Thèses sur le sujet « X-rays: star »

Many techniques for measuring neutron star radii rely on absolute flux measurements in the X-rays. As a result, one of the fundamental uncertainties in these spectroscopic measurements arises from the absolute flux calibrations of the detectors being used. Using the stable X-ray burster, GS 1826-238, and its simultaneous observations by Chandra HETG/ACIS-S and RXTE/PCA as well as by XMM-Newton EPIC-pn and RXTE/PCA, we quantify the degree of uncertainty in the flux calibration by assessing the differences between the measured fluxes during bursts. We find that the RXTE/PCA and the Chandra gratings measurements agree with each other within their formal uncertainties, increasing our confidence in these flux measurements. In contrast, XMM-Newton EPIC-pn measures 14.0 +/- 0.3% less flux than the RXTE/PCA. This is consistent with the previously reported discrepancy with the flux measurements of EPIC-pn, compared with EPIC MOS1, MOS2, and ACIS-S detectors. We also show that any intrinsic time-dependent systematic uncertainty that may exist in the calibration of the satellites has already been implicity taken into account in the neutron star radius measurements.

The Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray telescopes have led to numerous advances in the study and understanding of astrophysical X-ray sources. Particularly important has been the much increased spectral resolution of modern X-ray instrumentation. Wind-broadened emission lines have been spectroscopically resolved for many massive stars. This contribution reviews approaches to the modeling of X-ray emission line profile shapes from single stars, including smooth winds, winds with clumping, optically thin versus thick lines, and the effect of a radius-dependent photoabsorption coefficient.

A rather strong mean longitudinal magnetic field of the order of a few hundred gauss was detected a few years ago in the Of?p star CPD −28° 2561 using FORS2 (FOcal Reducer low dispersion Spectrograph 2) low-resolution spectropolarimetric observations. In this work, we present additional low-resolution spectropolarimetric observations obtained during several weeks in 2013 December using FORS 2 mounted at the 8-m Antu telescope of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). These observations cover a little less than half of the stellar rotation period of 73.41 d mentioned in the literature. The behaviour of the mean longitudinal magnetic field is consistent with the assumption of a single-wave variation during the stellar rotation cycle, indicating a dominant dipolar contribution to the magnetic field topology. The estimated polar strength of the surface dipole Bd is larger than 1.15 kG. Further, we compared the behaviour of the line profiles of various elements at different rotation phases associated with different magnetic field strengths. The strongest contribution of the emission component is observed at the phases when the magnetic field shows a negative or positive extremum. The comparison of the spectral behaviour of CPD −28° 2561 with that of another Of?p star, HD 148937 of similar spectral type, reveals remarkable differences in the degree of variability between both stars. Finally, we present new X-ray observations obtained with the Suzaku X-ray Observatory. We report that the star is X-ray bright with log LX/Lbol ≈ −5.7. The low-resolution X-ray spectra reveal the presence of a plasma heated up to 24 MK. We associate the 24 MK plasma in CPD −28° 2561 with the presence of a kG strong magnetic field capable to confine stellar wind.

Le stelle di neutroni sono il risultato dell'evoluzione di stelle massive dopo l'esplosione di supernova. Il progetto di questa Tesi di PhD consiste nello studio dell'emissione di raggi X da parte di stelle di neutroni isolate di età superiore a 100000 anni. Sono stati analizzati dati provenienti dal satellite XMM-Newton (ESA). Per estrarre la miglior informazione possibile dai dati, ho implementato un metodo di maximum likelihood (ML) e l'ho utilizzato per estrarre spettri e profili pulsati di pulsar vecchie in banda X, che poi sono stati analizzati con raffinati di emissione. La Tesi è strutturata come segue: nei primi tre capitoli illustro le proprietà principali delle stelle di neutroni, con particolare attenzione ai processi termici e non termici che producono raggi X. I raggi X non termici sono prodotti da particelle relativistiche accelerate da campi elettromagnetici; una frazione di queste particelle viene accelerata verso la superficie della stella, e riscalda le zone delle calotte polari magnetiche. La componente termica, che può essere prodotta dall'intera superficie o da una parte, viene solitamente descritta come un corpo nero; tuttavia, la presenza di intensi campi magnetici superficiali influenza le proprietà della materia, e la radiazione emessa è ampiamente anisotropa. Nel Capitolo 4 descrivo come ho generato spettri e profili pulsati sintetici, utilizzando modelli di emissione che considerano calotte polari ricoperte di un'atmosfera di idrogeno magnetizzata. Mi sono basata su un software esistente che, dato un certo set di parametri relativi alle proprietà fisiche della stella, stima l'intensità della radiazione prodotta. Successivamente, esso somma i contributi degli elementi di superficie che sono visibili all'osservatore alle differenti fasi di rotazione. Quindi, nel Capitolo 5 descrivo come ho implementato un software di analisi che si basa sul metodo di ML. Dato un certo modello, esso stima i parametri più probabili che ricostruiscono i dati osservati, nella fattispecie il numero di conteggi relativo alla sorgente e al background. Ho validato il metodo e dimostrato che esso è particolarmente efficace per sorgenti deboli, quali sono la maggior parte delle pulsar vecchie. Successivamente, ho applicato i metodi finora descritti ad alcune pulsar vecchie. Nel Capitolo 6 riporto l'analisi di PSR J0726-2612, una pulsar radio che ha alcune delle caratteristiche delle XDINSs: un periodo di rotazione lungo, un intenso campo magnetico, ed emissione X termica. Grazie ad un'analisi congiunta dello spettro e del profilo pulsato, ho mostrato che la presenza di impulsi radio in PSR J0726-2612, così come la loro assenza nelle XDINSs, potrebbe essere dovuta ad un'orientazione differente rispetto all'osservatore. Nel Capitolo 7 presento il caso di PSR B0943+10, una pulsar con emissione X sia termica sia non termica ma che, nonostante sia un rotatore allineato, ha una grande frazione pulsata. Sono riuscita a riappacificare i due diversi aspetti grazie ad un'attenta analisi di ML e all'intrinseca anisotropia dell'emissione termica prodotta da un'atmosfera magnetizzata. Nel Capitolo 8 ho invece applicato il metodo di ML su sette pulsar poco brillanti, delle quali quattro avevano diverse analisi già pubblicate in letteratura, ma con risultati discordanti, mentre le altre tre non erano ancora state rivelate in banda X. Ho trovato tracce evidenti di emissione termica solo in due oggetti, più un accenno nello spettro pulsato di un terzo oggetto. Infine, ho considerato tutte le pulsar vecchie che emettono raggi X termici e ho confrontato le misure di temperatura, raggio e luminosità alle aspettative dei modelli teorici. In particolare, ho scoperto che le aree di emissione sono generalmente in accordo con quelle previste dal modello di dipolo magnetico rotante, purché vengano considerati anche effetti di proiezione geometrica e modelli di emissione realistici, quali appunto i modelli di atmosfera magnetizzata.
Neutron stars are the remnants of massive stars whose cores collapse during the supernova explosions. The project of this PhD Thesis consisted in the study of the X-ray emission from isolated neutron stars older than about 100000 years. The work was based mainly on data obtained with the XMM-Newton satellite (ESA). To extract the best possible information from the data, I implemented a maximum likelihood (ML) technique and used it to derive the X-ray spectra and pulse profiles of several old pulsars, that were then studied with state-of-the-art models of X-ray emission. The Thesis is structured as follows: in the first three chapters I outline the main properties of neutron stars, with a major focus on the thermal and nonthermal processes that produce X-rays. The nonthermal X-rays are produced by relativistic particles accelerated by rotation-induced electric fields and moving along the magnetic field lines. A fraction of these particles is accelerated backward and returns on the stellar surface, heating the magnetic polar caps. The thermal component, that can be produced by the whole stellar surface or by small hot spots, can be described, in a first approximation, by a blackbody. However, the presence of intense surface magnetic fields strongly affects the properties of matter, and the emergent radiation is widely anisotropic. In Chapter 4, I describe how I generated synthetic spectra and pulse profiles using thermal emission models that consider polar caps covered by a magnetized hydrogen atmosphere or with a condensed iron surface. I relied on an existing software that, given a set of stellar parameters, evaluates the emerging intensity of the radiation. A second software, which I adapted on the sources I analyzed in the Thesis, collects the contribution of surface elements which are in view at different rotation phases from a stationary observer. Then, in Chapter 5, I describe how I implemented an analysis software that relies on the ML method. It estimates the most probable number of source and background counts by comparing the spatial distribution of the observed counts with the expected distribution for a point source plus an uniform background. I demonstrated that the ML method is particularly effective for dim sources, as most old pulsars are. Subsequently, I applied the methods described above to some old pulsars. In Chapter 6, I report the analysis of PSR J0726-2612, a radio pulsars that shares some properties with the radio-silent XDINSs, as the long period, the high magnetic field, and the thermal X-ray emission from the cooling surface. Thanks to an in-depth analysis of the combined spectrum and pulse profile, I showed that the presence of radio pulses from PSR J0726-2612, as well as the absence from the XDINSs, might simply be due to different viewing geometries. In Chapter 7, I present the case of PSR B0943+10, a pulsar with a nonthermal and thermal X-ray spectrum but that, despite being an aligned rotator, has a large pulsed fraction. I could reconcile the two opposite properties analyzing with the ML the spectrum and the pulse profile, and considering the magnetic beaming of a magnetized atmosphere model, that well fits the thermal component. In Chapter 8, I applied the ML method to seven old and dim pulsars, of which four had controversial published results, and three were so far undetected. I found convincing evidence of thermal emission only in the phase-averaged spectrum of two of them, plus a hint for a thermal pulsed spectrum in a third object. Finally, I considered all the old thermal emitters and I compared their observed temperatures, radii and luminosities to the expectations of the current theoretical models for these objects. In particular, I found that the emitting area are generally in agreement with the polar cap regions evaluated in a dipole approximation, if the combined effects of geometry projections plus realistic thermal models (as the magnetic atmosphere) are taken into account.

