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Regression analysis is an important instrument to determine the effect of the explanatory variables on response variables. When outliers and bias errors are present, the standard weighted least squares estimator may perform poorly. For this reason, many alternative robust techniques have been studied in literature. In these terms, the Least Squares Quantile (LQS), and in particular the Least Squares Median, are among the regression estimators that exhibit better robustness properties. However, the accurate computation of this estimators is computationally demanding, resulting in a difficult estimator to obtain. In this paper, new novel approaches to compute a global optimal solution for the LQS estimator based on single-level and bilevel optimization methods are proposed. An extensive computational study is provided to support the efficiency of the methods considered, and an ad hoc procedure to address the scalability of the problem to larger instances is proposed.

We numerically investigate a crucial parameter for understanding particle acceleration theory via turbulence-induced magnetic reconnection: the particle acceleration time. We examine particles accelerated either during the jet's dynamic evolution or in a post-processing, nearly stationary regime. We derive the particle acceleration time and compare it with theoretical predictions for both the Fermi and drift regimes identified in the simulations. In the Fermi regime, the acceleration time is expected to be independent of the particles' energy, for constant reconnection velocity, as energy increases exponentially with time. Conversely, we expect the reconnection acceleration time to depend on the current sheet's thickness and the reconnection velocity, a dependence recently revisited by xu and lazarian 2023. They identified three conditions for \(t_{acc}\). We tested these relations using statistical distributions of the current sheets' thickness and reconnection velocities in the turbulent jet over time. The resulting average value of \(t_{acc}\) was found to be nearly constant with particle energy. We compared this acceleration time with the average acceleration time derived directly from 50,000 particles accelerated in situ in the same relativistic jet. When considering a longer time interval for particle acceleration in a nearly stationary snapshot of the turbulent jet, we find that the acceleration time during the Fermi regime remains nearly independent of particle energy and aligns with the acceleration time theoretical relations up to the threshold energy, attained when the particles Larmor radius becomes as large as the thickness of the largest current sheets. Beyond this threshold, the acceleration regime shifts to the slower drift regime, showing strong energy dependence, as predicted. The results also indicate a clear dominance of the Fermi regime of acceleration., Comment: Submitted to ApJ

The bright high-mass X-ray binary GX 301-2 exhibits two periodic flare episodes along its orbit which are produced when the neutron star is close to the apastron and periastron passages. Time-resolved spectra were extracted and several models applied to describe all of them. The best description was obtained with a blackbody continuum modified by the Fe K-shell absorption edge, absorbed by a large column density on the order of $10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$ and, if present, a Fe K$\alpha$ fluorescent emission line. Three of the nine apastron flares were as bright as the pre-periastron flare and two of them coincided with spin-up episodes of the neutron star. This fact points to the presence of a transient disc around the neutron star as it passes through the apastron that increases the accretion process. The size of emitting region on the neutron star surface showed some variability but quite consistent with a hot spot., Comment: 36 pages, 77 figures, accepted for publication in RMxAA. It will appear in Vol. 61, N{\deg}1, April 2025

Cen X-3 is a compact, high-mass X-ray binary (HMXRB), likely powered by Roche lobe overflow. We present a phase-resolved X-ray spectral and timing analysis of a target of opportunity \textit{Chandra} observation made during a low-flux to high-flux transition. The high-resolution spectra allow us to delve into the events that occurred during this episode. The spectrum is described by a single black body absorbed by a local column density of the order of $10^{23-24}$ cm$^{-2}$, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than found for previous analyses of data taken at similar orbital phases. Such a large column produces a Compton shoulder in the Fe K$\alpha$ line. The transition appears to be caused by the onset of efficient cooling, which cools the plasma by 10 million degrees in just 10 ks, allowing matter to enter the magnetosphere. This happens after a major disturbance, probably the arrival of a train of wind clumps with individual masses in the range $10^{19-20}$ g. This train moves ballistically in an eccentric orbit around the NS, producing a distinctive Doppler modulation in the \ion{Fe}{xxv} line.

Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are high-mass X-ray binaries with an X-ray luminosity above $10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. These ULXs can be powered by black holes that are more massive than $20M_\odot$, accreting in a standard regime, or lighter compact objects accreting supercritically. There are only a few ULXs with known optical or UV counterparts, and their nature is debated. Determining whether optical/UV radiation is produced by the donor star or by the accretion disc is crucial for understanding ULX physics and testing massive binary evolution. We conduct, for the first time, a fully consistent multi-wavelength spectral analysis of a ULX and its circumstellar nebula. We aim to establish the donor star type and test the presence of strong disc winds in the prototypical ULX Holmberg II X-1 (Ho II X-1). We intent to obtain a realistic spectral energy distribution of the ionising source, which is needed for robust nebula analysis. We acquired new UV spectra of Ho II X-1 with the HST and complemented them with archival optical and X-ray data. We explored the spectral energy distribution of the source and analysed the spectra using the stellar atmosphere code PoWR and the photoionisation code Cloudy. Our analysis of the X-ray, UV, and optical spectra of Ho II X-1 and its nebula consistently explains the observations. We do not find traces of disc wind signatures in the UV and the optical, rejecting previous claims of the ULX being a supercritical accretor. The optical/UV counterpart of HoII X-1 is explained by a B-type supergiant donor star. Thus, the observations are fully compatible with Ho II X-1 being a close binary consisting of an $\gtrsim 66\,M_\odot$ black hole accreting matter from an $\simeq 22 M_\odot$ B-supergiant companion. Also, we propose a possible evolution scenario for the system, suggesting that Ho II X-1 is a potential gravitational wave source progenitor., Comment: Accepted in A&A. 14 pages (12 main body + 2 appendix), 6 figures, 6 tables

The topics of interest are location analysis and related problems. This includes location models, networks, transportation, logistics, exact and heuristic solution methods, and computational geometry, among many others., Comment: The proceedings book of the previous editions can be found at arXiv:2002.08287 arXiv:2002.08293 arXiv:2002.08300 arXiv:2002.01702 arXiv:2202.13878 . arXiv:2309.08337 . The XIII International Workshop on Locational Analysis and Related Problems will take place during September 4--6, 2024 in Granada (Spain). It is organized by the Spanish Location Network, REDLOCA, and the Location Group, GELOCA, from the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research (SEIO). The Spanish Location Network is a group of 100+ researchers from several Spanish universities organized into 7 thematic groups. The Network has been funded by the Spanish Government since 2003

