Search

We report on the detection of X-ray polarisation in the black-hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 during its dim hard spectral state by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). This is the first detection of X-ray polarisation at the transition from the soft to the hard state in an X-ray binary. We find an averaged 2$-$8 keV polarisation degree of (3.3 ${\pm}$ 0.4) % and a corresponding polarisation angle of 3{\deg} ${\pm}$ 4{\deg}, which matches the polarisation detected during the rising stage of the outburst, in September$-$October 2023, within 1${\sigma}$ uncertainty. The observational campaign complements previous studies of this source and enables comparison of the X-ray polarisation properties of a single transient across the X-ray hardness-intensity diagram. The complete recovery of the X-ray polarisation properties, including the energy dependence, came after a dramatic drop in the X-ray polarisation during the soft state. The new IXPE observations in the dim hard state at the reverse transition indicate that the accretion properties, including the geometry of the corona, appear to be strikingly similar to the bright hard state during the outburst rise despite the X-ray luminosities differing by two orders of magnitude., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

Although the study of X-ray binaries has led to major breakthroughs in high-energy astrophysics, their circumbinary environment at scales of $\sim$100--10,000 astronomical units has not been thoroughly investigated. In this paper, we undertake a novel and exploratory study by employing direct and high-contrast imaging techniques on a sample of X-ray binaries, using adaptive optics and the vortex coronagraph on Keck/NIRC2. High-contrast imaging opens up the possibility to search for exoplanets, brown dwarfs, circumbinary companion stars, and protoplanetary disks in these extreme systems. Here, we present the first near-infrared high-contrast images of 13 high-mass X-ray binaries located within $\sim$2--3 kpc. The key results of this campaign involve the discovery of several candidate circumbinary companions ranging from sub-stellar (brown dwarf) to stellar masses. By conducting an analysis based on galactic population models, we discriminate sources that are likely background/foreground stars and isolate those that have a high probability ($\gtrsim 60 - 99\%$) of being gravitationally bound to the X-ray binary. This publication seeks to establish a preliminary catalog for future analyses of proper motion and subsequent observations. With our preliminary results, we calculate the first estimate of the companion frequency and the multiplicity frequency for X-ray binaries: $\approx$0.6 and 1.8 $\pm$ 0.9 respectively, considering only the sources that are most likely bound to the X-ray binary. In addition to extending our comprehension of how brown dwarfs and stars can form and survive in such extreme systems, our study opens a new window to our understanding of the formation of X-ray binaries., Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

We present the results of the first X-ray polarimetric observation of the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1957+115, performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer in May 2023. The binary system has been in a high-soft spectral state since its discovery and is thought to host a black hole. The $\sim$571 ks observation reveals a linear polarisation degree of $1.9\% \pm 0.6\%$ and a polarisation angle of $-41^\circ.8 \pm 7^\circ.9$ in the 2-8 keV energy range. Spectral modelling is consistent with the dominant contribution coming from the standard accretion disc, while polarimetric data suggest a significant role of returning radiation: photons that are bent by strong gravity effects and forced to return to the disc surface, where they can be reflected before eventually reaching the observer. In this setting, we find that models with a black hole spin lower than 0.96 and an inclination lower than $50^\circ$ are disfavoured., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in A&A

We analysed the nuclear region of all 56 early-type galaxies from the DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$ Project, which is a statistically complete sample of objects that contains all 170 galaxies of the Southern Hemisphere with B < 12.0 mag and galactic latitude |b| < 15$^{\circ}$. Observations were performed with the Integral Field Unit of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Emission lines were detected in the nucleus of 86$\pm$5% of the objects. Diagnostic diagrams were used to classify 52$\pm$7% of the objects as LINERs or Seyferts, while the other 34$\pm$6% galaxies without H$\beta$ or [O III] lines in their spectra were classified as weak emission line objects. Transition Objects are not seen in the sample, possibly because the seeing-limited data cubes of the objects allow one to isolate the nuclei of the galaxies from their circumnuclear regions, avoiding contamination from H II regions. A broad line region is seen in 29$\pm$6% of the galaxies. Of the 48 galaxies with emission-line nuclei, 41 have signs of AGNs. Some objects have also indications of shocks in their nuclei. Lenticular galaxies are more likely to have emission lines than ellipticals. Also, more luminous objects have higher [N II]/H$\alpha$ ratios, which may be associated with the mass-metalicity relation of galaxies. A direct comparison of our results with the Palomar Survey indicates that the detection rates of emission lines and also of type 1 AGNs are higher in the DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$ objects. This is a consequence of using a more modern instrument with a better spatial resolution than the Palomar Survey observations., Comment: 16 pages (plus appendices), 6 figures, 9 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

In November 2020, a new, bright object, eRASSt J234402.9$-$352640, was discovered in the second all-sky survey of SRG/eROSITA. The object brightened by a factor of at least 150 in 0.2--2.0 keV flux compared to an upper limit found six months previous, reaching an observed peak of $1.76_{-0.24}^{+0.03} \times 10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$. The X-ray ignition is associated with a galaxy at $z=0.10$, making the peak luminosity log$_{10}(L_{\rm 0.2-2keV}/[\textrm{erg s}^{-1}])$=$44.7\pm0.1$. Around the time of the rise in X-ray flux, the nucleus of the galaxy brightened by approximately 3 mag. in optical photometry, after correcting for the host. We present data from Swift, XMM-Newton, and NICER, which reveal a very soft spectrum as well as strong 0.2--2.0 keV flux variability on multiple timescales. Optical spectra taken in the weeks after the ignition event show a blue continuum with broad, asymmetric Balmer emission lines, and high-ionisation ([OIII]$\lambda\lambda$4959,5007) and low-ionisation ([NII]$\lambda$6585, [SII]$\lambda\lambda$6716,6731) narrow emission lines. Following the peak in the optical light curve, the X-ray, UV, and optical photometry all show a rapid decline. The X-ray light curve shows a decrease in luminosity of $\sim$0.45 over 33 days and the UV shows a drop of $\sim$0.35. eRASSt J234402.9$-$352640 also shows a brightening in the mid-infrared, likely powered by a dust echo of the luminous ignition. We find no evidence in Fermi-LAT $\gamma$-ray data for jet-like emission. The event displays characteristics of a tidal disruption event (TDE) as well as of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), complicating its classification. Based on the softness of the X-ray spectrum, the presence of high-ionisation optical emission lines, and the likely infrared echo, we find that a TDE within a turned-off AGN best matches our observations., Comment: 25 pages, 17 figures, 9 tables, Accepted for publication in A&A