In this paper we investigate the multiwavelengths properties of the magnetic early B-type star HR7355. We present its radio light curves at several frequencies, taken with the Jansky Very Large Array, and X-ray spectra, taken with the XMM X-ray telescope. Modeling of the radio light curves for the Stokes I and V provides a quantitative analysis of the HR7355 magnetosphere. A comparison between HR7355 and a similar analysis for the Ap star CUVir, allows us to study how the different physical parameters of the two stars affect the structure of the respective magnetospheres where the non-thermal electrons originate. Our model includes a cold thermal plasma component that accumulates at high magnetic latitudes that influences the radio regime, but does not give rise to X-ray emission. Instead, the thermal X-ray emission arises from shocks generated by wind stream collisions close to the magnetic equatorial plane. The analysis of the X-ray spectrum of HR7355 also suggests the presence of a non-thermal radiation. Comparison between the spectral index of the power-law X-ray energy distribution with the non-thermal electron energy distribution indicates that the non-thermal X-ray component could be the auroral signature of the non-thermal electrons that impact the stellar surface, the same non-thermal electrons that are responsible for the observed radio emission. On the basis of our analysis, we suggest a novel model that simultaneously explains the X-ray and the radio features of HR7355 and is likely relevant for magnetospheres of other magnetic early type stars.

We present new radio/millimeter measurements of the hot magnetic star HR 5907 obtained with the VLA and ALMA interferometers. We find that HR 5907 is the most radio luminous early type star in the cm–mm band among those presently known. Its multi-wavelength radio light curves are strongly variable with an amplitude that increases with radio frequency. The radio emission can be explained by the populations of the non-thermal electrons accelerated in the current sheets on the outer border of the magnetosphere of this fast-rotating magnetic star. We classify HR 5907 as another member of the growing class of strongly magnetic fast-rotating hot stars where the gyro-synchrotron emission mechanism efficiently operates in their magnetospheres. The new radio observations of HR 5907 are combined with archival X-ray data to study the physical condition of its magnetosphere. The X-ray spectra of HR 5907 show tentative evidence for the presence of non-thermal spectral component. We suggest that non-thermal X-rays originate a stellar X-ray aurora due to streams of non-thermal electrons impacting on the stellar surface. Taking advantage of the relation between the spectral indices of the X-ray power-law spectrum and the non-thermal electron energy distributions, we perform 3-D modelling of the radio emission for HR 5907. The wavelength-dependent radio light curves probe magnetospheric layers at different heights above the stellar surface. A detailed comparison between simulated and observed radio light curves leads us to conclude that the stellar magnetic field of HR 5907 is likely non-dipolar, providing further indirect evidence of the complex magnetic field topology of HR 5907.

Observations with powerful X-ray telescopes, such as XMM-Newton and Chandra, significantly advance our understanding of massive stars. Nearly all early-type stars are X-ray sources. Studies of their X-ray emission provide important diagnostics of stellar winds. High-resolution X-ray spectra of O-type stars are well explained when stellar wind clumping is taking into account, providing further support to a modern picture of stellar winds as non-stationary, inhomogeneous outflows. X-ray variability is detected from such winds, on time scales likely associated with stellar rotation. High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy indicates that the winds of late O-type stars are predominantly in a hot phase. Consequently, X-rays provide the best observational window to study these winds. X-ray spectroscopy of evolved, Wolf-Rayet type, stars allows to probe their powerful metal enhanced winds, while the mechanisms responsible for the X-ray emission of these stars are not yet understood.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2007.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-150).
In this thesis, I present work spanning a variety of topics relating to neutron star lowmass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and utilize spectral information from X-ray observations to further our understanding of these sources. First, I give an overview of important X- ray astrophysics relevant to the work I present in subsequent chapters, as well as information about the X-ray observatories from which I obtained my data. In the next three chapters, I consider spectra-both high- and low-resolution--of accretion-powered millisecond X-ray pulsars, a unique and relatively new class of objects. In addition to analysis of the pulsar XTE J1814-338, I compare a broader sample of pulsars with a sample of atoll sources in order to better understand why the latter class do not contain persistently pulsating neutron stars. In particular, I test the hypothesis that pulsations in the atoll sources are suppressed by a high-optical- depth scattering region. Using X-ray color-color diagrams to define a selection criterion based on spectral state, I analyze Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) spectra from all the sources, and use a Comptonization model to obtain measurements of their optical depths. I then discuss efforts to spatially resolve X-ray jets from the accretion-powered millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 and the Z source XTE J1701-462. Each was observed by the Chandra X-ray Observatory to produce a high-spatial-resolution image. This work was motivated in part by my analysis of XTE J1814-338, which found an apparent excess of infrared flux which could be attributed to jet emission. Next, I discuss the measured temperatures of thermonuclear X-ray bursts. The detection of line features in these bursts, and hence from the surfaces of neutron stars, has been an important goal for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. A measurement of the wavelengths of identified line features would yield a measurement of the neutron star's gravitational redshift, which would help constrain current models for the neutron star equation of state.
(cont.) Although such a measurement has been made for one source, other searches have not been able to repeat this measurement. I consider the effects of burst temperature on the formation of discrete spectral features, using a large sample of bursts observed by the RXTE PCA. Finally, I present analysis of high-resolution Chandra HETG spectra of a sample of Galactic LMXBs. High-resolution spectra are able to resolve line features, such as the prominent Ne and O emission lines in the ultracompact X-ray binary 4U 1626-67. They also allow for more precise measurements of photoelectric absorption edges, which can otherwise hinder the determination of continuum spectral components, particularly in the lower-energy spectral regions.
by Miriam Ilana Krauss.
Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 4, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 204-213).

