Search

This study comprehensively analyzes type I X-ray bursts observed by Swift/BAT from 2005 to April 2024 to search for X-ray burst oscillations (XBOs) in neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. XBOs, periodic signals detected within type I X-ray bursts, typically range from 11 to 620 Hz and are often observed in the soft X-ray data of these bursts. Using the high-sensitivity and precise timing capabilities of the Swift/BAT, we found 50 type I X-ray bursts from 37 neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. We conducted a detailed timing analysis of these bursts. For sources with known burst oscillation frequencies, our findings largely corroborate previous studies. However, many sources displayed low confidence levels in the oscillation signals, with [sub [sup Z 1 2]] values between 10 and 20. For sources without known oscillation/spin frequencies, we utilized FFT analysis to search for signals across a broad frequency range. This approach revealed potential oscillation signals, with several bursts showing significance levels exceeding 3σ, including those from MAXI J1421-613, XTE J1701-407, XMM J174457-2850.3, Swift J1734.5-3027, IGR J17473-2721, Swift J174805.3-244637, Swift J181723.1-164300, and X 1832-330. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supernova remnants (SNRs) have been regarded as major acceleration sites of Galactic cosmic rays. Recent X-ray studies revealed neutral Fe Kα line emission from dense gas in the vicinity of some SNRs, which can be best interpreted as K-shell ionization of Fe atoms in the gas by sub-relativistic particles accelerated in the SNRs. In this Letter, we propose a novel method of constraining the composition of particles accelerated in SNRs, which is currently unknown. When energetic heavy ions collide with target atoms, their strong Coulomb field can easily cause simultaneous ejection of multiple inner-shell electrons of the target. This results in shifts in characteristic X-ray line energies, forming distinctive spectral structures. Detection of such structures in the neutral Fe Kα line strongly supports the particle ionization scenario, and furthermore provides direct evidence of heavy ions in the accelerated particles. We construct a model for the Fe Kα line structures by various projectile ions utilizing atomic-collision data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron stars accreting from OB supergiants are often divided between persistently and transiently accreting systems, called supergiant X-ray binaries (SgXBs) and supergiant fast X-ray transients (SFXTs). This dichotomy in accretion behaviour is typically attributed to systematic differences in the massive stellar wind, binary orbit, or magnetic field configuration, but direct observational evidence for these hypotheses remains sparse. To investigate their stellar winds, we present the results of pilot 100-GHz observations of one SFXT and one SgXB with the Northern Extended Millimetre Array. The SFXT, IGR J18410-0535, is detected as a point source at 63.4 ± 9.6 μJy, while the SgXB, IGR J18410-0535 remains undetected. Radio observations of IGR J18410-0535 imply a flat or inverted low-frequency spectrum, arguing for wind emission and against non-thermal flaring. Due to the uncertain SFXT distance, however, the observations do not necessarily imply a difference between the wind properties of the SFXT and SgXB. We compare the mm constraints with other HMXBs and isolated OB supergiants, before considering how future mm campaigns can constrain HMXB wind properties by including X-ray measurements. Specifically, we discuss caveats and future steps to successfully measure wind mass-loss rates and velocities in HMXBs with coordinated mm, radio, and X-ray campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The youngest known Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G1.9+0.3 has high-velocity supernova shock beyond 10000 km s−1, and it is considered to be one of the major candidates of a PeVatron. Despite these outstanding properties, the surrounding interstellar matter of this object is poorly understood. We investigated the interstellar gas toward G1.9+0.3 using the 12CO(J = 3−2) data with the angular resolution of 15″ obtained by the CHIMPS2 survey by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, and discovered three individual clouds at −1, 7, and 45 km s−1. From its morphological and velocity structures, the −1 km s−1 cloud, having the largest velocity width >20 km s−1 and located at the distance of the Galactic Center, is possibly associated with the SNR. The associated cloud shows a cavity structure both in space and velocity and coincides well with the SNR. We found that the associated cloud has higher column densities toward three bright, radio synchrotron-emitted rims where the radial expansion velocity of the supernova shock is decelerated, and the cloud is faint in the other parts of the SNR. This is the first direct evidence indicating that the highly anisotropic expansion of G1.9+0.3 observed by previous studies results from the deceleration by the interaction between the supernova shock and surrounding dense interstellar medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a Suzaku observation of the supernova remnant (SNR) G352.7−0.1 are presented in this paper. We conducted spectral analysis based on careful sky background estimation and found an emission line from Al at 1.6 keV, in addition to previously detected emission lines from Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe ions. The X-ray spectrum in the 0.7–10 keV band is represented by a two-component ionizing plasma model with different temperatures and ionization timescales. Based on the results, properties of the X-ray emitting plasma and the explosion type are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE) is unresolved X-ray emission located on the Galactic plane, and whether