In this work, we determine the dissociation line of the nitrogen (N$_2$) hydrate by computer simulation using the TIP4P/Ice model for water and the TraPPE force field for N$_2$. We use the solubility method proposed recently by some of us to evaluate the dissociation temperature of the hydrate at different pressures, from 500 to 1500 bar. Particularly, we calculate the solubility of N$_2$ in the aqueous solution when it is in contact with a N$_2$-rich liquid phase and when in contact with the hydrate phase via planar interfaces as functions of temperature. Since the solubility of N$_2$ decreases with temperature in the first case and increases with temperature in the second case, both curves intersect at a certain temperature that determines the dissociation temperature at a given pressure. We find a good agreement between the predictions obtained in this work and the experimental data taken from the literature in the range of pressures considered in this work. From our knowledge of the solubility curves of N$_2$ in the aqueous solution, we also determine the driving force for nucleation of the hydrate, as a function of temperature, at different pressures. In particular, we use two different thermodynamic routes to evaluate the change in chemical potential for hydrate formation. Although the driving force for nucleation slightly decreases (in absolute value) when the pressure is increased, our results indicate that the effect of pressure can be considered negligible in the range of pressures studied in this work. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the driving force for nucleation of a hydrate that exhibits crystallographic structure sII, along its dissociation line, is studied from computer simulation., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2408.03257

In this work, the tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate-water interfacial free energy is determined at $500\,\text{bar}$, at one point of the univariant two-phase coexistence line of the THF hydrate, by molecular dynamics simulation. The Mold Integration-Host methodology, an extension of the original Mold Integration technique to deal with hydrate-fluid interfaces, is used to calculate the interfacial energy. Water is described using the well-known TIP4P/Ice model and THF is described using a rigid version of the TraPPE model. We have recently used the combination of these two models to accurately describe the univariant two-phase dissociation line of the THF hydrate, in a wide range of pressures, from computer simulation [J. Chem. Phys. 160, 164718 (2024)]. The THF hydrate-water interfacial free energy predicted in this work is compared with the only experimental data available in the literature. The value obtained, $27(2)\,\text{mJ/m}^{2}$, is in excellent agreement with the experimental data taken from the literature, $24(8)\,\text{mJ/m}^{2}$. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the THF hydrate-water interfacial free energy is predicted from computer simulation. This work confirms that the Mold Integration technique can be used with confidence to predict solid-fluid interfaces of complex structures, including hydrates that exhibit sI and sII crystallographic structures., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

In this work, we determine the dissociation line of the nitrogen (N$_{2}$) hydrate by computer simulation using the TIP4P/Ice model for water and the TraPPE force field for N$_{2}$. This work is the natural extension of our previous paper in which the dissociation temperature of the N$_2$ hydrate has been obtained at $500$, $1000$, and $1500\,\text{bar}$ [\emph{J. Chem. Phys.} \textbf{159}, 224707 (2023)] using the solubility method and assuming single occupancy. We extend our previous study and determine the dissociation temperature of the N$_2$ hydrate at different pressures, from $500$ to $4500\,\text{bar}$, taking into account single and double occupancy of the N$_{2}$ molecules in the hydrate structure. We calculate the solubility of N$_2$ in the aqueous solution, as a function of temperature, when it is in contact with a N$_{2}$-rich liquid phase and when in contact with the hydrate phase with single and double occupancy via planar interfaces. Both curves intersect at a certain temperature that determines the dissociation temperature at a given pressure. We observe a negligible effect of the occupancy on the dissociation temperature. Our findings are in very good agreement with the experimental data taken from the literature. We have also obtained the driving force for nucleation of the hydrate as a function of the temperature and occupancy at several pressures. As in the case of the dissociation line, the effect of the occupancy on the driving force for nucleation is negligible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the effect of the occupancy on the driving force for nucleation of a hydrate that exhibits sII crystallographic structure is studied from computer simulation., Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures

[Abridged] The relation between nuclear star clusters (NSCs) and the growth of the central SMBHs, as well as their connection to the properties of the host galaxies, is crucial for understanding the evolution of galaxies. Recent observations have revealed that about 10 per cent of nucleated galaxies host hybrid nuclei, consisting of both NSCs and accreting SMBHs that power active galactic nuclei (AGN). Motivated by the potential of the recently published multi-wavelength data sets from LeMMINGs survey, here we present the most thorough investigation to date of the incidence of hybrid nuclei in a large sample of 100 nearby nucleated galaxies (10 E, 25 S0, 63 S, and 2 Irr), covering a wide range in stellar mass ($M_{*,\rm gal} \sim 10^{8.7}-10^{12}~\rm M_{sun}$). We identify the nuclei and derive their properties by performing detailed 1D and 2D multi-component decompositions of the optical and near-infrared $HST$ stellar light distributions of the galaxies using S\'ersic and core-S\'ersic models. Our AGN diagnostics are based on homogeneously derived nuclear 1.5 GHz $e$-MERLIN radio, $Chandra$ X-ray (0.3--10 keV) and optical emission-line data. We determine the nucleation fraction ($f_{\rm nuc} $) as the relative incidence of nuclei across the LeMMINGs $HST$ sample and find $f_{\rm nuc} =~ $100/149 (= 67 $\pm$ 7 per cent), confirming previous work, with a peak value of 49/56~(= $88 \pm 13$ per cent) at bulge masses $M_{*,\rm bulge} \sim 10^{9.4}$- $10^{10.8}~\rm M_{sun}$. We identify 30 nucleated LeMMINGs galaxies that are optically active, radio-detected and X-ray luminous ($L_{X} > 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$). This indicates that our nucleated sample has a lower limit $\sim$ 30 per cent occupancy of hybrid nuclei, which is a function of $M_{*,\rm bulge}$ and $M_{*,\rm gal}$. We find that hybrid nuclei have a number density of $(1.5 \pm 0.4) \times 10^{-5}$ Mpc$^{-3}$., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (21 pages, 10 figures, 9 tables)

Despite the widespread use of Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) for observing the structure of materials at the atomic scale, a detailed understanding of some relevant electron beam damage mechanisms is limited. Recent reports suggest that certain types of damage can be modeled as a diffusion process and that the accumulation effects of this process must be kept low in order to reduce damage. We therefore develop an explicit mathematical formulation of spatiotemporal diffusion processes in STEM that take into account both instrument and sample parameters. Furthermore, our framework can aid the design of Diffusion Controlled Sampling (DCS) strategies using optimally selected probe positions in STEM, that constrain the cumulative diffusion distribution. Numerical simulations highlight the variability of the cumulative diffusion distribution for different experimental STEM configurations. These analytical and numerical frameworks can subsequently be used for careful design of 2- and 4-dimensional STEM experiments where beam damage is minimised., Comment: Main document: 29 pages, 12 figures; Supplementary document: 18 pages, 5 figures