This work presents the first results of the Deep IFS View of Nuclei of Galaxies (DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$) survey. We analysed the nuclear emission-line spectra of a sub-sample we call mini-DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$, which includes all Southern galaxies with B < 11.2 and |b| > 15 degrees. We verified that $23\% \pm 4\%$ of the galaxies show nuclear emission-line properties characteristic of Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Regions (LINERs). Diagnostic diagram analysis reveals an apparent dichotomy, not detected in previous studies, between objects classified as H II regions and as LINERs or Seyferts, with very few galaxies classified as transition objects. A possible explanation for this result is that at least part of the transition objects are composite systems, with a central LINER contaminated by the emission from circumnuclear H II regions. The higher spatial resolution of the DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$ survey, in comparison with previous studies, allowed us to isolate the nuclear emission from circumnuclear contaminations, reducing the number of transition objects. We also propose an alternative scenario, in which the emission-line spectra of some transition objects are the result of shock heating by central outflows, together with photoionization by young stars. Clear evidence of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), in the optical and X-ray spectral bands, were detected in 69$\%$ of the LINERs in the mini-DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$ sample. Considering the entire mini-DIVING$^\mathrm{3D}$ sample, evidence of AGNs were detected in 65$\%$ of the objects., Comment: 51 pages, 37 figures, 6 tables, published in MNRAS

X-ray binaries provide exceptional laboratories for understanding the physics of matter under the most extreme conditions. Until recently, there were few, if any, observational constraints on the circumbinary environments of X-ray binaries at $\sim$ 100-5000 AU scales; it remains unclear how the accretion onto the compact objects or the explosions giving rise to the compact objects interact with their immediate surroundings. Here, we present the first high-contrast adaptive optics images of X-ray binaries. These observations target all X-ray binaries within $\sim$ 3 kpc accessible with the Keck/NIRC2 vortex coronagraph. This paper focuses on one of the first key results from this campaign: our images reveal the presence of 21 sources potentially associated with the $\gamma$ Cassiopeiae analog high-mass X-ray binary RX J1744.7$-$2713. By conducting different analyses - a preliminary proper motion analysis, a color-magnitude diagram and a probability of chance alignment calculation - we found that three of these 21 sources have a high probability of being bound to the system. If confirmed, they would be in wide orbits ($\sim$ 450 AU to 2500 AU). While follow-up astrometric observations will be needed in $\sim$ 5-10 years to confirm further the bound nature of these detections, these discoveries emphasize that such observations may provide a major breakthrough in the field. In fact, they would be useful not only for our understanding of stellar multiplicity but also for our understanding of how planets, brown dwarfs and stars can form even in the most extreme environments., Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ

In this paper we use an RXTE library of spectral models from 10 black-hole and 9 pulsar X-ray binaries, as well as model spectra available in the literature from 13 extra-galactic Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs). We compute average bolometric corrections (BC=$\mathrm{L_{band}/L_{bol}}$) for our sample as a function of different accretion rates. We notice the same behaviour between black-hole and pulsars BCs only when ULX pulsars are included. These measurements provide a picture of the energetics of the accretion flow for an X-ray binary based solely on its observed luminosity in a given band. Moreover it can be a powerful tool in X-ray binary population synthesis models. Furthermore we calculate the X-ray (2-10 keV) to optical (V-band) flux ratios at different Eddington ratios for the black-hole X-ray binaries in our sample. This provides a metric of the maximum contribution of the disk to the optical emission of a binary system and better constraints on its nature (donor type etc). We find that the optical to X-ray flux ratio shows very little variation as a function of accretion rate, but testing for different disk geometries scenarios we find that the optical contribution of the disk increases as the $p$ value decreases ($T(r)\sim r^{-p}$). Moreover observational data are in agreement with a thicker disk scenario ($p<0.65$), which could also possibly explain the lack of observed high-inclination systems., Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 14 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The standard alpha-disc model predicts an anti-correlation between the density of the inner accretion disc and the black hole mass times square of the accretion rate, as seen in higher mass ($M_{\rm BH}>10^{6} M_{\odot}$) active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In this work, we test the predictions of the alpha-disc model and study the properties of the inner accretion flow for the low-mass end ($M_{\rm BH}\approx 10^{5-6}M_{\odot}$) of AGNs. We utilize a new high-density disc reflection model where the density parameter varies from $n_{\rm e}=10^{15}$ to $10^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$ and apply it to the broadband X-ray (0.3-10 keV) spectra of the low-mass AGN sample. The sources span a wide range of Eddington fractions and are consistent with being sub-Eddington or near-Eddington. The X-ray spectra reveal a soft X-ray excess below $\sim 1.5$ keV which is well modeled by high-density reflection from an ionized accretion disc of density $n_{\rm e}\sim 10^{18}$ cm$^{-3}$ on average. The results suggest a radiation pressure-dominated disc with an average of 70% fraction of the disc power transferred to the corona, consistent with that observed in higher mass AGNs. We show that the disc density higher than $10^{15}$ cm$^{-3}$ can result from the radiation pressure compression when the disc surface does not hold a strong magnetic pressure gradient. We find tentative evidence for a drop in black hole spin at low-mass regimes., Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present the Deep Integral Field Spectrograph View of Nuclei of Galaxies (DIVING$^{3D}$) survey, a seeing-limited optical 3D spectroscopy study of the central regions of all 170 galaxies in the Southern hemisphere with B < 12.0 and |b| > 15 degrees. Most of the observations were taken with the Integral Field Unit of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph, at the Gemini South telescope, but some are also being taken with the Southern Astrophysical Research Telescope (SOAR) Integral Field Spectrograph. The DIVING$^{3D}$ survey was designed for the study of nuclear emission-line properties, circumnuclear (within scales of hundreds of pc) emission-line properties, stellar and gas kinematics and stellar archaeology. The data have a combination of high spatial and spectral resolution not matched by previous surveys and will result in significant contributions for studies related to, for example, the statistics of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, the ionization mechanisms in Low-Ionization Nuclear Emission-Line Regions, the nature of transition objects, among other topics., Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, published in MNRAS