The hydrogen and helium accreted by X-ray bursting neutron stars is periodically consumed in runaway thermonuclear reactions that cause the entire surface to glow brightly in X-rays for a few seconds. With models of the emission, the mass and radius of the neutron star can be inferred from the observations. By simultaneously probing neutron star masses and radii, X-ray bursts (XRBs) are one of the strongest diagnostics of the nature of matter at extremely high densities. Accurate determinations of these parameters are difficult, however, due to the highly non-ideal nature of the atmospheres where XRBs occur. Observations from X-ray telescopes such as RXTE and NuStar can potentially place strong constraints on nuclear matter once uncertainties in atmosphere models have been reduced. Here we discuss current progress on modeling atmospheres of X-ray bursting neutron stars and some of the challenges still to be overcome.

We present time-resolved and phase-resolved variability studies of an extensive X-ray high-resolution spectral data set of the δ Ori Aa binary system. The four observations, obtained with Chandra ACIS HETGS, have a total exposure time of ≈ 479 ks and provide nearly complete binary phase coverage. Variability of the total X-ray flux in the range of 5–25 Å is confirmed, with a maximum amplitude of about ±15% within a single ≈ 125 ks observation. Periods of 4.76 and 2.04 days are found in the total X-ray flux, as well as an apparent overall increase in the flux level throughout the nine-day observational campaign. Using 40 ks contiguous spectra derived from the original observations, we investigate the variability of emission line parameters and ratios. Several emission lines are shown to be variable, including S xv, Si xiii, and Ne ix. For the first time, variations of the X-ray emission line widths as a function of the binary phase are found in a binary system, with the smallest widths at ϕ = 0.0 when the secondary δ Ori Aa2 is at the inferior conjunction. Using 3D hydrodynamic modeling of the interacting winds, we relate the emission line width variability to the presence of a wind cavity created by a wind–wind collision, which is effectively void of embedded wind shocks and is carved out of the X-ray-producing primary wind, thus producing phase-locked X-ray variability. Based on data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the MOST satellite, a Canadian Space Agency mission, jointly operated by Dynacon Inc., the University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies, and the University of British Columbia, with the assistance of the University of Vienna.

We present new, contemporaneous Hubble Space Telescope STIS and XMM-Newton observations of the O7 III(n)((f)) star ξ Per. We supplement the new data with archival IUE spectra, to analyze the variability of the wind lines and X-ray flux of ξ Per. The variable wind of this star is known to have a 2.086-day periodicity. We use a simple, heuristic spot model that fits the low-velocity (near-surface) IUE wind line variability very well, to demonstrate that the low-velocity absorption in the new STIS spectra of N iv λ1718 and Si iv λ1402 vary with the same 2.086-day period. It is remarkable that the period and amplitude of the STIS data agree with those of the IUE spectra obtained 22 yr earlier. We also show that the time variability of the new XMM-Newton fluxes is also consistent with the 2.086-day period. Thus, our new, multiwavelength coordinated observations demonstrate that the mechanism that causes the UV wind line variability is also responsible for a significant fraction of the X-rays in single O stars. The sequence of events for the multiwavelength light-curve minima is Si iv λ1402, N iv λ1718, and X-ray flux, each separated by a phase of about 0.06 relative to the 2.086-day period. Analysis of the X-ray fluxes shows that they become softer as they weaken. This is contrary to expectations if the variability is caused by periodic excess absorption. Furthermore, the high-resolution X-ray spectra suggest that the individual emission lines at maximum are more strongly blueshifted. If we interpret the low-velocity wind line light curves in terms of our model, it implies that there are two bright regions, i.e., regions with less absorption, separated by 180°, on the surface of the star. We note that the presence and persistence of two spots separated by 180° suggest that a weak dipole magnetic field is responsible for the variability of the UV wind line absorption and X-ray flux in ξ Per.

X-ray emission from stars much more massive than the Sun was discovered only 35 years ago. Such stars drive fast stellar winds where shocks can develop, and it is commonly assumed that the X-rays emerge from the shock-heated plasma. Many massive stars additionally pulsate. However, hitherto it was neither theoretically predicted nor observed that these pulsations would affect their X-ray emission. All X-ray pulsars known so far are associated with degenerate objects, either neutron stars or white dwarfs. Here we report the discovery of pulsating X-rays from a non-degenerate object, the massive B-type star ξ1 CMa. This star is a variable of β Cep-type and has a strong magnetic field. Our observations with the X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM-Newton) telescope reveal X-ray pulsations with the same period as the fundamental stellar oscillations. This discovery challenges our understanding of stellar winds from massive stars, their X-ray emission and their magnetism.