In this work, the univariant two-phase coexistence line of the hydrate of tetrahydrofuran (THF) is determined from 100 to 1000 bar by molecular dynamics simulations. The study is carried out by putting in contact a THF hydrate phase with a stoichiometric aqueous solution phase. Following the direct coexistence technique, the pressure has been fixed, and the coexistence line has been determined by analyzing if the hydrate phase grows or melts at different values of temperature. The model of water used is the well-known TIP4P/Ice model. We have used two different models of THF based on the transferable parameters for phase equilibria-united atom approach (TraPPE-UA), the original (flexible) TraPPe-UA model as well as a rigid and planar version of it. Overall, at high pressures, small differences have been observed in the results obtained by both models. Also, large differences have been observed in the computational efforts required by the simulations performed using both models, being the rigid and planar version much faster than the original one. The effect of the unlike dispersive interactions between the water and THF molecules has been also analyzed at 250 bar using the rigid and planar THF model. In particular, we have modified the Berthelot combining rule by adding a factor ({\xi}O-THF) that modifies the unlike water-THF dispersive interactions and we have analyzed the effect on the dissociation temperature when {\xi}O-THF is modified from 1.0 (original Berthelot combining rule) to 1.4 (modified Berthelot combining rule). We have extended the study using {\xi}O-THF = 1.4 and the rigid THF model to the rest of the pressures considered in this work, finding an excellent agreement with the scarce experimental data taken from the literature., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

High-resolution X-ray spectra of $\pi\,$Aqr, a $\gamma\,$Cas-type star, obtained with the Chandra/HETG grating spectrometer, revealed emission lines of H-like ions of Mg, Si, S, and Fe, a strong, hard continuum, and a lack of He-like ions, indicating the presence of very hot thermal plasma. The X-ray light curve showed significant fluctuations, with coherent variability at period of about 3400 seconds in one observation. The hardness ratio was relatively constant except for one observation in which the spectrum was much harder and more absorbed. We interpret the X-ray emission as arising from accretion onto the secondary, which is likely a magnetic white dwarf, an intermediate polar system., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables

The International Workshop on Locational Analysis and Related Problems will take place during September 7-8, 2023 in Edinburgh (United Kingdom). It is organized by the Spanish Location Network and the Location Group GELOCA from the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research (SEIO). The Spanish Location Network is a group of more than 140 researchers from several Spanish universities organized into 7 thematic groups. The Network has been funded by the Spanish Government since 2003. The current project is RED2022-134149-T. One of the main activities of the Network is a yearly meeting aimed at promoting the communication among its members and between them and other researchers, and to contribute to the development of the location field and related problems. As a proof of the internationalization of this research group, this will be the first time that the meeting is held out of Spain. The topics of interest are location analysis and related problems. This includes location models, networks, transportation, logistics, exact and heuristic solution methods, and computational geometry, among others., Comment: The proceedings book of the previous editions can be found at arXiv:2002.08287 arXiv:2002.08293 arXiv:2002.08300 arXiv:2002.01702 arXiv:2202.13878

Several MHD works and, in particular, the recent one by Medina-Torrejon et al. (2021) based on three-dimensional MHD simulations of relativistic jets, have evidenced that particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection driven by the turbulence in the flow occurs from the resistive up to the large injection scale of the turbulence. Particles experience Fermi-type acceleration up to ultra-high-energies, predominantly of the parallel velocity component to the local magnetic field, in the reconnection layers in all scales due to the ideal electric fields of the background fluctuations ($V\times B$, where $V$ and $B$ are the velocity and magnetic field of the fluctuations, respectively). In this work, we show MHD-particle-in-cell (MHD-PIC) simulations following the early stages of the particle acceleration in the relativistic jet which confirm these previous results, demonstrating the strong potential of magnetic reconnection driven by turbulence to accelerate relativistic particles to extreme energies in magnetically dominated flows. Our results also show that the dynamical time variations of the background magnetic fields do not influence the acceleration of the particles in this process., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

The Athena X-ray Integral Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer, studied since 2015 for flying in the mid-30s on the Athena space X-ray Observatory, a versatile observatory designed to address the Hot and Energetic Universe science theme, selected in November 2013 by the Survey Science Committee. Based on a large format array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES), it aims to provide spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV (up to 7 keV) over an hexagonal field of view of 5 arc minutes (equivalent diameter). The X-IFU entered its System Requirement Review (SRR) in June 2022, at about the same time when ESA called for an overall X-IFU redesign (including the X-IFU cryostat and the cooling chain), due to an unanticipated cost overrun of Athena. In this paper, after illustrating the breakthrough capabilities of the X-IFU, we describe the instrument as presented at its SRR, browsing through all the subsystems and associated requirements. We then show the instrument budgets, with a particular emphasis on the anticipated budgets of some of its key performance parameters. Finally we briefly discuss on the ongoing key technology demonstration activities, the calibration and the activities foreseen in the X-IFU Instrument Science Center, and touch on communication and outreach activities, the consortium organisation, and finally on the life cycle assessment of X-IFU aiming at minimising the environmental footprint, associated with the development of the instrument. Thanks to the studies conducted so far on X-IFU, it is expected that along the design-to-cost exercise requested by ESA, the X-IFU will maintain flagship capabilities in spatially resolved high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, enabling most of the original X-IFU related scientific objectives of the Athena mission to be retained. (abridged)., Comment: 48 pages, 29 figures, Accepted for publication in Experimental Astronomy with minor editing