the GRXE comes from truly diffuse plasma or unresolved point sources is still debatable. We present results of spectral analysis of the GRXE with Suzaku. In order to examine the point source origin, we fitted the GRXE spectra in the 1.2–10 keV energy band with a point source model, which is a mixture of active binary stars (ABs) and non-magnetic cataclysmic variables (non-mCVs), and found that the model cannot represent the GRXE spectral shape as long as the standard metal abundances of these species are assumed. In particular, the standard abundance model cannot account for the observed intensities of Si, S, and Ar lines as well as the previously reported Fe line. Assuming spatial densities in the solar neighborhood, integration of the ABs and non-mCVs accounts for only 30% of the observed GRXE flux. Other species of the point sources or diffuse emission with stronger Si, S, Ar, and Fe emission lines shall explain the rest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a simple phenomenological model of hadronic interaction between protons accelerated in an old supernova remnant (SNR) and cold protons situated within the associated molecular clouds (MCs). The accelerated protons from the old SNR escaped the SNR shock front, and got injected into the MCs at an earlier time, producing ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and neutrinos through inelastic proton–proton interaction. We also take into account the acceleration and subsequent escape of electrons from the SNR shock front. The escaped electrons produce gamma-rays through various radiative cooling mechanisms, after getting injected into the MCs. We use the model discussed in this letter to explain the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution of unidentified Galactic ultra-high-energy gamma-ray source LHAASO J2108+5157. We also discuss the feasibility of applying this model in other cases as well. Future observations can test the viability of the model discussed in this letter, which will in turn confirm that the SNRs can, in fact, accelerate particles up to PeV energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hadronic γ-ray sources associated with supernova remnants (SNRs) can serve as stopwatches for the escape of cosmic rays from SNRs, which gradually develops from highest-energy particles to lowest-energy particles with time. In this work, we analyze the 13.7 yr Fermi-LAT data to investigate the γ-ray feature in/around the SNR G298.6−0.0 region. With γ-ray spatial analyses, we detect three point-like components. Among them, Src-NE is at the eastern SNR shell, and Src-NW is adjacent to the western edge of this SNR. Src-NE and Src-NW demonstrate spectral breaks at energies around/below 1.8 GeV, suggesting an old SNR age of >10 kyr. We also look into the X-ray emission from the G298.6−0.0 region, with the Chandra-ACIS data. We detected an extended keV source having a centrally filled structure inside the radio shell. The X-ray spectra are well fitted by a model which assumes a collisional ionization equilibrium of the thermal plasma, further supporting an old SNR age. Based on our analyses of the NANTEN CO- and ATCA-Parkes H  i -line data, we determined a kinematic distance of ∼10.1 kpc from us to G298.6−0.0. This distance entails a large physical radius of the SNR of ∼15.5 pc, which is additional evidence for an old age of >10 kyr. Besides this, the CO data cube enables us to three-dimensionally locate the molecular clouds (MCs) which are potentially interacting with SNR G298.6−0.0 and could account for the hadronic γ-rays detected at Src-NE or Src-NW. Furthermore, the multiwavelength observational properties unanimously imply that the SNR–MC interaction occurs mainly in the north-eastern direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated supernova remnant (SNR) W 28 using Suzaku archival data, and we report here the results of our spatially resolved analyses. We carried out spectral analyses using a recombining-plasma (RP) model with element-dependent initial ionization temperatures, obtaining ∼0.5 keV for Ne, ∼0.7 keV for Mg, ∼1.0 keV for Si, ∼1.2 keV for S, ∼1.4 keV for Ar, ∼1.7 keV for Ca, and ∼0.7 keV for Fe in the initial RP phase. In addition to the north-east regions where RPs have been reported previously, we find that the ionization temperatures in the south-east and south-west regions exhibit trends that are similar to those in the central region in the initial RP phase. We also find that the time elapsed from the initial phase of the RP to the present is shorter in the central region, ∼300 yr, and longer in the outside regions, ∼103–104 yr. Our results cannot be explained by simple scenarios involving thermal conduction into molecular clouds or by adiabatic cooling (due to rarefaction), indicating that more complex mechanisms or other scenarios are required. We also estimate the ejecta mass to be ≳14  M ⊙, which indicates that this SNR was produced by a massive star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. We performed a systematic analysis of X-ray point sources within 1.