The photogalvanic effect -- a rectified current induced by light irradiation -- requires the intrinsic symmetry of the medium to be sufficiently low, which strongly limits candidate materials for this effect. In this work we explore how in Weyl semimetals the photogalvanic effect can be enabled and controlled by design of the material surface. Specifically, we provide a theory of ballistic linear and circular photogalvanic current in a Weyl semimetal spatially confined to a slab under general and variable surface boundary conditions. The results are applicable to Weyl semimetals with an arbitrary number of Weyl nodes at radiation frequencies small compared to the energy of non-linear terms in the dispersion at the Fermi level. The confinement-induced response is tightly linked to the configuration of Fermi-arc surface states, specifically the Fermi-arc connectivity and direction of emanation from the Weyl nodes, thus inheriting the same directionality and sensitivity to boundary conditions. As a result, the photogalvanic response of the system becomes much richer than that of an infinite system, and may be tuned via surface manipulations., Comment: 13 pages + 12 pages appendix, 8 Figures

Data-driven Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence closures are increasing seen as a viable alternative to general-purpose RANS closures, when LES reference data is available -- also in wind-energy. Parsimonious closures with few, simple terms have advantages in terms of stability, interpret-ability, and execution speed. However experience suggests that closure model corrections need be made only in limited regions -- e.g.\ in the near-wake of wind turbines and not in the majority of the flow. A parsimonious model therefore must find a middle ground between precise corrections in the wake, and zero corrections elsewhere. We attempt to resolve this impasse by introducing a classifier to identify regions needing correction, and only fit and apply our model correction there. We observe that such a classifier (which must be computed only from RANS-available quantities) is straightforward to construct, and accurate in operation. We further observe that the correction models are significantly simpler (with fewer terms) when limited to the identified regions than otherwise, but have similar or better accuracy. We apply our framework to three flows consisting of multiple wind-turbines in neutral conditions with interacting wakes.

We present a systematic spectral-timing analysis of a fast appearance/disappearance of a type-B quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO), observed in four NICER observations of MAXI J1348-630. By comparing the spectra of the period with and without the type-B QPO, we found that the main difference appears at energy bands above ~2 keV, suggesting that the QPO emission is dominated by the hard Comptonised component. During the transition, a change in the relative contribution of the disk and Comptonised emission was observed. The disk flux decreased while the Comptonised flux increased from non-QPO to type-B QPO. However, the total flux did not change too much in the NICER band. Our results reveal that the type-B QPO is associated with a redistribution of accretion power between the disk and Comptonised emission. When the type-B QPO appears, more accretion power is dissipated into the Comptonised region than in the disk. Our spectral fits give a hint that the increased Comptonised emission may come from an additional component that is related to the base of the jet., Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The detailed study of nuclear regions of galaxies is important because it can help understanding the active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback mechanisms, the connections between the nuclei and their host galaxies, and ultimately the galaxy formation processes. We present the analysis of an optical data cube of the central region of the galaxy NGC 2442, obtained with the integral field unit (IFU) of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS). We also performed a multiwavelength analysis, with Chandra data, XMM--Newton and NuSTAR spectra, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The analysis revealed that the nuclear emission is consistent with a Low Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Region (LINER) associated with a highly obscured compact hard X-ray source, indicating a Compton-thick AGN. The HST image in the F658N filter (H$\alpha$) reveals an arched structure corresponding to the walls of the ionization cone of the AGN. The gas kinematic pattern and the high gas velocity dispersion values in the same region of the ionization cone suggest an outflow emission. The stellar archaeology results indicate the presence of only old stellar populations ($\sim$ 10 Gyr), with high metallicity (z = 0.02 and 0.05), and the absence of recent star formation in the central region of NGC 2442, which is possibly a consequence of the AGN feedback, associated with the detected outflow, shutting off star formation. NGC 2442 is a late-type galaxy similar to the Milky Way, and comparisons show that the main difference between them is the presence of a low-luminosity AGN., Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, 1 table, published in MNRAS

We present the analysis of an optical data cube of the central region of NGC 1448, obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). Chandra X-ray data indicate that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is not located at the apparent stellar nucleus of the galaxy, but at a projected distance of $1.75$ $\pm$ $0.22$ arcsec ($139 \pm 17$ pc). This is probably caused by the high interstellar extinction in the surroundings of the AGN, which corresponds to the true nucleus of the galaxy, as also proposed by previous studies. The morphology and classification of the optical line-emitting regions indicate two ionization cones, around an axis with a position angle of $PA_{cones}$ = -50{\deg} $\pm$ 7{\deg}, with emission-line spectra characteristic of Seyfert galaxies. The stellar and gas kinematics are consistent with a stellar and gas rotating disc around the nucleus, with a velocity amplitude of 125 km s$^{-1}$. Two probable outflows from the AGN were detected along the region of the two ionization cones. The AGN position does not coincide with the brightest line-emitting region at the centre of NGC 1448. That may be a consequence of the high obscuration from the AGN towards the observer (the AGN is actually Compton thick), mostly caused by a nearly edge-on torus. An additional hypothesis is that the AGN reduced its luminosity, during the last 440 yr, to nearly half of the value in the past. In this case, the brightest line-emitting region corresponds to a "light echo" or a "fossil" of the AGN in the past., Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, 2 tables, published in MNRAS

1ES 1927+654 is a nearby active galactic nucleus (AGN) which underwent a changing-look event in early 2018, developing prominent broad Balmer lines which were absent in previous observations. We have followed up this object in the X-rays with an ongoing campaign that started in May 2018, and that includes 265 NICER (for a total of 678ks) and 14 Swift/XRT (26ks) observations, as well as three simultaneous XMM-Newton/NuSTAR (158/169 ks) exposures. In the X-rays, 1ES 1927+654 shows a behaviour unlike any previously known AGN. The source is extremely variable both in spectral shape and flux, and does not show any correlation between X-ray and UV flux on timescales of hours or weeks/months. After the outburst the power-law component almost completely disappeared, and the source showed an extremely soft continuum dominated by a blackbody component. The temperature of the blackbody increases with the luminosity, going from $kT\sim 80$eV (for a 0.3--2keV luminosity of $L_{0.3-2}\sim 10^{41.5}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$) to $\sim 200$eV (for $L_{0.3-2}\sim 10^{44}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$). The spectra show evidence of ionized outflows, and of a prominent feature at $\sim 1$keV, which can be reproduced by a broad emission line. The unique characteristics of 1ES 1927+654 in the X-ray band suggest that it belongs to a new type of changing-look AGN. Future X-ray surveys might detect several more objects with similar properties., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJS, 56 pages. The complete 114-pages manuscript will be available upon publication