M33 X-7 is the only known eclipsing black hole high mass X-ray binary. The system is reported to contain a very massive O supergiant donor and a massive black hole in a short orbit. The high X-ray luminosity and its location in the metal-poor galaxy M33 make it a unique laboratory for studying the winds of metal-poor donor stars with black hole companions and it helps us to understand the potential progenitors of black hole mergers. Using phase-resolved simultaneous HST- and XMM-Newton-observations, we traced the interaction of the stellar wind with the black hole. Our comprehensive spectroscopic investigation of the donor star (X-ray+UV+optical) yields new stellar and wind parameters for the system that differs significantly from previous estimates. In particular, the masses of the components are considerably reduced to 38 for the O-star donor and 11.4 for the black hole. The O giant is overfilling its Roche lobe and shows surface He enrichment. The donor shows a densely clumped wind with a mass-loss rate that matches theoretical predictions. We investigated the wind-driving contributions from different ions and the changes in the ionization structure due to X-ray illumination. Toward the black hole, the wind is strongly quenched due to strong X-ray illumination. For this system, the standard wind-fed accretion scenario alone cannot explain the observed X-ray luminosity, pointing toward an additional mass overflow, which is in line with our acceleration calculations. The X-ray photoionization creates an He II emission region emitting $10^{47}$ ph/s. We computed binary evolutionary tracks for the system using MESA. Currently, the system is transitioning toward an unstable mass transfer phase, resulting in a common envelope of the black hole and donor. Since the mass ratio is q~3.3 and the period is short, the system is unlikely to survive the common envelope, but will rather merge., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The aim of this work is to study both light curve and orbital phase spectroscopy of this source taking advantage of the MAXI/GSC observation strategy. We have investigated the spectral and light curve properties of the X-ray emission from Cen X-3 along the binary orbit. These studies allow delimiting the stellar wind properties and its interactions with the compact object. A timing analysis of light curves in different energy bands was carried out. From the analysis of the light curve, we have estimated the orbital period of the binary system and also found possible QPOs around a superorbital period of $P_\mathrm{superorb} = 220\pm 5$ days. Both orbital phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectra were extracted and analysed in the 2.0-20.0 keV energy range. We have defined and compared the high and low states spectra with the averaged spectrum. Two models have described spectra satisfactorily, a partial absorbed Comptonization of cool photons on hot electrons plus a power law and a partial absorbed blackbody plus a power law, both modified by adding Gaussian lines. The radius of the blackbody emitting area has been determined and the high value of the X-ray luminosity in the averaged spectrum indicates that the accretion mode is not only due to the stellar wind., Comment: 41 pages (draft version), 21 figures. Accepted for publication in Revista Mexicana de Astronom\'ia y Astrof\'isica (RMxAA). This paper will appear in Vol. 58, No 2, October 2022

In this paper, we propose the Ordered Median Tree Location Problem (OMT). The OMT is a single-allocation facility location problem where p facilities must be placed on a network connected by a non-directed tree. The objective is to minimize the sum of the ordered weighted averaged allocation costs plus the sum of the costs of connecting the facilities in the tree. We present different MILP formulations for the OMT based on properties of the minimum spanning tree problem and the ordered median optimization. Given that ordered median hub location problems are rather difficult to solve we have improved the OMT solution performance by introducing covering variables in a valid reformulation plus developing two pre-processing phases to reduce the size of this formulations. In addition, we propose a Benders decomposition algorithm to approach the OMT. We establish an empirical comparison between these new formulations and we also provide enhancements that together with a proper formulation allow to solve medium size instances on general random graphs., Comment: 112 pages, 4 figures, extended version of 'The Ordered Median Location Problem'

Relativistic jets are believed to be born magnetically dominated. Very and ultra-high energy cosmic rays can be efficiently accelerated by magnetic reconnection in these sources. We here demonstrate this directly, with no extrapolations to large scales, by means of three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamical (3D-RMHD) simulations of a Poyinting flux dominated jet. We inject thousands of low-energy protons in the region of a relativistic jet that corresponds to the transition from magnetically to kinetically dominated, where its magnetization parameter is $\sigma \sim 1$. In this region, there is efficient fast magnetic reconnection which is naturally driven by current-driven-kink instability (CDKI) turbulence in the helical magnetic fields of the jet. We find that the particles are accelerated by Fermi process in the reconnection regions (and by drift in the final stages) up to energies $E \sim 10^{18}$ eV for background magnetic fields $B \sim 0.1$ G, and $E \sim 10^{20}$ eV for $B \sim 10$ G. We have also derived from the simulations the acceleration rate due to magnetic reconnection which has a weak dependence on the particles energy $ r_{acc} \propto E^{-0.1}$, characteristic of exponential growth. The energy spectrum of the accelerated particles develops a power-law tail with spectral index $p \sim -1.2$. This hardness of the spectrum must decrease when particle losses and feedback into the background plasma are included. Our results can explain observed flux variability in the emission of blazars at the very high energy band as well as the associated neutrino emission. Successful applications of our results to the blazars MRK 421 and TXS 0506+056 are also discussed., Comment: Paper submitted to the Proceedings of 37th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2021), July 12th - 23rd, 2021. Online - Berlin, Germany

We present the first {\it XMM-Newton} observation of the classical supergiant high-mass X-ray binary XTE J1855$-$026 taken entirely during the eclipse of the neutron star (NS), covering the orbital phases $\phi= 0.00-0.11$. The analysis of the data allows us to a) compare with the parameters obtained during the existing pre eclipse observation and b) explore the back illuminated stellar wind of the B0I type donor. The black body component, used to describe the soft excess during pre eclipse, is not observed during eclipse. It must be then produced near the NS or along the donor-NS line. The $0.3-10$ keV luminosity during eclipse ($\sim 10^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$) is 70 times lower than pre eclipse. The intensity of the Fe K$\alpha$ line, in the average eclipse spectrum, is $\sim 7.4$ times lower than the one measured during pre eclipse. Since K$\alpha$ photons can not be resonantly scattered in the wind, the vast majority of Fe K$\alpha$ emission must come from distances within $1R_{*}$ from the NS. The eclipse spectrum is successfully modelled through the addition of two photoionized plasmas, one with low ionization ($\log\xi_{\rm 1,cold}=0.36$) and high emission measure ($EM_{\rm 1,cold}\approx 3\times 10^{59}$ cm$^{-3}$) and another with high ionization ($\log\xi_{\rm 2,hot}=3.7$) and low emission measure ($EM_{\rm hot}\approx 2\times 10^{56}$ cm$^{-3}$). Assuming that the cold and hot gas phases are the clumps and the interclump medium of the stellar wind, respectively, and a clump volume filling factor of $\approx [0.04-0.05]$, typical for massive stars, a density contrast between clumps and the interclump medium of $n_{\rm c}/n_{\rm i}\approx 180$ is deduced, in agreement with theoretical expectations and optical-UV observations of massive star winds.