This thesis presents one of the first census of the properties of galaxies in X-ray selected groups and clusters at intermediate redshift, with the aim of assessing the role of envi- ronment on the galaxy stellar mass assembly, star formation activity and observed stellar population properties. My project is framed in the XXL Survey (Pierre et al. 2016), the largest XMM-Newton programme approved to date, covering two extragalactic regions in the sky of 25 deg2 each one. Extended X-ray sources identified as groups and clusters are spectroscopically confirmed and their main properties are characterised either via direct measurements or by means of scaling relations. Among them, inferred X-ray luminosities and temperatures, virial masses and radii are of fundamental importance for the development of this thesis. The great advantage of XXL is that the XXL-North field (XXL-N) is fully covered by photometric and spectroscopic observations coming from the most recent extragalactic surveys of galaxies. The availability of such a treasure trove of information motivates the development of my research on galaxy populations at 0.1≤z≤0.6 in XXL-N, exploring the most diverse environments ranging from the field, to groups, clusters and superclusters. The first task of my work consists in the creation of a homogeneous spectrophotometric sample of galaxies, released in Guglielmo et al. (2017), suitable for scientific purposes. The catalogue contains spectroscopic redshifts, membership information on groups and clus- ters, spectroscopic completeness weights as a function of position in the sky and observed magnitude, stellar masses and absolute magnitudes computed by means of a spectral en- ergy distribution (SED) technique. The catalogue is fundamental for all XXL studies that aims at relating optical properties derived from galaxies with X-ray information and is widely used in the whole XXL collaboration. The released spectrophotometric catalogue enables the first scientific achievement of this thesis regarding the study of the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF). The goal of this analysis is to unveil whether the mass assembly of galaxies depends on global environment, i.e. field vs groups and clusters and, among groups and clusters, on X-ray luminosity, used as a proxy for the halo mass. I performed the analysis in four redshift bins in the range 0.1≤z≤0.6, finding overall that environment does not affect the GSMF, at least in the mass range probed. The result is further confirmed by the invariance of the mean mass of member galaxies on X-ray luminosity. I also looked into the evolution of the mass assembly from z=0.6 down to z=0.1, finding that the high mass end is already in place at the oldest epoch and does not evolve and detecting an increase in the low-mass galaxy population in the same redshift range. This study is one of the first systematic studies on the GSMF conducted for X-ray extended sources ranging from the group to the cluster environment, and is published in the second part of Guglielmo et al. (2017). Having assessed the independence of the mass distributions on the global environment, I proceed investigating whether and to what extent the environment affects the star formation activity and the observed properties of the galaxy stellar populations. I started this analysis from the richest supercluster identified in XXL-N, XLSSsC N01, located at redshift z∼0.3 and composed of 14 groups and clusters. This work has been submitted in Guglielmo et al. (2018a). With focus on the region surrounding XLSSsC N01, I divided galaxies in different environments, ranging from the virial regions of groups and clusters to the field, using a combination of global and local environment parametri- sations. The main results of this study are that, in the supercluster environment, while the star forming fractions and quenching efficiency strongly depend on environment, the SFR-mass relation does not. The star forming fraction progressively declines from the field to filaments to the virialised regions of groups and clusters, with an interesting en- hancement in the outer regions of the X-ray structures. Moreover, while the average luminosity weighted (LW)-age-mass relation is independent of the environment, a clear signature for recent star formation quenching is found in the stellar ages of passive galaxies in the virialised regions of X-ray structures. Finally, I extend the analysis of this peculiar supercluster to the whole XXL-N field. This work will be enclosed in two articles in preparation (Guglielmo et al. 2018 b,c in prep.). Thanks to the higher statistics of the entire sample, I investigated the properties of galaxies and their evolution at 0.1≤z≤0.5 in different environments, with the goal of characterising the changing in the stellar population properties and the build up of the passive population via environmental quenching. Besides distinguishing among galaxies in the field, and in groups and clusters (virial regions and outskirts), I also focused on galaxies located in structures of different X-ray luminosity and in galaxies located within superclusters. Simultaneously, I also investigated the properties of galaxies located at different projected local densities (LD). In particular, I characterised the fraction of star forming/blue galaxies and of the SFR- mass relation, as a function of both global and local environment. The fraction of star forming and blue galaxies is strictly related to the environment, having the lowest value in the virial regions of groups and clusters, and the highest in the field. In outer members, the same fraction is similar to that in the field at z≥0.2, and assumes intermediate values with respect to virial members and the field at 0.1≤z<0.2. The SFR-mass relation is also environment dependent, and in particular the number of virial member galaxies having reduced SFR (galaxies in transition) nearly doubles that of field galaxies. Again, outer members show intermediate properties: the fraction of galaxies in transition is similar to the virial population at z>0.3, when it is found to be associated to the supercluster environment, and then reduces to values typical of field galaxies at 0.1≤z<0.3. The star forming and blue fractions also decrease with increasing LD at all redshifts. On the contrary, the fraction of galaxies in transition does not vary in the same LD range. These significant differences emerging among the global and local environments are intrinsically related to the different physical meaning of the two parametrisations, thus to the different physical mechanisms acting on galaxies when bound in the potential well of a dark matter halo (according to the global definition) or when exposed to interactions with other galaxies in over dense and highly populated regions (according to the local definition). During the first stages of my PhD, I also completed the analysis of my master thesis, and I report the full text of the published paper in the Appendix of the thesis (Guglielmo et al. 2015). The results are closely related to the scientific questions tackled in my PhD project, addressed through a complementary approach that reconstructed the star formation history of low- redshift galaxies in clusters and in the field to study the dependence on global environment, stellar mass and observed morphology.
Questa tesi presenta uno dei primi censimenti delle proprietà delle galassie in gruppi ed ammassi selezionati nei raggi X a redshift intermedio, con lo scopo di valutare il ruolo dell'ambiente sull'assemblamento della massa stellare delle galassie, l'attività di formazione stellare e le proprietà delle popolazioni stellari osservate. Il mio progetto è inquadrato nella Survey XXL (Pierre et al., 2016), il più grande programma XMM-Newton approvato fino ad oggi, che copre due regioni extra-galattiche di 25 gradi quadrati ciascuna. Le sorgenti di raggi X estese ed identificate come gruppi ed ammassi sono state confermate spettroscopicamente e le loro proprietà principali sono caratterizzate o tramite misurazioni dirette o mediante relazioni di scala. Tra queste, le luminosità e le temperature X, le masse virali ed i raggi viriali sono di fondamentale importanza per lo sviluppo di questa tesi. Il grande vantaggio di XXL è che il campo XXL-Nord (XXL-N) è completamente coperto da osservazioni fotometriche e spettroscopiche provenienti dalle più recenti survey extra-galattiche di galassie. La disponibilità di una tale miniera di informazioni motiva lo sviluppo della mia ricerca sulle popolazioni di galassie nell'intervallo di redshift 0.1≤z≤0.6 nel campo XXL-N, esplorando gli ambienti più diversi dalle regioni di campo, ai gruppi, agli ammassi e ai superammassi. Il primo compito del mio lavoro consiste nella creazione di un campione spettrofotometrico omogeneo di galassie, pubblicato in Guglielmo et al. (2017), e adatto ad essere utilizzato in un'analisi scientifica. Il catalogo contiene redshift spettroscopici, informazioni sull'appartenenza a gruppi e ammassi, pesi di completezza spettroscopica in funzione della posizione nel cielo e magnitudine osservata, le masse stellari e le magnitudini assolute calcolate mediante una tecnica di spectral energy distribution (SED). Il catalogo è fondamentale per tutti gli studi all'interno della collaborazione XXL che mirano a correlare le proprietà ottiche derivate dalle galassie con informazioni sulle strutture X ed è ampiamente utilizzato nell'intera collaborazione XXL. Il catalogo spettrofotometrico pubblicato consente il primo risultato scientifico di questa tesi riguardante lo studio della funzione di massa stellare delle galassie (GSMF). L'obiettivo di questa analisi è di svelare se il processo di assemblamento della massa delle galassie dipende dall'ambiente cosiddetto globale, cioè dall'appartenenza al campo o a gruppi ed ammassi e, tra quest'ultimi, dalla luminosità X, utilizzata come proxy per la massa di alone. Ho eseguito l'analisi in quattro intervalli di redshift nel range 0.1≤z≤0.6, trovando nel complesso che l'ambiente non influenza la GSMF, almeno nell'intervallo di massa campionato. Il risultato è ulteriormente confermato dall'invarianza della massa media delle galassie membre rispetto alla luminosità X. Ho anche esaminato l'evoluzione della GSMF da z = 0.6 fino a z = 0.1, trovando che l'estremità della funzione a masse elevate è già formata nell'epoca più antica e non evolve, e rilevando invece un aumento del numero di galassie a bassa massa nello stesso intervallo di redshift. Questo studio è uno dei primi studi sistematici della GSMF condotto per sorgenti estese a raggi X che vanno da masse di alone tipiche di gruppi fino agli ammassi, ed è pubblicato nella seconda parte di Guglielmo et al. (2017). Avendo valutato l'indipendenza delle distribuzioni di massa rispetto all'ambiente globale, procedo a indagare se e in che misura l'ambiente influisce sull'attività di formazione stellare e sulle proprietà osservate delle popolazioni stellari delle galassie. Ho iniziato questa analisi dal superammasso più ricco identificato in XXL-N, XLSSsC N01, situato a redshift z~0.3 e composto da 14 gruppi ed ammassi. Questo lavoro è stato sottomesso in Guglielmo et al. (2018a). Concentrandosi sulla regione che circonda XLSSsC N01, ho diviso le galassie in diversi ambienti, che vanno dalle regioni virali di gruppi ed ammassi fino al campo, utilizzando una combinazione di parametrizzazioni ambientali globali e locali. I risultati principali di questo studio sono che, nell'ambiente del superammasso, mentre la frazione di galassie che formano stelle e l'efficienza di arresto dell'attività di formazione stellare dipendono fortemente dall'ambiente, lo stesso non vale per la relazione fra massa e tasso di formazione stellare (SFR). La frazione di galassie che formano stelle declina progressivamente dal campo ai filamenti fino alle regioni virializzate di gruppi ed ammassi, con un interessante aumento della stessa nelle regioni esterne delle strutture X. Inoltre, mentre la relazione media fra l'età delle galassie pesata per la luminosità (LW-age) e la massa stellare delle stesse è indipendente dall'ambiente, una chiara evidenza di una recente estinzione della formazione stellare si rileva nelle galassie passive situate nelle regioni virializzate delle strutture X. Infine, si estende l'analisi di questo particolare superammasso all'intero campo XXL-N. Questo lavoro sarà racchiuso in due articoli in preparazione (Guglielmo et al., 2018 b, c in preparazione). Grazie alla statistica più elevata dell'intero campione, ho studiato le proprietà delle galassie e la loro evoluzione nell'intervallo 0.1≤z≤0.5 in diversi ambienti, con l'obiettivo di caratterizzare il cambiamento nelle proprietà delle popolazioni stellari e la formazione della popolazione passiva al variare dell'ambiente. Oltre a distinguere tra le galassie di campo, e in gruppi ed ammassi (regioni virali e periferiche), mi sono concentrata anche su galassie situate in strutture di diversa luminosità X e sulle galassie situate all'interno di superammassi. Contemporaneamente, ho anche studiato le proprietà delle galassie situate a diverse densità locali proiettate (LD). In particolare, ho caratterizzato la frazione galassie con formazione stellare attiva / galassie blu e ho studiato la relazione fra massa e SFR, in funzione sia dell'ambiente globale che di quello locale. La frazione di galassie con formazione stellare attiva e di galassie blu è strettamente correlata all'ambiente, con il valore più basso nelle regioni virali di gruppi ed ammassi e il più alto nel campo. Nei membri esterni, la stessa frazione è simile a quella nel campo a z≥0.2 e assume valori intermedi rispetto ai membri virali e il campo a 0.1≤z<0.2. La relazione fra SFR e massa è anch'essa dipendente dall'ambiente, e in particolare il numero di galassie dei membri virali che hanno una ridotta SFR (galassie in transizione) risulta essere quasi il doppio di quella di galassie di campo. Ancora una volta, i membri esterni mostrano proprietà intermedie: la frazione di galassie in transizione è simile alla popolazione virale a z>0,3, ed in particolare risulta associata all'ambiente dei superammassi, e si riduce successivamente a valori tipici delle galassie di campo a 0.1≤z<0.3. Inoltre, la frazione di galassie attive nella formazione stellare e quella di galassie blu diminuiscono con l'aumentare della LD a tutti i redshift. Al contrario, la frazione di galassie in transizione non varia nello stesso intervallo LD. Queste differenze significative emergenti tra gli ambienti globali e locali sono intrinsecamente correlate al diverso significato fisico delle due parametrizzazioni, quindi ai diversi meccanismi fisici che agiscono sulle galassie quando sono legate al potenziale gravitazionale di un alone di materia oscura (secondo la definizione globale) o quando esposto ad interazioni con altre galassie in regioni densamente popolate (secondo la definizione locale). Durante le prime fasi del mio dottorato di ricerca, ho anche completato l'analisi della mia tesi magistrale, e riporto il testo completo del documento pubblicato in Appendice alla tesi (Guglielmo et al., 2015). I risultati sono strettamente correlati alle domande scientifiche trattate nel mio progetto di dottorato, ma vengono affrontate attraverso un approccio complementare, che mira alla ricostruzione della storia della formazione stellare delle galassie a basso redshift in ammassi e nel campo per studiare la dipendenza dall'ambiente globale, dalla massa stellare e dalla morfologia osservata.