After 26 years in outburst, the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 dimmed considerably in early 2018; its flux dropped sharply in mid-2019, and it has remained faint ever since. This faint period, the "obscured state," is punctuated by occasional X-ray flares, many of which have been observed by NICER as part of our regular monitoring program. Here we present detailed time-resolved spectroscopy of one bright flare, whose spectrum shows evidence of high column density partial covering absorption and extremely deep absorption lines (equivalent widths over 100 eV in some cases). We study the time-dependent ionization of the obscuring gas with XSTAR, ultimately attributing the absorption to a radially-stratified absorber of density 1e12-1e13 cm^-3 at a ~few x 1e11 cm from the black hole. We argue that a vertically-extended outer disk could explain this obscuration. We discuss several scenarios to explain the obscured state, including massive outflows, an increase in the mass accretion rate, and changes in the outer disk that herald the approach of quiescence, but none are entirely satisfactory. Alternative explanations, such as obscuration by the accretion stream impact point, may be testable with current or future data., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures. Published in ApJ: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/abb598

We studied the outburst evolution and timing properties of the recently discovered X-ray transient MAXI J1348-630 as observed with NICER. We produced the fundamental diagrams commonly used to trace the spectral evolution, and power density spectra to study the fast X-ray variability. The main outburst evolution of MAXI J1348-630 is similar to that commonly observed in black hole transients. The source evolved from the hard state, through hard- and soft-intermediate states, into the soft state in the outburst rise, and back to the hard state in reverse during the outburst decay. At the end of the outburst, MAXI J1348-630 underwent two reflares with peak fluxes ~1 and ~2 orders of magnitude fainter than the main outburst, respectively. During the reflares, the source remained in the hard state only, without undergoing any state transitions, which is similar to the so-called "failed outbursts". Different types of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are observed at different phases of the outburst. Based on our spectral-timing results, we conclude that MAXI J1348-630 is a black hole candidate., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present a detailed X-ray spectral and variability study of the full 2018 outburst of MAXI J1727-203 using NICER observations. The outburst lasted approximately four months. Spectral modelling in the 0.3-10 keV band shows the presence of both a soft thermal and a hard Comptonised component. The analysis of these components shows that MAXI J1727-203 evolved through the soft, intermediate and hard spectral states during the outburst. We find that the soft (disc) component was detected throughout almost the entire outburst, with temperatures ranging from ~0.4 keV, at the moment of maximum luminosity, to ~0.1 keV near the end of the outburst. The power spectrum in the hard and intermediate states shows broadband noise up to 20 Hz, with no evidence of quasi-periodic oscillations. We also study the rms spectra of the broadband noise at 0.3-10 keV of this source. We find that the fractional rms increases with energy in most of the outburst except during the hard state, where the fractional rms remains approximately constant with energy. We also find that, below 3 keV, the fractional rms follows the same trend generally observed at energies >3 keV, a behaviour known from previous studies of black holes and neutron stars. The spectral and timing evolution of MAXI J1727-203, as parametrised by the hardness-intensity, hardness-rms, and rms-intensity diagrams, suggest that the system hosts a black hole, although we could not rule out a neutron star., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in MNRAS main journal

We present a study of the central 200 pc of the galaxy NGC 6951, SAB(rs)bc, an active twin of the Milky Way, at a distance of 24 Mpc. Its nucleus has been observed in the optical with the GMOS-IFU, showing an outflow, and with the HST/ACS, revealing two extended structures with similar orientation, suggesting the presence of a collimating and/or obscuring structure. In order to ascertain this hypothesis, adaptive optics assisted NIR integral field spectroscopic observations were obtained with the NIFS spectrograph in the Gemini North telescope. We detected a compact structure of H$_2$ molecular gas, interpreted as a nearly edge-on disc with diameter of $\sim$47 pc, PA=124$\deg$ and velocity range from -40 to +40 km s$^{-1}$. This disc is misaligned by 32$\deg$ with respect to the radio jet and the ionization cones seen in the optical. There are two regions of turbulent gas, with position angles similar to the jet/cones, seen both in molecular and ionized phases; these regions are connected to the edges of the molecular disc and coincide with a high ratio of [N II]/H$\alpha$=5, suggesting that these regions are shock excited, partially ionized or both. We explain these structures as a consequence of a "digging process" that the jet inflicts on the disc, ejecting the molecular gas towards the ionization cones. The dynamical mass within 17 pc is estimated as $6.3\times10^{6}$$M_{\odot}$. This is an interesting case of an object presenting evidence of a connected feeding-feedback structure., Comment: 22 pages, 24 figures

We present an analysis of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068 with archive data from SINFONI-VLT, in the HK bands with pixel scales of 0.1 (data set 1 - DS1) and 0.025 (DS2) arcsec. The data are revisited with a sophisticated data treatment, such as the differential atmospheric refraction correction and the application of a Butterworth filtering and deconvolution. The gain in the process is quantified by a significant improvement in the Strehl ratio and it shows that an unprecedented high spatial resolution is achieved. For DS1, a detailed study of the H$_{2}$, [Fe II] and [Si VI] emission lines reveals a three-phase gas morphology: (1) the low-velocity [Fe II] emission representing the glowingwall of an hourglass structure, (2) the high-velocity compact blobs of low and high ionization emissions filling the hourglass volume and (3) the distribution of H$_{2}$ molecular gas defines the thick and irregular walls of a bubble surrounding a cavity. Both the hourglass and the molecular emissions have an asymmetry caused by the fragmentation of the north-eastern molecular wall, closest to the active galactic nucleus, resulting in highvelocity compact blobs of ionized gas outside the bubble. The south-western part of the bubble is excavated by the jet, where the blobs remain confined and are blown along the bubble's inner boundary. We propose that those blobs are driven by a hot "secondary wind" coming from the spot where the jet interacts and injects its energy in the molecular gas. The combination of a primary wind launched by the central source and the secondary wind is what we call a two-stage outflow. For DS2, we detected a [Si VI] outflow nearly coplanar to the maser disc and orthogonal to the CO outflow found by a previous study. Such unexpected scenario is interpreted as the interaction between the central radiation field and a two-phase gas density torus., Comment: 33 pages, 31 figures