°5 of the Galactic centre using archival XMM-Newton data. While doing so, we discovered Fe Kα complex emission and pulsation in two highly variable sources, 4XMM J174917.7–283329 and 4XMM J174954.6–294336. In this work we report the findings of the X-ray spectral and timing studies. Methods. We performed detailed spectral modelling of the sources and searched for pulsation in the light curves using Fourier timing analysis. We also searched for multi-wavelength counterparts for the characterization of the sources. Results. The X-ray spectrum of 4XMM J174917.7–283329 shows the presence of complex Fe K emission in the 6–7 keV band. The equivalent widths of the 6.4 and 6.7 keV lines are 99−72+84 and 220−140+160 eV, respectively. The continuum is fitted by a partially absorbed apec model with a plasma temperature of kT = 13−2+10 keV. The inferred mass of the white dwarf (WD) is 0.9−0.2+0.3 M⊙. We detected pulsations with a period of 1212 ± 3 s and a pulsed fraction of 26 ± 6%. The light curves of 4XMM J174954.6–294336 display an asymmetric eclipse and dipping behaviour. To date, this is only the second known intermediate polar to show a total eclipse in X-rays. The spectrum of the sources is characterized by a power-law model with photon index Γ = 0.4 ± 0.2. The equivalent widths of the iron fluorescent (6.4 keV) and Fe XXV (6.7 keV) lines are 171−79+99 and 136−81+89 eV, respectively. The continuum is described by emission from optically thin plasma with a temperature of kT ∼ 35 keV. The inferred mass of the WD is 1.1−0.3+0.2 M⊙. We detect coherent pulsations from the source with a period of 1002 ± 2 s. The pulsed fraction is 66 ± 15%. Conclusions. The spectral modelling indicates the presence of intervening clouds with a high absorbing column density in front of both sources. The detected periodic modulations in the light curves are likely associated with the spin period of WDs in magnetic cataclysmic variables. The measured spin period, hard photon index, and equivalent width of the fluorescent Fe Kα line are consistent with the values found in intermediate polars. 4XMM J174954.6–294336 has already been classified as an intermediate polar, and we suggest that 4XMM J174917.7–283329 is a new intermediate polar. The X-ray eclipses in 4XMM J174954.6–294336 are most likely caused by a low-mass companion star obscuring the central X-ray source. The asymmetry in the eclipse is likely caused by a thick bulge that intercepts the line of sight during the ingress phase but not during the egress phase located behind the WD along the line of sight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Certain types of supernova remnants (SNRs) in our Galaxy are assumed to be PeVatrons, capable of accelerating cosmic rays (CRs) to ~ PeV energies. However, conclusive observational evidence for this has not yet been found. The SNR G106.3+2.7, detected at 1–100 TeV energies by different γ-ray facilities, is one of the most promising PeVatron candidates. This SNR has a cometary shape, which can be divided into a head and a tail region with different physical conditions. However, in which region the 100 TeV emission is produced has not yet been identified because of the limited position accuracy and/or angular resolution of existing observational data. Additionally, it remains unclear as to whether the origin of the γ-ray emission is leptonic or hadronic. Aims. With the better angular resolution provided by new MAGIC data compared to earlier γ-ray datasets, we aim to reveal the acceleration site of PeV particles and the emission mechanism by resolving the SNR G106.3+2.7 with 0.1° resolution at TeV energies. Methods. We observed the SNR G106.3+2.7 using the MAGIC telescopes for 121.7 h in total – after quality cuts – between May 2017 and August 2019. The analysis energy threshold is ~0.2 TeV, and the angular resolution is 0.07−0.1°. We examined the γ-ray spectra of different parts of the emission, whilst benefitting from the unprecedented statistics and angular resolution at these energies provided by our new data. We also used measurements at other wavelengths such as radio, X-rays, GeV γ-rays, and 10 TeV γ-rays to model the emission mechanism precisely. Results. We detect extended γ-ray emission spatially coincident with the radio continuum emission at the head and tail of SNR G106.3+2.7. The fact that we detect a significant γ-ray emission with energies above 6.0 TeV from only the tail region suggests that the emissions above 10 TeV detected with air shower experiments (Milagro, HAWC, Tibet ASγ and LHAASO) are emitted only from the SNR tail. Under this assumption, the multi-wavelength spectrum of the head region can be explained with either hadronic or leptonic models, while the leptonic model for the tail region is in contradiction with the emission above 10 TeV and X-rays. In contrast, the hadronic model could reproduce the observed spectrum at the tail by assuming a proton spectrum with a cutoff energy of ~1 PeV for that region. Such high-energy emission in this middle-aged SNR (4−10 kyr) can be explained by considering a scenario where protons escaping from the SNR in the past interact with surrounding dense gases at present. Conclusions. The γ-ray emission region detected with the MAGIC telescopes in the SNR G106.3+2.7 is extended and spatially coincident with the radio continuum morphology. The multi-wavelength spectrum of the emission from the tail region suggests proton acceleration up to ~PeV, while the emission mechanism of the head region could either be hadronic or leptonic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the Fe K-shell lines in the supernova remnant W 51 C and hard X-ray sources in the proximity. We measure the intensities of the Fe  i Kα and Fe  xxv Heα lines at 6.40 and 6.68 keV, respectively, and find that the intensity of the 6.68 keV line is consistent with the background level expected from previous studies, while that of the 6.40 keV line is higher at the significance level of 2.0σ. Given the presence of gamma-ray emission and high ionization rate point spatially coincident with the remnant, we conclude that the enhanced 6.40 keV line most likely originates from the interaction between low-energy cosmic rays and molecular clouds. Also, we discover an enhanced 6.68 keV line emission from the compact H  ii region G49.0−0.3 at a significance level of 3.4σ. Spectral analysis reveals that the temperature and abundance of the thermal plasma with the 6.68 keV line is |$kT=3.0^{+0.8}_{-0.7}$|  keV and Z = 0.5 ± 0.2 solar, respectively. These values are explained by the thermal plasma generated by the stellar winds of O stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the X-ray and radio spatial structure at the eastern ear of the W 50/SS 433 system to clarify