Deep learning has an increasing impact to assist research, allowing, for example, the discovery of novel materials. Until now, however, these artificial intelligence techniques have fallen short of discovering the full differential equation of an experimental physical system. Here we show that a dynamical neural network, trained on a minimal amount of data, can predict the behavior of spintronic devices with high accuracy and an extremely efficient simulation time, compared to the micromagnetic simulations that are usually employed to model them. For this purpose, we re-frame the formalism of Neural Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) to the constraints of spintronics: few measured outputs, multiple inputs and internal parameters. We demonstrate with Spin-Neural ODEs an acceleration factor over 200 compared to micromagnetic simulations for a complex problem -- the simulation of a reservoir computer made of magnetic skyrmions (20 minutes compared to three days). In a second realization, we show that we can predict the noisy response of experimental spintronic nano-oscillators to varying inputs after training Spin-Neural ODEs on five milliseconds of their measured response to different excitations. Spin-Neural ODE is a disruptive tool for developing spintronic applications in complement to micromagnetic simulations, which are time-consuming and cannot fit experiments when noise or imperfections are present. Spin-Neural ODE can also be generalized to other electronic devices involving dynamics., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures

We present an analysis of the first observation of the iconic High Mass X-ray Binary \so with the \chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings during an X-ray eclipse. The goal of the observation was to study the structure/physical conditions in the clumpy stellar wind through high resolution spectroscopy. We find that: a) emission line brightness from K shell transitions, corresponding to near neutral species, directly correlates with continuum illumination. However, these lines do not greatly diminish during eclipse. This is readily explained if fluorescence K$\alpha$ emission comes from the bulk of the wind. b) The highly ionised Fexxv and Fexxvi Ly$\alpha$ diminish during eclipse. Thus, they must be produced in the vicinity of the compact object where $\log \xi >3$. c) to describe the emission line spectrum, the sum of two self consistent photo ionisation models with low ionisation ($\log \xi\sim -1$) and high ionisation ($\log \xi\sim 2.4$) is required. From their emission measures, the clump-to-interclump density ratio can be estimated to be $n_c/n_i\sim 300$. To fit the complex He-like \ion{Si}{xiii}{} profile, the plasma requires a broadening with $v_{\rm bulk}\sim 840$ km s$^{-1}$. Reproducing the observed $r\approx f$ line fluxes requires the addition of a third collisionally ionised plasma. d) Emission lines widths appear unresolved at the \textsc{hetg} gratings resolution with exception of Silicon. There is no clear radial segregation between (quasi)neutral and ionised species, consistent with cold wind clumps interspersed in a hot rarefied interclump medium.

Cen X-3 is a compact high mass X-ray binary likely powered by Roche lobe overflow. We present a phase-resolved X-ray spectral and timing analysis of two pointed XMM-Newton observations. The first one took place during a normal state of the source, when it has a luminosity $L_{\rm X}\sim 10^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$. This observation covered orbital phases $\phi= 0.00-0.37$, i.e. the egress from the eclipse. The egress lightcurve is highly structured, showing distinctive intervals. We argue that different intervals correspond to the emergence of different emitting structures. The lightcurve analysis enables us to estimate the size of such structures around the compact star, the most conspicuous of which has a size $\sim 0.3R_{*}$, of the order of the Roche lobe radius. During the egress, the equivalent width of Fe emission lines, from highly ionized species, decreases as the X-ray continuum grows. On the other hand, the equivalent width of the Fe K$\alpha$ line, from near neutral Fe, strengthens. This line is likely formed due to the X-ray illumination of the accretion stream. The second observation was taken when the source was 10 times X-ray brighter and covered the orbital phases $\phi= 0.36-0.80$. The X-ray lightcurve in the high state shows dips. These dips are not caused by absorption but can be due to instabilities in the accretion stream. The typical dip duration, of about 1000~s, is much longer than the timescale attributed to the accretion of the clumpy stellar wind of the massive donor star, but is similar to the viscous timescale at the inner radius of the accretion disk.

The ubiquitous relativistic jet phenomena associated with black holes play a major role in high and very-high-energy (VHE) astrophysics. In particular, observations have demonstrated that blazars show VHE emission with time-variability from days (in the GeV band) to minutes (in the TeV band), implying very compact emission regions. The real mechanism able to explain the particle acceleration process responsible for this emission is still debated, but magnetic reconnection has been lately discussed as a strong potential candidate and, in some circumstances, as the only possible one. In this work, we present the results of three-dimensional special relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the development of reconnection events driven by turbulence induced by current-driven kink instability along a relativistic jet. We have performed a systematic identification of all reconnection regions in the system, characterizing their local magnetic field topology and quantifying the reconnection rates. We obtained average rates of $0.051\pm0.026$ (in units of the Alfv\'{e}n speed) which are comparable to the predictions of the theory of turbulence-induced fast reconnection. Detailed statistical analysis also demonstrated that the fast reconnection events follow a log-normal distribution, which is a signature of its turbulent origin. To probe the robustness of our method, we have applied our results to the blazar Mrk 421. Building a synthetic light curve from the integrated power of the magnetic reconnection events, we evaluated the time-variability from a power spectral density analysis, obtaining a good agreement with the observations in the GeV band. This suggests that turbulent fast magnetic reconnection driven by kink instability can be a possible process behind the high energy emission variability phenomena observed in blazars., Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

Particle acceleration in magnetized relativistic jets still puzzles theorists, specially when one tries to explain the highly variable emission observed in blazar jets or gamma-ray bursts putting severe constraints on current models. In this work we investigate the acceleration of particles injected in a three-dimensional relativistic magnetohydrodynamical jet subject to current driven kink instability (CDKI), which drives turbulence and fast magnetic reconnection. Test protons injected in the nearly stationary snapshots of the jet, experience an exponential acceleration up to a maximum energy. For a background magnetic field of $B \sim 0.1$ G, this saturation energy is $\sim 10^{16}$ eV, while for $B \sim 10$ G it is $\sim 10^{18}$ eV. The simulations also reveal a clear association of the accelerated particles with the regions of fast reconnection. In the early stages of the development of the non-linear growth of CDKI in the jet, when there are still no sites of fast reconnection, injected particles are also efficiently accelerated, but by magnetic curvature drift in the wiggling jet spine. However, they have to be injected with an initial energy much larger than that required for particles to accelerate in reconnection sites. Finally, we have also obtained from the simulations an acceleration time due to reconnection with a weak dependence on the particles energy $E$, $t_A \propto E^{0.1}$. The energy spectrum of the accelerated particles develops a high energy tail with a power law index $p \sim$ -1.2 in the beginning of the acceleration, in agreement with earlier works. Our results provide an appropriate multi-dimensional framework for exploring this process in real systems and explain their complex emission patterns, specially in the very high energy bands and the associated neutrino emission recently detected in some blazars., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