We report near-infrared integral field spectroscopic observations of the active galactic nucleus NGC 4151 with archive data from the NIFS-Gemini North Telescope. We have selected best-seeing observations ($\lesssim$0.3 arcsec) that, allied to our methodology of image processing techniques, show structures with spatial resolution comparable to those of the HST. The intricate outflow of NGC 4151 is revisited in light of the results found for NGC 1068, in a previous work, and a very similar dynamic is found: the low-velocity [Fe II] emission depicts the glowing walls of an hourglass structure, while the high-velocity gas fills its volume. From this finding, we show that the misalignment between the jet and the NLR is not a projection effect, as previously thought. A molecular outflow is detected for the first time in this galaxy and, just like in NGC 1068, the transition between the molecular and the ionized gas phases comes from the fragmentation of molecular cavity walls into bullets of ionized gas exposed to the central source. Furthermore, it is suggestive that the same geometrical dichotomy between the cones seen in NGC 1068 is found here, with one side, where the cavity is disrupted by the AGN, being more extended than the other. Finally, a new spatial correlation between the high-velocity [Fe II] and the soft X-ray emission of [Ne IX] is found, which is unexpected given the difference between their ionization potentials., Comment: 29 pages, 24 figures

We present the drastic transformation of the X-ray properties of the active galactic nucleus 1ES 1927+654, following a changing-look event. After the optical/UV outburst the power-law component, produced in the X-ray corona, disappeared, and the spectrum of 1ES 1927+65 instead became dominated by a blackbody component ($kT\sim 80-120$ eV). This implies that the X-ray corona, ubiquitously found in AGN, was destroyed in the event. Our dense $\sim 450$ day long X-ray monitoring shows that the source is extremely variable in the X-ray band. On long time scales the source varies up to $\sim 4$ dex in $\sim 100$ days, while on short timescales up to $\sim2$ dex in $\sim 8$ hours. The luminosity of the source is found to first show a strong dip down to $\sim 10^{40}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$, and then a constant increase in luminosity to levels exceeding the pre-outburst level $\gtrsim $300 days after the optical event detection, rising up asymptotically to $\sim 2\times10^{44}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$. As the X-ray luminosity of the source increases, the X-ray corona is recreated, and a very steep power-law component ($\Gamma\simeq 3$) reappears, and dominates the emission for 0.3-2 keV luminosities $\gtrsim 10^{43.7}\rm\,erg\,s^{-1}$, $\sim 300$ days after the beginning of the event. We discuss possible origins of this event, and speculate that our observations could be explained by the interaction between the accretion flow and debris from a tidally disrupted star. Our results show that changing-look events can be associated with dramatic and rapid transformations of the innermost regions of accreting SMBHs., Comment: ApJL in press

We present a method for enhancing the sensitivity of X-ray telescopic observations with imaging polarimeters, with a focus on the gas pixel detectors (GPDs) to be flown on the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). Our analysis determines photoelectron directions, X-ray absorption points and X-ray energies for 1-9 keV event tracks, with estimates for both the statistical and model (reconstruction) uncertainties. We use a weighted maximum likelihood combination of predictions from a deep ensemble of ResNet convolutional neural networks, trained on Monte Carlo event simulations. We define a figure of merit to compare the polarization bias-variance trade-off in track reconstruction algorithms. For power-law source spectra, our method improves on the current planned IXPE analysis (and previous deep learning approaches), providing ~45% increase in effective exposure times. For individual energies, our method produces 20-30% absolute improvements in modulation factor for simulated 100% polarized events, while keeping residual systematic modulation within 1 sigma of the finite sample minimum. Absorption point location and photon energy estimates are also significantly improved. We have validated our method with sample data from real GPD detectors., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures. Accepted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A, Sep 2020

Magnetars are young, magnetically-powered neutron stars possessing the strongest magnetic fields in the Universe. Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are extremely intense millisecond-long radio pulses of primarily extragalactic origin, and a leading attribution for their genesis focuses on magnetars. A hallmark signature of magnetars is their emission of bright, hard X-ray bursts of sub-second duration. On April 27th 2020, the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154 emitted hundreds of X-ray bursts in a few hours. One of these temporally coincided with an FRB, the first detection of an FRB from the Milky Way. Here we present spectral and temporal analyses of 24 X-ray bursts emitted 13 hours prior to the FRB and seen simultaneously with the NASA NICER and Fermi/GBM missions in their combined energy range, 0.2 keV-30 MeV. These broadband spectra permit direct comparison with the spectrum of the FRB-associated X-ray burst (FRB-X). We demonstrate that all 24 NICER/GBM bursts are very similar temporally, albeit strikingly different spectrally, from FRB-X. The singularity of the FRB-X burst is perhaps indicative of an uncommon locale for its origin. We suggest that this event originated in quasi-polar open or closed magnetic field lines that extend to high altitudes., Comment: Resubmitted to Nature Astronomy - main results unchanged

In this work, we continue the study of the central region of NGC 613 by da Silva et al. (2020), by analysing the stellar and gas kinematics and the stellar archaeology in optical and near-infrared data cubes. The high spatial resolution of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) data cube allowed the detection, using spectral synthesis methods, of an inner circumnuclear ring, with a radius of $\sim$ 1 arcsec, composed of $\sim$ 10$^9$-yr stellar populations. Such a ring is located between the nucleus and the circumnuclear ring composed by H II regions detected in previous works. Besides that, there is a stellar rotation around the nucleus and the rings follow the same direction of rotation with different velocities. The intensity-weighted average stellar velocity dispersion at the centre is 92 $\pm$ 3 km s$^{-1}$. Three distinct gas outflow components were detected. The direction of the outflow observed with the H $\alpha$ emission line is compatible with the direction of the previously observed radio jet. The direction of one of the outflows detected in the [O III]$\lambda$5007 emission coincides with the axis of the ionization cone. There is no difference regarding the stellar populations and the stellar kinematics along the double stellar emission, probably separated by a dust lane as mentioned in Paper I, confirming that they are part of the same structure., Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures

The black hole candidate and X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 was discovered in September 2017. During the decay of its discovery outburst, and before returning to quiescence, the source underwent at least four reflaring events, with peak luminosities of $\sim$10$^{35-36}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (d/4.1 kpc)$^2$. To investigate the nature of these flares, we analysed a sample of NICER observations taken with almost daily cadence. In this work we present the detailed spectral and timing analysis of the evolution of the four reflares. The higher sensitivity of NICER at lower energies, in comparison with other X-ray detectors, allowed us to constrain the disc component of the spectrum at $\sim$0.5 keV. We found that during each reflare the source appears to trace out a q-shaped track in the hardness-intensity diagram similar to those observed in black hole binaries during full outbursts. MAXI J1535-571 transits between the hard state (valleys) and softer states (peaks) during these flares. Moreover, the Comptonised component is undetected at the peak of the first reflare, while the disc component is undetected during the valleys. Assuming the most likely distance of 4.1 kpc, we find that the hard-to-soft transitions take place at the lowest luminosities ever observed in a black hole transient, while the soft-to-hard transitions occur at some of the lowest luminosities ever reported for such systems., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS main journal

Most galaxies with a well-structured bulge host a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in their centre. Stellar kinematics models applied to adaptive optics (AO) assisted integral field unit observations are well-suited to measure the SMBH mass ($M_{BH}$) and also the total mass-to-light ratio [$(M/L)_{TOT}$] and possible anisotropies in the stellar velocity distribution in the central region of galaxies. In this work, we used new AO assisted Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS) observations and also photometric data from the Hubble Space Telescope Legacy Archive of the galaxy NGC 4546 in order to determine its SMBH mass. To do this, we applied the Jeans Anisotropic Modelling (JAM) method to fit the average second velocity moment in the line of sight $(\overline{v^2_{los}})$ of the stellar structure. In addition, we also obtained $(M/L)_{TOT}$ and the classical anisotropy parameter $\beta_z$=1--($\sigma_z$/$\sigma_R$)$^2$ for this object within a field of view of 200$\times$200 pc$^2$. Maps of the stellar radial velocity and of the velocity dispersion were built for this galaxy using the penalized pixel fitting ({\sc ppxf}) technique. We applied the Multi Gaussian Expansion procedure to fit the stellar brightness distribution. Using JAM, the best-fitting model for $\overline{v^2_{los}}$ of the stellar structure was obtained with $(M/L)_{TOT}$ = 4.34$\pm$0.07 (Johnson's R band), $M_{BH}$ = (2.56$\pm$0.16)$\times$10$^8$ M$_\odot$ and $\beta_z$ = --0.015$\pm$0.03 (3$\sigma$ confidence level). With these results, we found that NGC 4546 follows the $M_{BH}$ $\times$ $\sigma$ relation. We also measured the central velocity dispersion within a radius of 1 arcsec of this object as $\sigma_c$ = 241$\pm$2 km s$^{-1}$., Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The Galactic black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 had a bright outburst in 2018 when it became the second brightest X-ray source in the Sky. It was too bright for X-ray CCD instruments such as XMM-Newton and Chandra, but was well observed by photon-counting instruments such as NICER and NuSTAR. We report here on the discovery of an excess emission component during the soft state. It is best modelled with a blackbody spectrum in addition to the regular disk emission, modelled either as diskbb or kerrbb. Its temperature varies from about 0.9 to 1.1 keV which is about 30 to 80 per cent higher than the inner disc temperature of diskbb. Its flux varies between 4 and 12 percent of the disc flux. Simulations of magnetised accretion discs have predicted the possibility of excess emission associated with a non-zero torque at the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO) about the black hole, which from other NuSTAR studies lies at about 5 gravitational radii or about 60 km (for a black hole mass is 8 M). In this case the emitting region at the ISCO has a width varying between 1.3 and 4.6 km and would encompass the start of the plunge region where matter begins to fall freely into the black hole., Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Riemann's principle "force equals geometry" provided the basis for Einstein's General Relativity - the geometric theory of gravitation. In this paper, we follow this principle to derive the dynamics for any static, conservative force. The geometry of spacetime of a moving object is described by a metric obtained from the potential of the force field acting on it. We introduce a generalization of Newton's First Law - the \emph{Generalized Principle of Inertia} stating that: \emph{An inanimate object moves inertially, that is, with constant velocity, in \emph{its own} spacetime whose geometry is determined by the forces affecting it}. Classical Newtonian dynamics is treated within this framework, using a properly defined \emph{Newtonian metric} with respect to an inertial lab frame. We reveal a physical deficiency of this metric (responsible for the inability of Newtonian dynamics to account for relativistic behavior), and remove it. The dynamics defined by the corrected Newtonian metric leads to a new \emph{Relativistic Newtonian Dynamics} for both massive objects and massless particles moving in any static, conservative force field, not necessarily gravitational. This dynamics reduces in the weak field, low velocity limit to classical Newtonian dynamics and also exactly reproduces the classical tests of General Relativity, as well as the post-Keplerian precession of binaries., Comment: 17 pages

Active Galactic Nuclei are objects associated with the presence of an accretion disc around supermassive black holes found in the very central region of galaxies with a well-defined bulge. In the optical range of the spectrum, a possible signature of the accretion disc is the presence of a broad double-peaked component that is mostly seen in H$\alpha$. In this paper, we report the detection of a double-peaked feature in the H$\alpha$ line in the nucleus of the galaxy NGC 4958. The narrow line region of this object has an emission that is typical of a LINER galaxy, which is the usual classification for double-peaked emitters. A central broad component, related to the broad line region (BLR) of this object, is seen in H$\alpha$ and also in H$\beta$. We concluded that the double-peaked emission is emitted by a circular relativistic Keplerian disc with an inner radius $\xi_{\rm i}$ = 570$\pm$ 83, an outer radius $\xi_{\rm o}$ = 860$\pm$170 (both in units of $GM_{\rm SMBH}/c^2$), an inclination to the line of sight $i$ = 27.2$^o \pm$0.7$^o$ and a local broadening parameter $\sigma$ = 1310$\pm$70 km s$^{-1}$., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present a set of treatment techniques for GMOS/IFU data cubes, including: correction of the differential atmospheric refraction; Butterworth spatial filtering, to remove high spatial-frequency noise; instrumental fingerprint removal; Richardson-Lucy deconvolution, to improve the spatial resolution of the observations. A comparison with HST images shows that the treatment techniques preserve the morphology of the spatial structures in the data cubes, without introducing distortions or ghost features. The treatment procedure applied to the data cube of the central region of the late-type galaxy NGC 2835 allowed the detection of a nuclear emitting region with emission-line ratios indicating a probable LINER, although the classifications of Transition Object or Seyfert galaxy cannot be discarded. Such a detection was not possible without the data treatment. This shows that the benefits provided by this treatment procedure are not merely cosmetic, but actually affect the quality of different types of analyses, like the determination of the fraction of galaxies, of different morphological types, with a central Seyfert/LINER/Transition object emission., Comment: 18 pages, 21 figures, 1 table, published in MNRAS