The study of high-resolution X-ray spectra of neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) allows the investigation of the innermost parts of the accretion disk and immediate surroundings of the compact object. The weak magnetic eld of old neutron stars present in such systems allows the accretion disk to approach very close to the compact object, like in black hole X-ray binaries. Using data from X-ray satellites such as XMM-Newton, RXTE, and BeppoSAX, I studied the reection component in two neutron star LMXBs: MXB 1728-34 and 4U 1735-44. I showed that the iron line at 6:4

Clumped structures in wind flows have substantially altered our interpretations of multiwavelength data for understanding mass loss from massive stars. Embedded wind shocks have long been the favored explanation for the hot plasma production and X-ray generation in massive star winds. This contribution reports on line profile shapes fromthe clump bowshock model and summarizes the temperature and emission measure distributions throughout the wind for this model with a focus on results that can be tested against observations.The authors acknowledge funding support for this work from a NASA grant(NNH09CF39C

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-125).
In this thesis, we present our observational and evolutionary studies of neutron stars in X-ray binary systems. A variety of topics are discussed, which are all related by a single scientific theme, namely, helping to set constraints on the mass-radius relation of neutron stars, and hence on their equations of state (EOS). In Chapter 1 we review the current neutron star masses M and radii R measurement techniques utilizing the X-ray observation of neutron stars in binaries. These techniques fall into two categories: timing and spectral analysis. In Chapter 2 we present our spectral and timing analysis of 4U 2129+47. We show that 4U 2129+47 might be in a hierarchical triple system. The source has been dropping into deeper quiescence during the last decade. The absence of the power-law hard tail in its X-ray spectrum make it a good candidate for measuring neutron star radius. In Chapter 3 we present our analysis of EXO 0748-676. We show that the previously reported narrow absorption lines are inconsistent with the detected high amplitude of the 552 Hz burst oscillations. In Chapter 4 we present our semi-numerical method of evaluating the significance of burst oscillations. With this method, we searched 1187 archived RXTE Type-I X-ray bursts for high frequency oscillation modes. In Chapter 5, we present our evolutionary study of the most massive neutron star that has been recently found: PSR J1614-2230. The study has been carried out with the recently developed star evolution code "MESA". We We have computed an extensive grid of binary evolution tracks to represent low- and intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs and IMXBs). The general results will be presented in Chapter 6.
by Jinrong Lin.
Ph.D.