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

We present a $\sim$130 ks observation of the prototypical wind-accreting, high-mass X-ray binary Vela X-1 collected with XMM-Newton at orbital phases between 0.12 and 0.28. A strong flare took place during the observation that allows us to investigate the reaction of the clumpy stellar wind to the increased X-ray irradiation. To examine the wind's reaction to the flare, we performed both time-averaged and time-resolved analyses of the RGS spectrum and examined potential spectral changes. We focused on the high-resolution XMM-Newton RGS spectra and divided the observation into pre-flare, flare, and post-flare phases. We modeled the time-averaged and time-resolved spectra with phenomenological components and with the self-consistent photoionization models calculated via CLOUDY and XSTAR in the pre-flare phase, where strong emission lines due to resonant transitions of highly ionized ions are seen. In the spectra, we find emission lines corresponding to K-shell transitions in highly charged ions of oxygen, neon, magnesium, and silicon as well as radiative recombination continua (RRC) of oxygen. Additionally, we observe potential absorption lines of magnesium at a lower ionization stage and features identified as iron L lines. The CLOUDY and XSTAR photoionization models provide contradictory results, either pointing towards uncertainties in theory or possibly a more complex multi-phase plasma, or both. We are able to demonstrate the existence of a plethora of variable narrow features, including the firm detection of oxygen lines and RRC that RGS enables to observe in this source for the first time. We show that Vela X-1 is an ideal source for future high-resolution missions, such as XRISM and Athena., Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, A&A accepted

In the last years, a peculiarity of some Be stars - their association with unusually hard and intense X-ray emission - was shown to extend beyond a mere few cases. In this paper, we continue our search for new cases by performing a limited survey of 18 Be stars using XMM-Newton. The targets were selected either on the basis of a previous X-ray detection (Exosat, ROSAT, XMM-slew survey) without spectral information available, or because of the presence of a peculiar spectral variability. Only two targets remain undetected in the new observations and three other stars only display faint and soft X-rays. Short-term and/or long-term variations were found in one third of the sample. The spectral characterization of the X-ray brightest 13 stars of the sample led to the discovery of three new gamma Cas (HD44458, HD45995, V558Lyr), bringing the total to 25 known cases, and another gamma Cas candidate (HD120678), bringing the total to 2., Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS

High-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) are exceptional astrophysical laboratories that offer a rare glimpse into the physical processes that govern accretion on compact objects, massive-star winds, and stellar evolution. In a subset of the HMXBs, the compact objects accrete matter solely from winds of massive donor stars. These so-called wind-fed HMXBs are divided in persistent HMXBs and supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs) according to their X-ray properties. While it has been suggested that this dichotomy depends on the characteristics of stellar winds, they have been poorly studied. With this investigation, we aim to remedy this situation by systematically analyzing donor stars of wind-fed HMXBs that are observable in the UV, concentrating on those with neutron star (NS) companions. We obtained Swift X-ray data, HST UV spectra, and additional optical spectra for all our targets. Our multi-wavelength approach allows us to provide stellar and wind parameters for six donor stars (four wind-fed systems and two OBe X-ray binaries). The wind properties are in line with the predictions of the line-driven wind theory. Three of the donor stars are in an advanced evolutionary stage, while for some of the stars, the abundance pattern indicates that processed material might have been accreted. When passing by the NS in its tight orbit, the donor star wind has not yet reached its terminal velocity but it is still significantly slower; its speed is comparable with the orbital velocity of the NS companion. There are no systematic differences between the two types of wind-fed HMXBs (persistent versus transients) with respect to the donor stars. For the SFXTs in our sample, the orbital eccentricity is decisive for their transient X-ray nature. Based on the orbital parameters and the further evolution of the donor stars, the investigated HMXBs will presumably form Thorne-\.Zytkow objects in the future., Comment: 44 pages, 13 figures, 15 tables; accepted for publication in A&A

We present an analysis of X-ray spectra of the high mass X-ray binary 4U 0115+634 as observed with Suzaku and RXTE in 2011 July, during the fading phase of a giant X-ray outburst. We used a continuum model consisting of an absorbed cutoff power-law and an ad-hoc Gaussian emission feature centered around 8.5 keV, which we discuss to be due to cyclotron emission. Our results are consistent with a fundamental cyclotron absorption line centered at ${\sim}10.2$ keV for all observed flux ranges. At the same time we rule out significant influence of the 8.5 kev Gaussian on the CRSF parameters, which are not consistent with the cyclotron line energies and depths of previously reported flux-dependent descriptions. We also show that some continuum models can lead to artificial line-like residuals in the analyzed spectra, which are then misinterpreted as unphysically strong cyclotron lines. Specifically, our results do not support the existence of a previously claimed additional cyclotron feature at ${\sim}15$ keV. Apart from these features, we find for the first time evidence for a He-like Fe XXV emission line at ${\sim}6.7$ keV and weak H-like Fe XXVI emission close to ${\sim}7.0$ keV., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, A&A accepted

Vertical packaging of multiple Giant Magnetoresistance (multi-GMR) stacks is a very interesting noise reduction strategy for local magnetic sensor measurements, which has not been reported experimentally so far. Here, we have fabricated multi-GMR sensors (up to 12 repetitions) keeping good GMR ratio, linearity and low roughness. From magnetotransport measurements, two different resistance responses have been observed with a crossover around 5 GMR repetitions: step-like (N<5) and linear (N>5) behavior, respectively. With the help of micromagnetic simulations, we have analyzed in detail the two main magnetic mechanisms: the Neel coupling distribution induced by the roughness propagation and the additive dipolar coupling between the N free layers. Furthermore we have correlated the dipolar coupling mechanism, controlled by the number of GMRs (N) and lateral dimensions (width), to the sensor performance (sensitivity, noise and detectivity) in good agreement with analytical theory. The noise roughly decreases in multi-GMRs as 1/\sqrt{N} in both regimes (low frequency 1/f and thermal noise). The sensitivity is even stronger reduced, scaling as 1/N, in the strong dipolar regime (narrow devices) while converges to a constant value in the weak dipolar regime (wide devices). Very interestingly, they are more robust against undesirable RTN noise than single GMRs at high voltages and the linearity can be extended towards much larger magnetic field range without dealing with the size and the reduction of GMR ratio. Finally, we have identified the optimal conditions for which multi-GMRs exhibit lower magnetic field detectivity than single GMRs: wide devices operating in the thermal regime where much higher voltage can be applied without generating remarkable magnetic noise.

The reservoir computing neural network architecture is widely used to test hardware systems for neuromorphic computing. One of the preferred tasks for bench-marking such devices is automatic speech recognition. However, this task requires acoustic transformations from sound waveforms with varying amplitudes to frequency domain maps that can be seen as feature extraction techniques. Depending on the conversion method, these may obscure the contribution of the neuromorphic hardware to the overall speech recognition performance. Here, we quantify and separate the contributions of the acoustic transformations and the neuromorphic hardware to the speech recognition success rate. We show that the non-linearity in the acoustic transformation plays a critical role in feature extraction. We compute the gain in word success rate provided by a reservoir computing device compared to the acoustic transformation only, and show that it is an appropriate benchmark for comparing different hardware. Finally, we experimentally and numerically quantify the impact of the different acoustic transformations for neuromorphic hardware based on magnetic nano-oscillators., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures

The recent demonstration of neuromorphic computing with spin-torque nano-oscillators has opened a path to energy efficient data processing. The success of this demonstration hinged on the intrinsic short-term memory of the oscillators. In this study, we extend the memory of the spin-torque nano-oscillators through time-delayed feedback. We leverage this extrinsic memory to increase the efficiency of solving pattern recognition tasks that require memory to discriminate different inputs. The large tunability of these non-linear oscillators allows us to control and optimize the delayed feedback memory using different operating conditions of applied current and magnetic field.

