sources from regions of low surface-brightness, extended emission. Moreover AMI provides fast, deep object surveying and allows monitoring of large numbers of objects. In this White Paper we review the new science - both Galactic and extragalactic - already achieved with AMI and outline the prospects for much more., Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures; white paper. Revised author list, section IB, section IIIC2, references

We report on Chandra observations of 18 hard X-ray (>20 keV) sources discovered with the INTEGRAL satellite near the Galactic plane. For 14 of the INTEGRAL sources, we have uncovered one or two potential Chandra counterparts per source. These provide soft X-ray (0.3-10 keV) spectra and sub-arcsecond localizations, which we use to identify counterparts at other wavelengths, providing information about the nature of each source. Despite the fact that all of the sources are within 5 degrees of the plane, four of the IGR sources are AGN (IGR J01545+6437, IGR J15391-5307, IGR J15415-5029, and IGR J21565+5948) and four others are likely AGN (IGR J03103+5706, IGR J09189-4418, IGR J16413-4046, and IGR J16560-4958) based on each of them having a strong IR excess and/or extended optical or near-IR emission. We compare the X-ray and near-IR fluxes of this group of sources to those of AGN selected by their 2-10 keV emission in previous studies and find that these IGR AGN are in the range of typical values. There is evidence in favor of four of the sources being Galactic (IGR J12489-6243, IGR J15293-5609, IGR J16173-5023, and IGR J16206-5253), but only IGR J15293-5609 is confirmed as a Galactic source as it has a unique Chandra counterpart and a parallax measurement from previous optical observations that puts its distance at 1.56+/-0.12 kpc. The 0.3-10 keV luminosity for this source is 1.4e32 erg/s, and its optical/IR spectral energy distribution is well described by a blackbody with a temperature of 4200-7000 K and a radius of 12.0-16.4 Rsun. These values suggest that IGR J15293-5609 is a symbiotic binary with an early K-type giant and a white dwarf accretor. We also obtained likely Chandra identifications for IGR J13402-6428 and IGR J15368-5102, but follow-up observations are required to constrain their source types., Comment: 17 pages, accepted by ApJ

Results are presented for XMM-Newton observations of five hard X-ray sources discovered by INTEGRAL in the direction of the Scutum Arm. Each source received more than 20 ks of effective exposure time. We provide refined X-ray positions for all five targets enabling us to pinpoint the most likely counterpart in optical/infrared archives. Spectral and timing information (much of which are provided for the first time) allow us to give a firm classification for IGR J18462-0223 and to offer tentative classifications for the others. For IGR J18462-0223, we discovered a coherent pulsation period of 997+-1 s which we attribute to the spin of a neutron star in a highly-obscured (nH = 2e23 /cm2) high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB). This makes IGR J18462-0223 the seventh supergiant fast X-ray transient (SFXT) candidate with a confirmed pulsation period. IGR J18457+0244 is a highly-absorbed (nH = 8e23 /cm2) source in which the possible detection of an iron line suggests an active galactic nucleus (AGN) of type Sey-2 situated at z = 0.07(1). A periodic signal at 4.4 ks could be a quasi-periodic oscillation which would make IGR J18457+0244 one of a handful of AGN in which such features have been claimed, but a slowly-rotating neutron star in an HMXB can not be ruled out. IGR J18482+0049 represents a new obscured HMXB candidate with nH = 4e23 /cm2. We tentatively propose that IGR J18532+0416 is either an AGN or a pulsar in an HMXB system. The X-ray spectral properties of IGR J18538-0102 are consistent with the AGN classification that has been proposed for this source., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables: accepted for publication in ApJ