The extreme physical properties of neutron stars make them efficient emitters at all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum and, traditionally, they have been extensively studied at radio wavelengths. The neutron stars with the highest estimated magnetic fields (so-called "magnetars") have remarkably different characteristics from the rest of the population: they emit no persistent radio emission but show large amounts of high-energy radiation that is thought to be powered by their large magnetic fields. For this thesis we have studied the X-ray emission properties of various types of young neutron stars, discovering unusual characteristics, constraining long-term behaviour and finding associated nebulae. We have observed the neutron stars PSR B0154+61 and PSR J1119-6127, which have high magnetic fields but otherwise emit normal radio emission. For the latter, unusual thermal X-ray emission was discovered that points to the possible effects of a magnetic field on the surface. Also, this source now represents the youngest neutron star from which thermal emission from the surface has been detected. However, we find no evidence for clear magnetar-like characteristics in these sources. The reason for this discrepancy, as yet unclear and a matter of debate, poses a great challenge to our understanding of the evolution of neutron stars and their emission mechanisms. We have also studied the long-term properties of the "anomalous X-ray pulsar" 4U 0142+61, thought to be a magnetar. We find that changes are present in almost all of its emission characteristics over the last 7 years. The observed changes agree with the general predictions made by the magnetar model of such sources. However, the details of these changes suggest that further work is still needed on the expected emission from these objects. In addition, neutron stars are seen to power extended structures, called pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), which can radiate large amounts of high-energy emission. He
Les propriétés extrêmes des étoiles à neutrons font de ces objets compacts des émetteurs efficaces dans toutes les longueurs d'ondes du spectre électromagnétique. Cependant, elles ont historiquement été étudiées principalement dans les ondes radios. Les étoiles à neutrons ayant un fort champ magnétique (appelées "magnétars") ont des caractéristiques remarquablement différentes du reste de la population: elles n'émettent pas d'ondes radios mais elles présentent de grandes quantités de radiations à haute énergie causées par le champ magnétique. Pour ce projet, nous avons étudié les propriétés des rayons X provenant de différents types de jeunes étoiles à neutrons, découvert des caractéristiques inattendues, contraint le comportement à long terme et enfin trouvé des nébuleuses associés aux étoiles à neutrons. Tout d'abord, nous avons observé les étoiles à neutrons PSR B0154+61 et PSR J1119-6127. Ces deux objets ont un fort champ magnétique mais ils émettent cependant des ondes radios normales. Pour la seconde, des émissions de rayons X thermiques ont également été découvertes, ce qui suggère les possibles effets du champ magnétique sur la surface. Aussi, cette source est maintenant la plus jeune étoile à neutrons émettant une radiation thermique depuis sa surface. Il n'y a cependant aucune preuve permettant d'associer ces sources aux caractéristiques des magnétars. La raison de cette différence, toujours incomprise et sujette à de nombreux débats, pose un énorme défi à notre compréhension de l'évolution des étoiles à neutrons et de leurs mécanismes d'émission. Ensuite, nous avons également étudié les propriétés à long terme du "pulsar anormal à Rayons X" 4U 0142+61, que l'on pense être un magnétar. Nous trouvons des changements de presque toutes ces caractéristiques d'émission sur les 7 dernières années. Les variations observées sont en accord avec les prédictions suggérées par$

In this thesis, I study the entire sample of non-magnetic cataclysmic variables observed with the Japanese satellite ASCA, presenting a detailed analysis of the spectral and temporal behaviour of these twenty-nine targets. The spectral analysis indicates that all the targets in the ASCA sample appear to be X-ray under-luminous, with only three possible exceptions. This indicates that energy is being lost from the accretion disk in a non-radiative way. Since a third of the observations require additional absorption above that expected from interstellar alone, both the X-ray under-luminosity and the excess absorption observed spectrally may be attributed to the existence of accretion disk-winds. The spectral analysis also indicates that the under-lying spectra of all non-magnetic cataclysmic variables may be more complicated than at first thought, since those spectra containing the highest number of counts require more sophisticated multi-temperature modelling of the X-ray source. Further spectra results suggests that there may be some previously unidentified magnetic systems in the ASCA sample. Such systems give away their identity through having a much harder spectrum than the non-magnetic systems, and both LS Peg and V426 Oph should be considered as weakly magnetic candidates. The temporal analysis reveals other unusual members. SS Cyg appears to be unusually faint during an observation made during quiescence, and a four-fold difference is observed in VW Hyi during two optically quiescent states, suggesting that the inner disk behaves almost independently of the outer disk. ASCA observations caught Z Cam during both an optical outburst, and during the transition to another outburst. The unique transition observation shows the X-ray count rate falling by a factor of three as the source becomes optically thick. High levels of absorption are detected in the X-ray spectra throughout both the outburst and transitional observations, greater than that expected from interstellar absorption alone.