Fabricating powerful neuromorphic chips the size of a thumb requires miniaturizing their basic units: synapses and neurons. The challenge for neurons is to scale them down to submicrometer diameters while maintaining the properties that allow for reliable information processing: high signal to noise ratio, endurance, stability, reproducibility. In this work, we show that compact spin-torque nano-oscillators can naturally implement such neurons, and quantify their ability to realize an actual cognitive task. In particular, we show that they can naturally implement reservoir computing with high performance and detail the recipes for this capability.

Fast magnetic reconnection events can play an important role in accretion disk systems. A potential model to explain the non-thermal very-high-energy (VHE) emission (from GeV to TeV) observed in black-hole binaries (BHBs) and Active Galatic Nuclei (AGNs) can be attributed to fast magnetic reconnection induced in the turbulent corona of accretion disks and/or jets. In this work, we will discuss the results of global general relativistic MHD (GRMHD) simulations of accretion disks around black holes, whose turbulence is naturally driven by MHD instabilities, such as the magnetorotational instability (MRI). We will also present studies of magnetic reconnection driven by kink instabilities inside jets employing special relativistic MHD (SRMHD) simulations. As we expect, our simulations reveal the development of a nearly steady-state turbulence driven by these instabilities. We have performed a detailed statistical analysis to identify the presence of current sheets in the turbulent regions of both the accretion flow and jet. We then determined the magnetic reconnection rates in these locations obtaining average reconnection velocities in Alfv\'{e}n speed units of the order of $0.01-0.7$, which are consistent with the predictions of the theory of turbulence-induced fast reconnection., Comment: Proceeding at the International Conference on Black Holes as Cosmic Batteries: UHECRs and Multimessenger Astronomy - BHCB2018, 12-15 September 2018, Foz du Iguazu, Brasil, in press in Procs. of Science

Particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection is now recognized as an important process in magnetically dominated regions of galactic and extragalactic black hole sources. This process helps to solve current puzzles specially related to the origin of the very high energy flare emission in these sources. In this review, we discuss this acceleration mechanism and show recent analytical studies and multidimensional numerical SRMHD and GRMHD (special and general relativistic magnetohydrodynamical) simulations with the injection of test particles, which help us to understand this process both in relativistic jets and coronal regions of these sources. The very high energy and neutrino emission resulting from the accelerated particles by reconnection is also discussed., Comment: Invited Review at the International Conference on Black Holes as Cosmic Batteries: UHECRs and Multimessenger Astronomy - BHCB2018, 12-15 September, 2018, Foz du Iguazu, Brasil, in press in Procs. of Science. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1608.03173

Among different types of massive stars in advanced evolutionary stages is the enigmatic WN8h type. There are only a few Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars with this spectral type in our Galaxy. It has long been suggested that WN8h-type stars are the products of binary evolution that may harbor neutron stars (NS). One of the most intriguing WN8h stars is the runaway WR124 surrounded by its magnificent nebula M1-67. We test the presence of an accreting NS companion in WR124 using 100 ks long observations by the Chandra X-ray observatory. The hard X-ray emission from WR124 with a luminosity of $L_\mathrm{X}$= 10$^{31}$ erg s$^{-1}$ is marginally detected. We use the non-LTE stellar atmosphere code PoWR to estimate the WR wind opacity to the X-rays. The wind of a WN8-type star is effectively opaque for X-rays, hence the low X-ray luminosity of WR124 does not rule out the presence of an embedded compact object. We suggest that, in general, high opacity WR winds could prevent X-ray detections of embedded NS, and be an explanation for the apparent lack of WR+NS systems., Comment: 7 pages; 1 Table; 3 Figures; to appear in ApJ Letters

Spin-torque nano-oscillators can emulate neurons at the nanoscale. Recent works show that the non-linearity of their oscillation amplitude can be leveraged to achieve waveform classification for an input signal encoded in the amplitude of the input voltage. Here we show that the frequency and the phase of the oscillator can also be used to recognize waveforms. For this purpose, we phase-lock the oscillator to the input waveform, which carries information in its modulated frequency. In this way we considerably decrease amplitude, phase and frequency noise. We show that this method allows classifying sine and square waveforms with an accuracy above 99% when decoding the output from the oscillator amplitude, phase or frequency. We find that recognition rates are directly related to the noise and non-linearity of each variable. These results prove that spin-torque nano-oscillators offer an interesting platform to implement different computing schemes leveraging their rich dynamical features.

Particle acceleration induced by fast magnetic reconnection may help to solve current puzzles related to the interpretation of the very high energy (VHE) and neutrino missions from AGNs and compact sources in general. Our general relativistic-MHD simulations of accretion disk-corona systems reveal the growth of turbulence driven by MHD instabilities that lead to the development of fast magnetic reconnection in the corona. In addition, our simulations of relativistic MHD jets reveal the formation of several sites of fast reconnection induced by current-driven kink turbulence. The injection of thousands of test particles in these regions cause acceleration up to energies of several PeVs, thus demonstrating the ability of this process to accelerate particles and produce VHE and neutrino emission, specially in blazars. Finally, we discuss how reconnection can also explain the observed VHE luminosity-black hole mass correlation, involving hundreds of non-blazar sources like Perseus A, and black hole binaries., Comment: Paper submitted to the Proceedings of the IAU Symposium No. 342, Perseus in Sicily: from black hole to cluster outskirts, held in Noto, Sicily, May 2018