a characteristic feature of the termination region of the SS 433 jet, and found that a hot spot ahead of the filament structure, which is considered to be a terminal shock of the SS 433 eastern jet, is clearly different from a single point source. The detailed spatial structure of the X-ray emission is finely resolved by Chandra observations, showing that there are two sources. By comparing the point-spread function of Chandra with the radial profiles of the two sources, the northern one is clearly more extended than a point source while the other seems marginally extended. Since there are no point sources nearby, the northern hot spot is likely a localized diffuse source. The northern hot spot spatially corresponds to the peak of the radio emission. Its spatial correlation is confirmed by an X-ray image using XMM-Newton. The X-ray spectra of the two sources are reproduced by a single absorbed power-law but the column density of the northern part is larger by a factor of ∼3. When a radiation model comprising synchrotron emission and inverse Compton emission is applied to the spectral energy distribution of the northern hot spot, the emission from this spot can be explained by the radiation from an electron population accelerated up to 30 TeV in a magnetic field strength of B ≲ 50 μG. This model also agrees with the radio and X-ray data, as well as the upper limit of gamma-ray emission obtained by the Fermi satellite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the apparently extended hard (2–10 keV) X-ray emission along the Galactic plane has been known since the early 1980s. With a deep X-ray exposure using the Chandra X-ray Observatory of a slightly off-plane region in the Galactic bulge, most of the extended emission was resolved into faint discrete X-ray sources in the Fe K band (Revnivtsev et al. 2009, Nature, 458, 1142). The major constituents of these sources have long been considered to be X-ray active stars and magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs). However, recent works including our near-infrared (NIR) imaging and spectroscopic studies (Morihana et al. 2013, ApJ, 766, 14; Morihana et al. 2016, PASJ, 68, 57) argue that other populations should be more dominant. To investigate this further, we conducted a much deeper NIR imaging observation at the center of the Chandra's exposure field. We have used the MOIRCS on the Subaru telescope, reaching the limiting magnitude of ∼18 mag in the J, H , and K s bands in this crowded region, and identified |${\sim}50\%$| of the X-ray sources with NIR candidate counterparts. We classified the X-ray sources into three groups (A, B, and C) based on their positions in the X-ray color–color diagram and characterized them based on the X-ray and NIR features. We argue that the major populations of the Group A and C sources are, respectively, CVs (binaries containing magnetic or non-magnetic white dwarfs with high accretion rates) and X-ray active stars. The major population of the Group B sources is presumably white dwarf (WD) binaries with low mass accretion rates. The Fe K equivalent width in the composite X-ray spectrum of the Group B sources is the largest among the three and comparable to that of the Galactic bulge X-ray emission. This leads us to speculate that there are numerous WD binaries with low mass accretion rates which are not recognized as CVs but are the major contributor of the apparently extended X-ray emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports that the X-ray spectrum from the Galactic Center X-ray Emission (GCXE) is expressed by an assembly of active binaries, non-magnetic cataclysmic variables, magnetic cataclysmic variables (X-ray active stars: XASs), cold matter, and diffuse sources. In the fitting of the limited components of the XASs, the GCXE spectrum exhibits significant excesses with χ2/d.o.f. = 5.67. The excesses are found at the energies of Kα, Heα, Lyα, and the radiative recombination continuum of S, Fe, and Ni. By adding components of the cold matter and the diffuse sources, the GCXE spectrum is nicely reproduced with χ2/d.o.f. = 1.53, which is the first quantitative model for the origin of the GCXE spectrum. The drastic improvement is mainly due to the recombining plasmas in the diffuse sources, which indicate the presence of high-energy activity of Sgr A* in the past of >1000 yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report results of an analysis of the black hole (BH) candidate source X1755−338 made in 1989, 1990, and 1991 with Ginga, and in 1995 with ASCA. The spectra were well represented by a model consisting of a soft thermal emission from an accretion disk and a hard X-ray tail. The normalization of the multi-color disk, related to the inner disk radius, was similar to each other. The unabsorbed X-ray fluxes from the disk component in the 0.01–10 keV band were estimated to be 1.3 × 10−9, 3.0 × 10−9, 9.8 × 10−10, and 2.4 × 10−9 erg s−1 cm−2 in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1995, respectively, and are proportional to |$kT_{\rm in}^4$|⁠ , where kT in is a temperature at the inner disk radius. Based on the standard accretion disk model for a non-rotating BH, our results suggest either a small BH mass or a large inclination angle. Otherwise, X1755−338 is a rotating BH. The hard X-ray intensity was found to be variable, while the soft X-ray intensity was stable. Although previous work showed the existence of an iron line at 6.7 keV, no clear iron line feature was found in any of the spectra. We infer that most of the iron line flux reported in the previous work was due to contamination of the Galactic diffuse X-ray emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperatures of the plasma in supernova remnants (SNRs) are initially very low just after the shock heating. The electron temperature (kT e) increases quickly by Coulomb interaction, and then the energetic electrons gradually ionize