Observations of starburst galaxies have revealed a large number of point-like X-ray sources located within these systems, including active galactic nuclei (AGN), X-ray binaries (XRBs), and utraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). In this thesis we investigate the physical properties of a variety of these objects using both their X-ray emission characteristics and their optical counterparts, in order to better understand the accretion physics of such objects, and the environments in which they are found. This work begins with a study of 3 moderate-redshift (z ~ 0.1) X-ray bright (> 10^42 erg s^-1) galaxies, all of which display no clear signs of the presence of an AGN in the optical band. Given the high X-ray luminosities of these objects, they must either be the most X-ray luminous starburst galaxies known; or they must harbour a hidden AGN. We use new, pointed observations of the galaxies to determine their detailed X-ray characteristics, and demonstrate that each X-ray source is consistent with an AGN. The most likely explanation for the lack of AGN signatures in the optical spectra of these galaxies is that the AGN emission lines are being diluted by star formation signatures from within the host galaxies. Next, we present age constraints on 13 bright XRBs located within the high-metallicity drop-through ring galaxy NGC 922. While less than half the X-ray sources are located close to recent star formation as traced by Hα emission, the majority of sources are associated with star clusters, that we are able to age on the basis of their optical colours. We find that the sources that are closest to clusters tend to also have the youngest counterpart clusters and, in most cases, are close to H$\alpha$ emission, placing a limit of < 10 Myrs on their age, while those with greater distances to star clusters are also significantly older. We also investigate the possibility that the X-ray sources were ejected from their parent clusters, either by dynamical interactions, or by supernova kicks. An important caveat to the results of this work is that the a number of sources may have associated clusters that are highly extinguished and are therefore undetectable in the optical band. Finally, we present a study of the 8 brightest X-ray point-sources in the prototypical starburst galaxy M82, using the rich data set afforded to us by a ~ 480 ks Chandra observation of the galaxy. From our investigation, we find that the sources with X-ray luminosities < 10^39 erg s^-1 are heterogeneous, but all display X-ray properties that are typically observed in canonically accreting back hole binaries. A possible bi-modality is seen in accretion states between the more luminous and less luminous sources in this subset of our sample. The majority of these sources show significant long-term variability, with one of the sources being identified as a transient candidate. The three brightest sources in our sample, all of which are known ULXs, display long-term variability and spectral characteristics consistent with previous observations. This work demonstrates the rich potential for future studies of the diverse X-ray binary populations in nearby galaxies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2009.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-221).
There had been long-standing fundamental problems in the spectral studies of accreting neutron stars (NSs) in low-mass X-ray binaries involving the X-ray spectral decomposition, the relations between subtypes (mainly atoll and Z sources), and the origins of different X- ray states. Atoll sources are less luminous and have both hard and soft spectral states, while Z sources have three distinct branches (horizontal(HB)/normal(NB)/flaring(FB)) whose spectra are mostly soft. I analyzed more than twelve-year RXTE observations (~ 2500 in total) of four atoll sources Aql X-1, 4U 1608-522, 4U 1705-44, and 4U 1636-536. I developed a hybrid spec- tral model for accreting NSs. In this model, atoll hard-state spectra are described by a single-temperature blackbody (BB), presumed to model emission from the boundary layer where the accreted material impacts the NS surface, and a strong Comptonized compo- nent, modeled by a cutoffpl power law (CPL). Atoll soft-state spectra are described by two thermal components, i.e., a multicolor disk (MCD) and a BB, with additional weak Comp- tonized component, modeled by a single power law. I found that the accretion disk in most of the soft state is truncated at a constant value, most probably at the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), predicted by general relativity. This allows us to derive upper limits of magnetic fields on the NS surface of the above four atoll sources. The apparent emission area of the boundary layer is small, ~1/16 of the whole NS surface, but is fairly constant, spanning the hard and soft states. All this was not seen if the classical models for thermal emission plus high Comptonization were used instead. By tracking the accretion rate onto the NS surface, I inferred a strong mass jet in the hard state. My study of 4U 1705-44 using broadband spectra from Suzaku and BeppoSAX supported the above results. From my spectral study of the above four atoll sources, I also found that in a part of the soft state with frequent occurrences of kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs), the accretion disk appears to be truncated at larger radii than in other parts of the soft state where the disk is presumably truncated at the ISCO. Thus the production of kHz QPOs in accreting NSs should be closely related to the behavior of the accretion disk. It is well known that the kHz QPO amplitude spectrum tracks the BB, even though we see no changes in the BB spectral evolution track when kHz QPOs are present. The simplest interpretation is that accretion oscillations are imparted in the inner disk and then seen as the waves impact the NS surface in the boundary layer. The transient XTE J1701-462 (2006-2007) is the only source known to exhibit properties of both the Z and atoll types. I carried out the state/branch classifications of all the ~900 RXTE observations. The Z-source branches evolved substantially in the X-ray color-color diagram during this outburst. In the decay, the HB, NB and FB disappeared successively, with the NB/FB transition evolving to the atoll-source soft state. Spectral analyses using my new spectral model show that the inner disk radius maintains at a nearly constant value, presumably at ISCO, when the source behaves as an atoll source in the soft state, but increases with accretion rates when the source behaves as a Z source at high luminosity. We interpreted this as local Eddington limit effects and advection domination in the accretion disk. The disks in the two Z vertices probably represent two stable accretion configurations, and we speculate that the lower (NB/FB) vertex represents a standard thin disk and the upper (HB/NB) vertex a slim disk. The changes in the accretion rate are responsible for movement of Z-source branches and the evolution from one source type to another. However, the three Z-source branches are caused by three mechanisms that operate at a roughly constant accretion rate. The FB is an instability tied to the Eddington limit. It is formed as the inner disk radius temporarily decreases toward the ISCO. The NB is traced out mostly due to changes in the boundary layer emission area, as a result of the system transiting from a standard thin disk to a slim disk. The HB is formed with the increase in Comptonization, consistent with strong radio emission detected from this branch.
by Dacheng Lin.
Ph.D.

PoGOLite is a balloon-borne experiment, which will study polarized soft γ-ray emissionfrom astrophysical targets in the 25-80 keV energy range by applying well-typephoswich detector technology. Polarized γ-rays are expected from a wide variety of sources including rotation-powered pulsars, accreting black holes and neutron stars,and jet-dominated active galaxies. Polarization measurements provide a powerfulprobe of the γ-ray emission mechanism and the distribution of magnetic and radiation fields around the source. The polarization is determined using Compton scattering and photoelectric absorption in an array of 217 plastic scintillators. The sensitive detector is surrounded by a segmented Bismuth Germanium Oxide (BGO) anticoincidence shield. The function of this shield is to reduce backgrounds from charged cosmic rays, primary and atmospheric γ-rays, and atmospheric and instrumenta lneutrons. The anticoincidence shield consists of 427 BGO crystals with three different geometries. The characteristics of the BGO crystals of the bottom anticoincidence shield have been studied with particular focus on the light yield.The maiden flight of PoGOLite will be with a reduced detector volume “pathfinder” instrument. The flight, lasting about 24 hours, is foreseen from Esrange, Sweden in August 2010. The performance of the pathfinder has been studied using computer simulations. The effect of atmospheric attenuation, both on the signal of theastronomical target and on the background, are studied. These allow an observationstrategy to be developed for the forthcoming flight. A polarization analysis method is described and applied to an observation example. The method sets anupper limit on the accuracy with which the polarimeter will be able to detect polarization the angle and degree. The PoGOLite polarimeter has a relatively small field of view (2.4◦×2.4◦) which must be kept aligned to objects of interest on the sky. A star tracker forms part of the attitude control system. The star trackersystem comprises a CCD camera, a lens, and a baffle system. Preliminary studiesof the star identification performance are presented and are found to be compatible with the environment around the Crab, which is the main observational target for the first flight.
QC20100629

To investigate the potential connection between the intense X-ray emission from young low-mass stars and the lifetimes of their circumstellar planet-forming disks, we have compiled the X-ray luminosities (L-X) of M stars in the similar to 8 Myr old TW Hya Association (TWA) for which X-ray data are presently available. Our investigation includes analysis of archival Chandra data for the TWA binary systems TWA 8, 9, and 13. Although our study suffers from poor statistics for stars later than M3, we find a trend of decreasing L-X/L-bol with decreasing T-eff for TWA M stars, wherein the earliest-type (M0-M2) stars cluster near log(L-X/L-bol) approximate to -3.0 and then log(L-X/L-bol) decreases, and its distribution broadens, for types M4 and later. The fraction of TWA stars that display evidence for residual primordial disk material also sharply increases in this same (mid-M) spectral type regime. This apparent anticorrelation between the relative X-ray luminosities of low-mass TWA stars and the longevities of their circumstellar disks suggests that primordial disks orbiting early-type M stars in the TWA have dispersed rapidly as a consequence of their persistent large X-ray fluxes. Conversely, the disks orbiting the very lowest-mass pre-MS stars and pre-MS brown dwarfs in the Association may have survived because their X-ray luminosities and, hence, disk photoevaporation rates are very low to begin with, and then further decline relatively early in their pre-MS evolution.