We report on Chandra X-ray and Parkes radio observations of IGR J11014-6103, which is a possible pulsar wind nebula with a complex X-ray morphology and a likely radio counterpart. With the superb angular resolution of Chandra, we find evidence that a portion of the extended emission may be related to a bow shock due to the putative pulsar moving through the interstellar medium. The inferred direction of motion is consistent with IGR J11014-6103 having been born in the event that produced the supernova remnant (SNR) MSH 11-61A. If this association is correct, then previous constraints on the expansion of MSH 11-61A imply a transverse velocity for IGR J11014-6103 of 2,400-2,900 km/s, depending on the SNR model used. This would surpass the kick velocities of any known pulsars and rival or surpass the velocities of any compact objects that are associated with SNRs. While it is important to confirm the nature of the source, our radio pulsation search did not yield a detection., Comment: Accepted for ApJ Letters, 5 pages, 5 figures

The Chandra High Resolution Camera observed the fields of five hard X-ray sources in order to help us obtain X-ray coordinates with sub-arcsecond precision. These observations provide the most accurate X-ray positions known for IGR J16393-4643 and for IGR J17091-3624. The obscured X-ray pulsar IGR J16393-4643 lies at R.A. (J2000) = 16:39:05.47, and Dec. = -46:42:13.0 (error radius of 0.6" at 90% confidence). This position is incompatible with the previously-proposed counterpart 2MASS J16390535-4642137, and it points instead to a new counterpart candidate that is possibly blended with the 2MASS star. The black hole candidate IGR J17091-3624 was observed during its 2011 outburst providing coordinates of R.A. = 17:09:07.59, and Dec. = -36:24:25.4. This position is compatible with those of the proposed optical/IR and radio counterparts, solidifying the source's status as a microquasar. Three targets, IGR J14043-6148, IGR J16358-4726, and IGR J17597-2201, were not detected. We obtained 3{\sigma} upper limits of, respectively, 1.7, 1.8, and 1.5 \times 10^-12 erg cm^-2 s^-1 on their 2-10 keV fluxes., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

We have performed the first sensitive X-ray observation of the low-mass X-ray binary SAX J1750.8-2900 in quiescence with XMM-Newton. The spectrum was fit to both a classical black body model, and a non-magnetized, pure hydrogen neutron star atmosphere model. A power law component was added to these models, but we found that it was not required by the fits. The distance to SAX J1750.8-2900 is known to be D = 6.79 kpc from a previous analysis of photospheric radius expansion bursts. This distance implies a bolometric luminosity (as given by the NS atmosphere model) of (1.05 +/- 0.12) x 10^34 (D/6.79 kpc)^2 erg s^-1, which is the highest known luminosity for a NS LMXB in quiescence. One simple explanation for this surprising result could be that the crust and core of the NS were not in thermal equilibrium during the observation. We argue that this was likely not the case, and that the core temperature of the NS in SAX J1750.8-2900 is unusually high.

We present a study of the two main peaks of the so-called cathedral QPO in XTE J1859+226. While looking at the temporal evolution of the two features we show that they do not manifest the same amplitude of variations of their power, and do not seem to follow the flux variations in the same way. We then present their RMS-spectra and show that they do not have the same shape, slope and cut-off energy. We discuss these different facts and try to answer the question regarding the genuineness of their harmonic relationship., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Proceedings of the "HTRS 2011: Fast X-ray timing and spectroscopy at extreme count rates" conference held in Champery Switzerland

We present the first direct measurement of the spatial cross-correlation function of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) and active OB star-forming complexes in the Milky Way. This result relied on a sample containing 79 hard X-ray selected HMXBs and 458 OB associations. Clustering between the two populations is detected with a significance above 7-sigmas for distances < 1 kpc. Thus, HMXBs closely trace the underlying distribution of the massive star-forming regions that are expected to produce the progenitor stars of HMXBs. The average offset of 0.4+-0.2 kpc between HMXBs and OB associations is consistent with being due to natal kicks at velocities of the order of 100+-50 km/s. The characteristic scale of the correlation function suggests an average kinematical age (since the supernova phase) of ~4 Myr for the HMXB population. Despite being derived from a global view of our Galaxy, these signatures of HMXB evolution are consistent with theoretical expectations as well as observations of individual objects., Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