atoms to increase the ionization temperature (kT i). The observational fact is that most young and middle-to-old SNRs have lower kT i than kT e after the shock heating. The temperature evolution in shell-like SNRs has been explained by this ionizing plasma (IP) scenario. On the other hand, in the last decade, a significant fraction of mixed-morphology SNRs was found to exhibit a recombining plasma (RP) with higher kT i than kT e. The origin and the evolution mechanism of RP SNRs have been puzzling. To address this puzzle, this paper presents kT e and kT i profiles using follow-up Suzaku observations, and then proposes a new scenario for the temperature and morphology evolution in IP and RP SNRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of an X-ray spectral analysis of the northeast region of the candidate supernova remnant G189.6+3.3 with Suzaku. K-shell lines from highly ionized Ne, Mg, Si, and S were detected in the spectrum for the first time. In addition, a radiative recombining continuum (RRC) from He-like Si was clearly seen near 2.5 keV. This detection of an RRC reveals for the first time that G189.6+3.3 possesses an X-ray-emitting recombining plasma (RP). The extracted X-ray spectrum in the 0.6–10.0 keV energy band is well fitted with a model consisting of a collisional ionization equilibrium plasma component (associated with the interstellar medium) and an RP component (associated with the ejecta). The spectral feature shows that G189.6+3.3 is most likely to be a middle-aged SNR with an RP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current decade, GeV/TeV gamma-ray observations of several supernova remnants (SNRs) have implied that accelerated particles are escaping from their acceleration sites. However, when and how they escape from the SNR vicinities are yet to be understood. Recent studies have suggested that the particle escape might develop with thermal plasma ages of the SNRs. We present a systematic study on the time evolution of particle escape using thermal X-ray properties and gamma-ray spectra using 38 SNRs associated with GeV/TeV gamma-ray emissions. We conducted spectral fittings on the gamma-ray spectra using exponential cutoff power-law and broken power-law models to estimate the exponential cutoff or the break energies, both of which are indicators of particle escape. Plots of the gamma-ray cutoff/break energies over the plasma ages show similar tendencies to those predicted by analytical/numerical calculations of particle escape under conditions in which a shock is interacting with thin interstellar medium or clouds. The particle escape timescale is estimated as ∼100 kyr from the decreasing trends of the total energy of the confined protons with the plasma age. The large dispersions of the cutoff/break energies in the data may suggest an intrinsic variety of particle escape environments. This might be the cause of the complicated Galactic cosmic ray spectral shape measured on Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of a spectral analysis of the central region of the mixed-morphology supernova remnant HB 9. A prior Ginga observation of this source detected a hard X-ray component above 4 keV, and the origin of this particular X-ray component is still unknown. Our results demonstrate that the extracted X-ray spectra are best represented by a model consisting of a collisional ionization equilibrium plasma with a temperature of ∼0.1–0.2 keV (interstellar matter component) and an ionizing plasma with a temperature of ∼0.6–0.7 keV and an ionization timescale of >1 × 1011 cm−3 s (ejecta component). No significant X-ray emission was found in the central region above 4 keV. The recombining plasma model reported by a previous work does not explain our spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Supernova remnants interacting with molecular clouds are ideal laboratories to study the acceleration of particles at shock waves and their transport and interactions in the surrounding interstellar medium. Aims. Here, we focus on the supernova remnant W28, which over the years has been observed in all energy domains from radio waves to very-high-energy gamma rays. The bright gamma-ray emission detected from molecular clouds located in its vicinity revealed the presence of accelerated GeV and TeV particles in the region. An enhanced ionization rate has also been measured by means of millimeter observations, but such observations alone cannot tell us whether the enhancement is due to low-energy (MeV) cosmic rays (either protons or electrons) or the X-ray photons emitted by the shocked gas. The goal of this study is to determine the origin of the enhanced ionization rate and to infer from multiwavelength observations the spectrum of cosmic rays accelerated at the supernova remnant shock in an unprecedented range spanning from MeV to multi-TeV particle energies. Methods. We developed a model to describe the transport of X-ray photons into the molecular cloud, and we fitted the radio, millimeter, and gamma-ray data to derive the spectrum of the radiating particles. Results. The contribution from X-ray photons to the enhanced ionization rate is negligible, and therefore the ionization must be due to cosmic rays. Even though we cannot exclude a contribution to the ionization rate coming from cosmic-ray electrons, we show that a scenario where cosmic-ray protons explain both the gamma-ray flux and the enhanced ionization rate provides the most natural fit to multiwavelength data. This strongly suggests that the intensity of CR protons is enhanced in the region for particle energies in a very broad range covering almost six orders of magnitude: from .100MeV up to several tens of TeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The space density of the various classes of cataclysmic variables (CVs) has up to now only been weakly constrained, due to the small number of objects in complete X-ray