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) is the high resolution X-ray spectrometer of the ESA Athena X-ray observatory. Over a field of view of 5' equivalent diameter, it will deliver X-ray spectra from 0.2 to 12 keV with a spectral resolution of 2.5 eV up to 7 keV on ~5 arcsecond pixels. The X-IFU is based on a large format array of super-conducting molybdenum-gold Transition Edge Sensors cooled at about 90 mK, each coupled with an absorber made of gold and bismuth with a pitch of 249 microns. A cryogenic anti-coincidence detector located underneath the prime TES array enables the non X-ray background to be reduced. A bath temperature of about 50 mK is obtained by a series of mechanical coolers combining 15K Pulse Tubes, 4K and 2K Joule-Thomson coolers which pre-cool a sub Kelvin cooler made of a 3He sorption cooler coupled with an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator. Frequency domain multiplexing enables to read out 40 pixels in one single channel. A photon interacting with an absorber leads to a current pulse, amplified by the readout electronics and whose shape is reconstructed on board to recover its energy with high accuracy. The defocusing capability offered by the Athena movable mirror assembly enables the X-IFU to observe the brightest X-ray sources of the sky (up to Crab-like intensities) by spreading the telescope point spread function over hundreds of pixels. Thus the X-IFU delivers low pile-up, high throughput (>50%), and typically 10 eV spectral resolution at 1 Crab intensities, i.e. a factor of 10 or more better than Silicon based X-ray detectors. In this paper, the current X-IFU baseline is presented, together with an assessment of its anticipated performance in terms of spectral resolution, background, and count rate capability. The X-IFU baseline configuration will be subject to a preliminary requirement review that is scheduled at the end of 2018., Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Proc. SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, Austin 2018

Based on our new NuSTAR X-ray telescope data, we rule out any cyclotron line up to 60 keV in the spectra of the high mass X-ray binary 4U2206+54. In particular, we do not find any evidence of the previously claimed line around 30 keV, independently of the source flux, along the spin pulse. The spin period has increased significantly, since the last observation, up to $5750\pm10$ s, confirming the rapid spin down rate $\dot \nu=-1.8\times 10^{-14}$~Hz s$^{-1}$. This behaviour might be explained by the presence of a strongly magnetized neutron star ($B_{\rm s}>$ several times $10^{13}$ G) accreting from the slow wind of its main sequence O9.5 companion., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, Main Journal

The aim of this work is to characterize the counterpart to the INTEGRAL High Mass X-ray Binary candidate IGR J19294+1816 so as to establish its true nature. We obtained H band spectra of the selected counterpart acquired with the NICS instrument mounted on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) 3.5-m telescope which represents the first infrared spectrum ever taken of this source. We complement the spectral analysis with infrared photometry from UKIDSS, 2MASS, WISE and NEOWISE databases. We classify the mass donor as a Be star. Subsequently, we compute its distance by properly taking into account the contamination produced by the circumstellar envelope. The findings indicate that IGR J19294+1816 is a transient source with a B1Ve donor at a distance of $d = 11 \pm 1$ kpc, and luminosities of the order of $10^{36-37}$ erg s$^{-1}$, displaying the typical behaviour of a Be X-ray binary., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted to be published in MNRAS

Based on new Chandra X-ray telescope data, we present empirical evidence of plasma Compton cooling during a flare in the non pulsating massive X-ray binary 4U1700-37. This behaviour might be explained by quasispherical accretion onto a slowly rotating magnetised neutron star. In quiescence, the neutron star in 4U1700-37 is surrounded by a hot radiatively cooling shell. Its presence is supported by the detection of mHz quasi periodic oscillations likely produced by its convection cells. The high plasma temperature and the relatively low X-ray luminosity observed during the quiescence, point to a small emitting area about 1 km, compatible with a hot spot on a NS surface. The sudden transition from a radiative to a significantly more efficient Compton cooling regime triggers an episode of enhanced accretion resulting in a flare. During the flare, the plasma temperature drops quickly. The predicted luminosity for such transitions, Lx = 3 x 10^35 erg s-1, is very close to the luminosity of 4U1700-37 during quiescence. The transition may be caused by the accretion of a clump in the stellar wind of the donor star. Thus, a magnetised NS nature of the compact object is strongly favoured., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We report on the RXTE detection of a sudden increase in the absorption column density, $N_\mathrm{H}$, during the 2011 May outburst of GX 304-1. The $N_\mathrm{H}$ increased up to ${\sim}16\times 10^{22}$ atoms cm$^{-2}$, which is a factor of 3-4 larger than what is usually measured during the outbursts of GX 304-1 as covered by RXTE. Additionally, an increase in the variability of the hardness ratio as calculated from the energy resolved RXTE-PCA light curves is measured during this time range. We interpret these facts as an occultation event of the neutron star by material in the line of sight. Using a simple 3D model of an inclined and precessing Be disk around the Be type companion, we are able to qualitatively explain the $N_\mathrm{H}$ evolution over time. We are able to constrain the Be-disk density to be on the order of $10^{-11}$ g cm$^{-3}$. Our model strengthens the idea of inclined Be disks as origin of double-peaked outbursts as the derived geometry allows accretion twice per orbit under certain conditions., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

4U0114$+$65 is one of the slowest known X-ray pulsars. We present an analysis of a pointed observation by the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope. The energy-resolved light curve, the time-resolved X-ray spectra provided by the EPIC cameras on board and the first high-resolution spectrum of this source, provided by the Reflection Grating Spectrometer, were analysed. An X-ray pulse of $9350\pm 160$ s was measured, confirming the secular spin up of this source. We also fit the pulse-phase-resolved spectra with Comptonisation models. These models imply a very small ($r\sim 3$ km) and hot ($kT\sim 2-3$ keV) emitting region and therefore point to a hot spot over the neutron star (NS) surface as the most reliable explanation for the X-ray pulse. The long NS spin period, the spin-up rate, and persistent X-ray emission can be explained within the theory of quasi-spherical settling accretion, which may indicate that the magnetic field is in the magnetar range. Thus, 4U 0114$+$65 could be a wind-accreting magnetar. We also observed two episodes of low luminosity. The first can be explained as an absorption by an over-dense structure in the wind of the donor. The second episode may be due to temporal cessation of accretion onto one magnetic pole caused by non-spherical matter capture from the structured stellar wind. The light curve displays two types of dips seen during the high-flux intervals. The short dips, with durations of tens of seconds, are produced through absorption by wind clumps. The long dips might be associated with the rarefied interclump medium. We also found evidence of emission lines in the X-ray photoionised wind of the B1Ia donor. The Fe K$\alpha$ line is highly variable and much weaker than in other X-ray binaries with supergiant donors. The degree of wind clumping, measured through the covering fraction, is much lower than in supergiant donor stars with earlier spectral types.

Strong winds from massive stars are a topic of interest to a wide range of astrophysical fields. In High-Mass X-ray Binaries the presence of an accreting compact object on the one side allows to infer wind parameters from studies of the varying properties of the emitted X-rays; but on the other side the accretor's gravity and ionizing radiation can strongly influence the wind flow. Based on a collaborative effort of astronomers both from the stellar wind and the X-ray community, this presentation attempts to review our current state of knowledge and indicate avenues for future progress., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to be published in the Proceedings of the IAU Symposium No. 329 "The lives and death-throes of massive stars"