We analyze optical data cubes of the nuclear regions of two late-type galaxies, NGC 908 and NGC 1187, obtained with the Integral Field Unit of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph. Both data cubes show stellar structures consistent with double nuclei. The morphology of the line-emitting areas in the central region of NGC 1187 is also of a double nucleus, while the spatial morphology of the line-emitting areas in the data cube of NGC 908 is consistent with a circumnuclear asymmetric ring. The emission-line ratios of the nuclear spectra (and, actually, along the entire field of view) of both galaxies are characteristic of H II regions. In particular, based on its emission-line properties, the circumnuclear ring in NGC 908 can be identified as a star-forming ring. The observed spatial morphology of the stellar emission and also the differences in the properties of the stellar populations detected in the stellar nuclei of NGC 908 suggest that the most likely scenario to explain the double stellar nucleus in this object involves a minor merger, probably with a high mass ratio. On the other hand, considering the similar properties of the stellar populations in the stellar nuclei of NGC 1187, together with the stellar and gas kinematic properties, we conclude that the most likely scenario to explain the double stellar and gas nucleus in this galaxy involves the stellar and gas kinematics, in the form of a circular nuclear disk subject to perturbations., Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, published in ApJ

The geometry of the accretion flow around stellar-mass black holes can change on timescales of days to months. When a black hole emerges from quiescence (that is, it "turns on" after accreting material from its companion) it has a very hard (high-energy) X-ray spectrum produced by a hot corona positioned above its accretion disk, and then transitions to a soft (lower-energy) spectrum dominated by emission from the geometrically thin accretion disk, which extends to the innermost stable circular orbit. Much debate persists over how this transition occurs and whether it is driven largely by a reduction in the truncation radius of the disk or by a reduction in the spatial extent of the corona. Observations of X-ray reverberation lags in supermassive black-hole systems suggest that the corona is compact and that the disk extends nearly to the central black hole. Observations of stellar-mass black holes, however, reveal equivalent (mass-scaled) reverberation lags that are much larger, leading to the suggestion that the accretion disk in the hard X-ray state of stellar-mass black holes is truncated at a few hundreds of gravitational radii from the black hole. Here we report X-ray observations of the black-hole transient MAXI J1820+070. We find that the reverberation time lags between the continuum-emitting corona and the irradiated accretion disk are 6 to 20 times shorter than previously seen. The timescale of the reverberation lags shortens by an order of magnitude over a period of weeks, whereas the shape of the broadened iron K emission line remains remarkably constant. This suggests a reduction in the spatial extent of the corona, rather than a change in the inner edge of the accretion disk., Comment: Published in Nature January 9, 2019

We present the first extensive radio to gamma-ray observations of a fast-rising blue optical transient (FBOT), AT2018cow, over its first ~100 days. AT2018cow rose over a few days to a peak luminosity $L_{pk}\sim4\times 10^{44}$ erg/s exceeding those of superluminous supernovae (SNe), before declining as $\propto t^{-2}$. Initial spectra at $\lesssim 15$ days were mostly featureless and indicated large expansion velocities v~0.1c and temperatures reaching 30000 K. Later spectra revealed a persistent optically-thick photosphere and the emergence of H and He emission features with v~sim 4000 km/s with no evidence for ejecta cooling. Our broad-band monitoring revealed a hard X-ray spectral component at $E\ge 10$ keV, in addition to luminous and highly variable soft X-rays, with properties unprecedented among astronomical transients. An abrupt change in the X-ray decay rate and variability appears to accompany the change in optical spectral properties. AT2018cow showed bright radio emission consistent with the interaction of a blastwave with $v_{sh}$~0.1c with a dense environment ($\dot M\sim10^{-3}-10^{-4}\,M_{\odot}yr^{-1}$ for $v_w=1000$ km\s). While these properties exclude Ni-powered transients, our multi-wavelength analysis instead indicates that AT2018cow harbored a "central engine", either a compact object (magnetar or black hole) or an embedded internal shock produced by interaction with a compact, dense circumstellar medium. The engine released $\sim10^{50}-10^{51.5}$ erg over $\sim10^3-10^5$ s and resides within low-mass fast-moving material with equatorial-polar density asymmetry ($M_{ej,fast}\lesssim0.3\,\rm{M_{\odot}}$). Successful SNe from low-mass H-rich stars (like electron-capture SNe) or failed explosions from blue supergiants satisfy these constraints. Intermediate-mass black-holes are disfavored by the large environmental density probed by the radio observations., Comment: 26 pages + tables. Submitted

We present the discovery of a low-frequency $\approx 5.7$ Hz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) feature in observations of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 in its soft-intermediate state, obtained in September-October 2017 by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). The feature is relatively broad (compared to other low-frequency QPOs; quality factor $Q\approx 2$) and weak (1.9% rms in 3-10 keV), and is accompanied by a weak harmonic and low-amplitude broadband noise. These characteristics identify it as a weak Type A/B QPO, similar to ones previously identified in the soft-intermediate state of the transient black hole X-ray binary XTE J1550-564. The lag-energy spectrum of the QPO shows increasing soft lags towards lower energies, approaching 50 ms at 1 keV (with respect to a 3-10 keV continuum). This large phase shift has similar amplitude but opposite sign to that seen in Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data for a Type B QPO from the transient black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4. Previous phase-resolved spectroscopy analysis of the Type B QPO in GX 339-4 pointed towards a precessing jet-like corona illuminating the accretion disk as the origin of the QPO signal. We suggest that this QPO in MAXI J1535-571 may have the same origin, with the different lag sign depending on the scale height of the emitting region and the observer inclination angle., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