flux-limited samples and the difficulty in deriving precise distances to CVs. The former limitation still exists. Here the impact of Gaia parallaxes and implied distances on the space density of X-ray-selected complete, flux-limited samples is studied. These samples have been described in the literature: Those of non-magnetic CVs are based on ROSAT (RBS – ROSAT Bright Survey & NEP – North Ecliptic Pole) and that of the intermediate polars (IPs) stems from Swift/BAT. All CVs appear to be rarer than previously thought, although the new values are all within the errors of past studies. Upper limits at 90% confidence for the space densities of non-magnetic CVs are ρRBS < 1.1 × 10−6 pc−3 and ρRBS+NEP < 5.1 × 10−6 pc−3 for an assumed scale height of h = 260 pc and ρIPs < 1.3 × 10−7 pc−3 for the long-period IPs at a scale height of 120 pc. Most of the distances to the IPs have previously been under-estimated. The upper limits to the space densities are only valid in cases where CVs do not have lower X-ray luminosities than the lowest-luminosity member of the sample. These results require confirmation using larger sample sizes, soon to be established through sensitive X-ray all-sky surveys to be performed with eROSITA on the Spektrum-X-Gamma mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overionized recombining plasmas (RPs) have been discovered from a dozen mixed-morphology (MM) supernova remnants (SNRs). However, their formation process is still under debate. As pointed out by many previous studies, spatial variations of plasma temperature and ionization state provide clues to understanding the physical origin of RPs. We report on spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy of W 28, which is one of the largest MM SNRs found in our Galaxy. Two observations with Suzaku XIS cover the center of W 28 to the northeastern rim where the shock is interacting with molecular clouds. The X-ray spectra in the inner regions are reproduced well by a combination of two RP models with different temperatures and ionization states, whereas that in the northeastern rim is explained with a single RP model. Our discovery of the RP in the northeastern rim suggests an effect of thermal conduction between the cloud and hot plasma, which may be the production process of the RP. The X-ray spectrum of the northeastern rim also shows an excess emission of the Fe I K α line. The most probable process to explain the line would be inner shell ionization of Fe in the molecular cloud by cosmic ray particles accelerated in W 28. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Suzaku X-ray data of the Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) candidate G323.7-1.0 are analyzed to search for X-ray emissions. Spatially extended enhancements in the 6.4 keV line and in soft X-rays are found inside or on the radio shell. The soft X-ray enhancement would be the hottest part of the shell-like X-ray emission along the radio shell. The 6.4 keV line enhancement is detected at a significance level of 4.1 s. The lower limit of the equivalent width (EW) is 1.2 keV. The energy centroid of the 6.4 keV line is 6.40 ± 0.04 keV, indicating that the iron is less ionized than the Ne-like state. If the 6.4 keV line originates from ionizing non-equilibrium thermal plasma, presence of iron-rich ejecta in a low-ionization state is required, which is disfavored by the relatively old age of the SNR. The 6.4 keV line enhancement would be due to K-shell ionization of iron atoms in a dense interstellar medium by high-energy particles. Since there is no irradiating X-ray source, the origin of the 6.4 keV line enhancement is not likely the photoionization. The large EW can only be explained by K-shell ionization due to cosmic-ray protons with an energy of ~10MeV, which might be generated by the shock acceleration in G323.7-1.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin of the narrow Fe-Ka fluorescence line at 6.4 keV from active galactic nuclei has long been under debate; some of the possible sites are the outer accretion disk, the broad line region, a molecular torus, or interstellar/intracluster media. In 2016 February-March, we performed the first X-ray microcalorimeter spectroscopy with the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on board the Hitomi satellite of the Fanaroff-Riley type I radio galaxy NGC1275 at the center of the Perseus cluster of galaxies. With the high-energy resolution of ~5 eV at 6 keV achieved by Hitomi/SXS, we detected the Fe-Ka line with ~5.4 s significance. The velocity width is constrained to be 500-1600kms-1 (FWHM for Gaussian models) at 90% confidence. The SXS also constrains the continuum level from the NGC1275 nucleus up to ~20 keV, giving an equivalent width of ~20 eV for the 6.4 keV line. Because the velocitywidth is narrower than that of the broad Ha line of~2750kms-1, we can exclude a large contribution to the line flux from the accretion disk and the broad line region. Furthermore, we performed pixel map analyses on the Hitomi/SXS data and image analyses on the Chandra archival data, and revealed that the Fe-Ka line comes from a region within ~1.6 kpc of the NGC1275 core, where an active galactic nucleus emission dominates, rather than that from intracluster media. Therefore, we suggest that the source of the Fe-Ka line from NGC1275 is likely a low-covering-fraction molecular torus or a rotating molecular disk which probably extends from a parsec to hundreds of parsecs scale in the active galactic nucleus system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Galactic diffuse X-ray emission (GDXE) in the Milky Way Galaxy is spatially and spectrally decomposed into the Galactic center X-ray emission (GCXE), the Galactic ridge X-ray emission (GRXE), and the Galactic bulge X-ray emission (GBXE). The X-ray spectra of the GDXE are characterized by the strong K-shell lines of the highly ionized atoms, and the brightest lines are the K-shell transition (principal quantum number transition of n = 2 → 1) of neutral iron (Fe I-Kα), He-like iron (Fe XXV-Heα), and He-like sulfur (S XVHeα). Accordingly, the GDXE is composed of a high-temperature plasma of ~7 keV (HTP) and a low-temperature plasma of ~1 keV, which emit the Fe XXV-Heα and S XV-Heα lines, respectively. The Fe I-Kα line is emitted from nearly neutral irons, and hence the third component of the GDXE is a cool gas (CG). The Fe I-Kα distribution in the GCXE region is clumpy (Fe I-Kα clump), associated with giant molecular cloud (MC) complexes (Sagittarius A, B, C, D, and E) in the central molecular zone. The origin of the Fe I-Kα clumps is the fluorescence and Thomson scattering from the MCs irradiated by past big flares of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. The scale heights and equivalent widths of the Fe I-Kα, FeXXV-Heα, and FeXXVI-Lyα (n = 2 → 1 transition of H-like iron) lines are different among the GCXE, GBXE, and GRXE. Therefore, their structures and origins are separately examined. This paper gives an overview of the research history and the present understandings of the GDXE, while in particular focusing on the origin of the HTP and CG in the GCXE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the analysis of the X-ray spectra of the Galactic diffuse X-ray emission (GDXE) in the Suzaku archive. The fluxes of the Fe I Kα (6.4 keV), Fe XXV Heα (6.7 keV), and Fe XXVI Lyα (6.97 keV) lines are separately determined. From the latitude distributions, we confirm that the GDXE is decomposed into the Galactic center (GCXE), the Galactic bulge (GBXE) and the Galactic ridge (GRXE) X-ray emissions. The scale heights (SHs) of the Fe XXV Heα line of the GCXE, GBXE, and GRXE are determined to be ∼40, ∼310, and ∼140 pc, while those of the Fe I Kα line are ∼30, ∼160, and ∼70 pc, respectively. The mean equivalent widths (EWs) of the sum of the Fe XXV Heα and Fe XXVI Lyα lines are ∼750 eV, ∼600 eV, and ∼550 eV, while those of the Fe I Kα line are ∼150 eV, ∼60 eV, and ∼100 eV for the GCXE, GBXE, and GRXE, respectively. The origin of the GBXE, GRXE, and GCXE is separately discussed based on the new results of the SHs and EWs, in comparison with those of the cataclysmic variables, active binaries and coronal active stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on results of a Suzaku observation of the supernova remnant (SNR) Kes 79 (G33.6+0.☉). The X-ray spectrum is best fitted by a two-temperaturemodel: a nonequilibrium ionization (NEI) plasma and a collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) plasma. The NEI plasma is spatially confined within the inner radio shell with kT ~ 0.8 keV, while the CIE plasma is found in more spatially extended regions associated with the outer radio shell with kT ~ 0.2 keV and solar abundance. Therefore, the NEI plasma is attributable to the SN ejecta, and the CIE plasma is the forward shocked interstellar medium. In the NEI plasma, we discovered K-shell lines of Al, Ar, and Ca for the first time. The abundance pattern and estimated mass of the ejecta are consistent with a core-collapse supernova explosion of a ~30-40M☉ progenitor star. An Fe line with a center energy of ~6.4 keV is also found in the southeast (SE) portion of the SNR, a close peripheral region around dense molecular clouds. One possibility is that the line is associated with the ejecta. However, the centroid energy of ~6.4 keV and the spatial distribution of enhancement near the SE peripheral do not favor this scenario. Since the ~6.4 keV emitting region coincides with the molecular clouds, we propose another possibility, that the Fe line is due to K-shell ionization of neutral Fe by the interaction of locally accelerated protons (LECRp) with the surrounding molecular cloud. Both of these possibilities, heated ejecta or LECRp origin, are discussed based on the observational facts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a discovery of bright blob-like enhancements of an Fe  i K |$\alpha$| line in the northwest and the middle of the supernova remnant (SNR) IC 443. The distribution of the line emission is associated with molecular clouds interacting with the shock front, and is totally different from that of the plasma. The Fe  i K |$\alpha$| line has a large equivalent width. The most plausible scenario for the origin of the line emission is that the MeV protons accelerated in the shell leak into the molecular clouds and ionized the Fe atoms therein. The observed Fe  i K |$\alpha$| line intensity is consistent with the prediction of a theoretical model in which MeV protons are accelerated along with GeV and TeV protons at the SNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of spectral analysis for the galaxy cluster IGR J17448 |$-$| 3232 are presented. The intracluster medium (ICM) in the central region (⁠|$r\lt 300^{\prime \prime }$|⁠ , |$320\:$| kpc) has a high electron temperature plasma of |$kT_{\rm e} \sim 13$| – |$15\:$| keV, and an ionization temperature estimated from an intensity ratio of Fe  xxvi Ly |$\alpha /$| Fe  xxv He |$\alpha$| lines is lower than the electron temperature, which suggests that the ICM is in the non-ionization equilibrium (NEI) state. The spectrum in the central region can be also fitted with a two-component model: a two-temperature plasma model in a collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) with temperatures of |$7.9\:$| keV and |$\gt 34\:$| keV, or a CIE |$+$| power-law model with a temperature of |$9.4\:$| keV and a photon index of 1.1. The two-component models can represent the intensity ratio of Fe  xxvi Ly |$\alpha /$| Fe  xxv He |$\alpha$| lines. On the other hand, the spectrum in the outer region (⁠|$r\gt 300^{\prime \prime }$|⁠) can be explained by a single CIE plasma model with a temperature of 5– |$8\:$| keV. Based on the spectral feature and its circular structure, we propose that the NEI plasma was