NGC 6744 is the nearest and brightest south-hemisphere galaxy with a morphological type similar to that of the Milky Way. Using data obtained with the Integral Field Unit of the Gemini South Multi-Object Spectrograph, we found that this galaxy has a nucleus with LINER (Low Ionization Nuclear Emission Line Region) surrounded by three line emitting regions. The analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope archival images revealed that the nucleus is associated with a blue compact source, probably corresponding to the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The circumnuclear emission seems to be part of the extended narrow line region of the AGN. One of these regions, located $\sim$1" southeast of the nucleus, seems to be associated with the ionization cone of the AGN. The other two regions are located $\sim$1" south and $\sim$0.6" northeast of the nucleus and are not aligned with the gaseous rotating disk. Spectral synthesis shows evidence that this galaxy may have gone through a merger about one billion years ago. On the basis of the kinematic behavior, we found a gaseous rotating disk, not co-aligned with the stellar disk. Given the relative degree of ionization and luminosities of the nuclear and circumnuclear regions, we suggest that the AGN was more luminous in the past and that the current circumnuclear emissions are echoes of that phase., Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, published in ApJ

The bright, erratic black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 has long been a target for studies of disk instabilities, radio/infrared jets, and accretion disk winds, with implications that often apply to sources that do not exhibit its exotic X-ray variability. With the launch of NICER, we have a new opportunity to study the disk wind in GRS 1915+105 and its variability on short and long timescales. Here we present our analysis of 39 NICER observations of GRS 1915+105 collected during five months of the mission data validation and verification phase, focusing on Fe XXV and Fe XXVI absorption. We report the detection of strong Fe XXVI in 32 (>80%) of these observations, with another four marginal detections; Fe XXV is less common, but both likely arise in the well-known disk wind. We explore how the properties of this wind depends on broad characteristics of the X-ray lightcurve: mean count rate, hardness ratio, and fractional RMS variability. The trends with count rate and RMS are consistent with an average wind column density that is fairly steady between observations but varies rapidly with the source on timescales of seconds. The line dependence on spectral hardness echoes known behavior of disk winds in outbursts of Galactic black holes; these results clearly indicate that NICER is a powerful tool for studying black hole winds., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL. Comments welcome

The aim of the experiment series was to test the influence of acceleration on time dilation by measuring the relative spectral shift between the resonance spectra of a rotating Mossbauer absorber with acceleration anti-parallel and parallel to the direction of the incident beam. Based on the experiences and know-how acquired in our previous experiments, We collected data for rotation frequencies up to 510Hz in both directions of rotation and also used different slits. For each run with high rotation, we observed a stable statistically significant relative shift between the spectra of the two states with opposite acceleration. This indicates the influence of acceleration on time dilation. However, we found that this shift also depends on the choice of the slit, and on the direction of rotation. These new unexpected findings, resulting from the loss of symmetry in obtaining the resonant lines in the two states, could overshadow the relative shift due to acceleration. This loss of the symmetry is caused by the deflection of the radiative decay due to the Nuclear Lighthouse effect from the rotating Mossbauer absorber. We also found that it is impossible to keep the alignment (between the optical and the dynamical rotor systems) with accuracy needed for such experiment, for long runs, which resulted in the reduction of the accuracy of the observed relative shift. These prevent us to claim with certainty the influence of acceleration on time dilation using the currently available technology. An improved KB optics with focal spot of less than 1 micron to avoid the use of a slit and a more rigid mounting of the rotor system, are necessary for the success of such experiment. Hopefully, these findings together with the indispensable plan for a conclusive experiment presented in the paper, will prove useful to future experimentalists wishing to pursue such an experiment.

We present Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observations of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Serpens X-1 during the early mission phase in 2017. With the high spectral sensitivity and low-energy X-ray passband of NICER, we are able to detect the Fe L line complex in addition to the signature broad, asymmetric Fe K line. We confirm the presence of these lines by comparing the NICER data to archival observations with XMM-Newton/RGS and NuSTAR. Both features originate close to the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO). When modeling the lines with the relativistic line model RELLINE, we find the Fe L blend requires an inner disk radius of $1.4_{-0.1}^{+0.2}$ $R_{\mathrm{ISCO}}$ and Fe K is at $1.03_{-0.03}^{+0.13}$ $R_{\mathrm{ISCO}}$ (errors quoted at 90%). This corresponds to a position of $17.3_{-1.2}^{+2.5}$ km and $12.7_{-0.4}^{+1.6}$ km for a canonical neutron star mass ($M_{\mathrm{NS}}=1.4\ M_{\odot}$) and dimensionless spin value of $a=0$. Additionally, we employ a new version of the RELXILL model tailored for neutron stars and determine that these features arise from a dense disk and supersolar Fe abundance., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJL

Based on phase-resolved broadband spectroscopy using $XMM$-$Newton$ and $NuSTAR$, we report on a potential cyclotron resonant scattering feature at $E \sim 13$ keV in the pulsed spectrum of the recently discoverd ULX pulsar NGC 300 ULX1. If this interpretation is correct, the implied magnetic field of the central neutron star is $B \sim 10^{12}$ G (assuming scattering off electrons), similar to that estimated from the observed spin-up of the star, and also similar to known Galactic X-ray pulsars. We discuss the implications of this result for the connection between NGC 300 ULX1 and the other known ULX pulsars, particularly in light of the recent discovery of a likely proton Cyclotron line in another ULX, M51 ULX-8., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJL

Mass segregation problem is thought to be entangled with the dynamical evolution of young stellar clusters \cite{olczak}. This is a common sense in the astrophysical community. In this work, the Hamiltonian Mean Field (HMF) model with different masses is studied. A mass segregation phenomenon (MSP) arises from this study as a dynamical feature. The MSP in the HMF model is a consequence of the Landau damping (LD) and it appears in systems that the interactions belongs to a long range regime. Actually HMF is a toy model known to show up the main characteristics of astrophysical systems due to the mean field character of the potential and for different masses, as stellar and galaxies clusters, also exhibits MSP. It is in this sense that computational simulations focusing in what happens over the mass distribution in the phase space are performed for this system. What happens through the violent relaxation period and what stands for the quasi-stationary states (QSS) of this dynamics is analyzed. The results obtained support the fact that MSP is observed already in the violent relaxation time and is maintained during the QSS. Some structures in the mass distribution function are observed. As a result of this study the mass distribution is determined by the system dynamics and is independent of the dimensionality of the system. MSP occurs in a one dimensional system as a result of the long range forces that acts in the system. In this approach MSP emerges as a dynamical feature. We also show that for HMF with different masses, the dynamical time scale is $N$., Comment: 12 pages; 6 figures