produced by merging along the line-of-sight direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent discovery of the X-ray neutral iron line (Fe   i Kα at 6.40 keV) around several supernova remnants (SNRs) show that MeV cosmic-ray (CR) protons are distributed around the SNRs and are interacting with neutral gas there. We propose that these MeV CRs are the ones that have been accelerated at the SNRs together with GeV–TeV CRs. In our analytical model, the MeV CRs are still confined in the SNR when the SNR collides with molecular clouds. After the collision, the MeV CRs leak into the clouds and produce the neutral iron line emissions. On the other hand, GeV–TeV CRs had already escaped from the SNRs and emitted gamma-rays through interaction with molecular clouds surrounding the SNRs. We apply this model to the SNRs W 28 and W 44 and show that it can reproduce the observations of the iron line intensities and the gamma-ray spectra. This could be additional support of the hadronic scenario for the gamma-ray emissions from these SNRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: This column shows whether the data were used to make SgrA East or the nearby GCXE spectrum. SgrA East and the GCXE in the SgrA East area are deter- Best-fitting parameters for SgrA East and the nearby GCXE in the cases of the 2-CIE or 2-RP model for SgrA East. SgrA East Nearby GCXE SgrA East Nearby GCXE Link to nearby GCXE Link to HTP Link to nearby GCXE Link to HTP.

Most young and middle-aged supernova remnants (SNRs) exhibit an ionizing plasma (IP), an ionizing process following a shock-heated SNR gas. On the other hand, significant fractions of SNRs exhibit a recombining plasma (RP). The origin and the mechanisms of the RP, however, are not yet well understood. This paper proposes a new model that the RP follows after the IP process taken at the first epoch of the SNR evolution. Using the high-quality and wide-band (0.6–10 keV) spectrum of IC 443, we fitted it with a model of two RPs (two-RP model) plus a power law (PL) with an Fe  i Kα line component. The ionization temperature in one RP monotonically increases from Ne–Ca, while that in the other RP shows a drastic increase from Cr–Ni. The origin and mechanism of the two-RP and PL with an Fe  i Kα line components are possibly due to different evolution of two plasmas and ionization by low-energy cosmic rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unresolved X-ray emission extends along the Galactic plane, so-called the Galactic diffuse X-ray emission (GDXE). The characteristic feature is three K-shell lines of Fe at 6.4, 6.7, and 6.9 keV. Recently, superposition of faint point sources, such as Cataclysmic variables (CVs) and Active binaries (ABs) is thought to be a major origin, although it is under debate which sub-class mostly contribute. We re-analyzed the Suzaku archive data and constructed spectral models of ABs, magnetic CVs (mCVs), and non-magnetic CVs (non-mCVs). The GBXE is explained by combination of those models; non-mCVs and ABs mainly contribute while mCVs account for ~10% or less of the 5–10 keV flux. On the other hand, the GCXE and GRXE spectra cannot be represented by any combination of the point sources, indicating another origin would be required. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Galactic Center X-ray emission (GCXE) is composed of high-temperature (∼7 keV) and low-temperature (∼1 keV) plasmas (HTP and LTP, respectively). The global structure of the HTP is roughly uniform over the Galactic Center (GC) region, and the origin of the HTP has been extensively studied. On the other hand, the LTP is more clumpy, and its origin has not been studied in detail. In the S  xv Heα line map, a pair of horn-like soft diffuse sources are seen at symmetric positions with respect to Sagittarius A⋆. The X-ray spectra of the pair are well represented by an absorbed thin thermal plasma model of temperature and N H of 0.6–0.7 keV and 4 × 1022 cm−2, respectively. The N H values indicate that the pair are located near the GC. Then the dynamical time scales of the pair are ∼105 yr. The Si and S abundances and the surface brightnesses in the S  xv Heα line band are 0.7–1.2 and 0.6–1.3 solar, and (2.0–2.4) × 10−15 erg s−1 cm−2 arcmin−2, respectively. The temperature, abundances, and surface brightness are similar to those of the LTP in the GCXE, while the abundances are far larger than those of known point sources, typically coronal active stars and RS CVn-type active binaries. Based on these results, the possible origin of the LTP is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an X-ray study of the GeV gamma-ray supernova remnant (SNR) HB 21 with Suzaku. HB 21 is interacting with molecular clouds, and is the faintest in the GeV band among known GeV SNRs. We discovered strong radiative recombination continua of Si and S from the center of the remnant, which provide direct evidence of a recombining plasma (RP). The total emission can be explained with the RP and ionizing plasma components. The electron temperature and recombination timescale of the RP component were estimated as 0.17 (0.15–0.18) keV and 3.2 (2.0–4.8) × 1011 s cm−3, respectively. The estimated age of the RP (∼170 kyr) is the longest among known recombining GeV SNRs, because of a very low density of electrons (∼0.05 cm−3). We have examined the dependencies of GeV spectral indices on each of RP ages and SNR diameters for nine recombining GeV SNRs. Both showed possible positive correlations, indicating that both the parameters can be good indicators of properties of accelerated protons, for instance the degree of escape from SNR shocks. A possible scenario for a process of proton escape is introduced: interaction with molecular clouds makes weaker magnetic turbulence and cosmic-ray protons escape, simultaneously cooling down the thermal electrons and generating an RP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]