This thesis presents a multiwavelength study of two X-ray selected samples of star-forming galaxies. The first sample is defined by the cross-correlation of ROSAT source catalogues with the IRAS Faint Source Catalogue, the Markarian and the Kiso catalogues. The main objective of this project is to investigate whether X-ray luminous star-forming galaxies exist, and if so to quantify their properties. A number of star-forming galaxies with luminosities > 1041erg s--1 are found. Their X-ray luminosity can be explained in terms of a superwind and an X-ray binary component. Moreover, their multi wavelength properties are very similar to the properties of their lower luminosity counterparts. The second sample studied is drawn from the optical spectroscopic atlas of Ho, Filippenko & Sargent (1997a). It consists of 44 bona-fide star-forming galaxies which are observed either as targets or serendipitously with the ROSAT PSPC. The correlation between their X-ray emission and their emission in the optical, far-infrared and radio bands are studied. These correlations are used in order to probe the origin of their X-ray emission. Also a correlation between the star-formation rate and X-ray luminosity for star-forming galaxies is calculated. This is convolved with the evolution of star-formation rate with redshift in order to estimate the contribution of star-forming galaxies to the XRB. It is found that they can produce between 10% -- 50% of the soft extragalactic (0.1-2.5keV) X-ray background. Finally, two examples of X-ray luminous starburst galaxies, namely Arp299 and NGC3310 are studied in detail using data from the ROSAT and ASCA. Their X-ray properties are similar to the X-ray properties of lower luminosity star-forming galaxies, suggesting that the same mechanisms are responsible for the X-ray emission of star-forming galaxies spanning three orders of magnitude in luminosity. Thirdly Holmberg-II which is an X-ray luminous dwarf star-forming galaxy is also studied. It is found that all of its X-ray emission arises from a single variable source. The fact that its X-ray luminosity is ~ 1040erg s--1 suggests that it could be a black-hole X-ray binary with a mass of ~ 200 M⊙ . This result together, with other recent studies, suggests that there might be a new class of X-ray binary systems with extremely high mass blackholes. If so, this raises intriguing questions concerning their formation and evolution. Finally, the potential of the new major X-ray observatories, XMM-Newton and Chandra is discussed in the light of the studies described in this thesis.

In this thesis, I study a sample of 11 nearby “normal” spiral galaxies and one starburst galaxy with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and supporting ground-based telescopes, with particular emphasis on the characterisation of the discrete X-ray point source population. Emission from discrete point sources dominates the X-ray flux from spiral galaxies. This survey spans the Hubble sequence for spirals and, hence, a range in star formation, allowing insights into the X-ray source population of many diverse systems. The inclusion of M82, the prototypical starburst galaxy in the nearby universe, allows for comparison with a system at the extreme of star formation. Presented here is a detailed catalogue of the source population of these galaxies. For each source, I have derived fluxes, luminosities, X-ray colours, and variability properties. I have also searched for optical and radio counterparts. For the most luminous sources, detailed spectral and temporal analyses have been performed. For galaxies as a whole, I have examined X-ray point source luminosity functions and how these relate to star formation of those galaxies. I have also devised a strategy for initial classification of X-ray sources based upon their position within a colour-colour diagram. The luminosity function analysis has then been performed on each class of sources, showing 1) that the method of classification appears to be robust to the first order, and 2) that the old and young (i.e. low-mass X-ray binary and high-mass X-ray binary) populations can be segregated, providing insight into the star formation history of each individual galaxy. I have also studied the environments in which the sources fall within their host galaxies and what this can tell us about the nature of the sources. I have included a discussion of the enigmatic ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), which may be candidates for intermediate mass (100-10,000 Mסּ) black holes.

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 149-166).
X-ray binaries are excellent test beds for studies of high-energy accretion flows and the properties of compact objects. Neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) vary in brightness by almost 8 orders of magnitude and are hosts to diverse accretion flows, transporting varying amounts of energy and mass toward the central NS, as well as expelling significant mass from the binary. This thesis aims to shed light on the accretion flow properties across the mass and luminosity scale, with particular emphasis on constraining the matter accreted on the neutron star surface and the resulting heating, which has important implications for measurements of the NS mass and radius. We have utilized X-ray instruments with substantially different sensitivities in flux and resolving power, each suited to our focused study of the accretion flows in a particular luminosity regime. In our study of the accretion disk wind in GX 13+1, we analyzed the Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating spectrum of the NS binary accreting near its Eddington limit. We found multiple plasmas with different ionization states and velocities produce the observed absorption complex, in contrast to previous analyses that only found one absorption zone. The accretion disk wind expels mass from the disk at a rate comparable to the accretion onto the NS, and is consistent with a Comptonheated outflow, the driving mechanism likely behind all accretion disk winds in NS LMXBs and, possibly, all BH LXMBs. Frequent monitoring with the Swift X-Ray Telescope allowed us to observe SAX J1750.8-2900 in the relatively short-lived transition between outburst and quiescence. We found its X-ray spectrum softens towards lower luminosities, which can either be due to a radiatively-inefficient accretion flow or an increasing contribution of the boundary layer emission as the source's flux decreases. This work contributes to the establishment of spectral softening as a common property of the accretion flow in NS LMXBs between outburst and quiescence. We also found the transition does not produce significant NS heating. In our studies of NS LMXB quiescent emission, we utilized an XMM-Newton observation of Cen X-4 while the source was at its brightest quiescent luminosity ever recorded. We found the first evidence of multi-temperature thermal emission in a non-pulsing quiescent NS. We have interpreted the hotter of the two thermal components as a potential hotspot on the NS surface, indicative of a magnetically channeled accretion flow and motivation for further studies into NS heating in quiescence. Finally, we present the results from a recent XMM observation of the extremely faint system SAX J1810.8-2609. We find that the thermal component is consistent with a cooling NS radiating heat from nuclear reactions activated during outburst. We also present a revised estimate of the time-averaged mass accretion rate based on a more detailed outburst history and a range of outburst properties, finding the outburst history is in agreement with the quiescent thermal luminosity and discounting assertions of enhanced cooling mechanisms in the NS of SAX J1810.8-260.
by Jessamyn Leigh Allen.
Ph. D.

I analyse an x-ray selected sample of 128 late-type (F-M) stars. These stars were identified as optical counterparts to serendipitous x-ray detections made by the Einstein Observatory Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey. Once identified as x-ray sources, the stars were reobserved with an extensive program of optical observations consisting of high- and low-resolution spectroscopy and photometry. Spectral types, luminosity classes, absolute magnitudes, distances, x-ray luminosities, projected rotation rates (v sin i), radial velocities, and binary status have been determined for the sample. I find that Lₓ is correlated with v sin i for single stars. However, Lₓ does not correlate with Ω sin i, which leads me to believe that the correlation seen with v sin i is actually a correlation with radius. Indeed, Lₓ correlates strongly with radius (color, mass) for main sequence stars. This result provides a plausibility argument for rotational saturation in the coronae of late-type stars. Since this sample is flux limited, I use sky coverage and sensitivity information from the Einstein Observatory to calculate the bright end of the x-ray luminosity function for late-type stars. It appears that previously calculated luminosity functions from optically selected samples have underestimated the number of x-ray bright F and G dwarfs. I have also discovered 8 previously uncatalogued M dwarfs within 25 pc of the sun. My sample includes only M dwarfs of spectral type M5 and earlier, 93% of which are "emission" stars (i.e. type Me V), as well as two pre-main sequence M stars. Arguments involving kinematics and stellar rotational velocities are used to estimate the age of these x-ray "bright" M dwarfs; they appear to be quite young (≤ 1-3 x 10⁹ yrs). Since the local space density of x-ray "bright" M dwarfs increases with mass, I infer a longer activity timescale for lower masses. M dwarfs later than M5 lie below the sample's x-ray sensitivity limit. An upper limit of log Lₓ = 27.45 is put on their coronal emission. I also present H(α) and Ca II K line fluxes for most members of the M dwarf sample and show that the H(α) and Ca II K luminosities do indeed correlate with Lₓ. However, these chromospheric luminosities are weaker functions of rotation than Lₓ and may, in fact, represent saturated levels of activity. My results are consistent with the hypothesis that the chromosphere is heated by x-rays from the overlying corona. Finally, I discuss two unusual members of the sample which are attractive candidates for the recently proposed class of FK Comae stars.

We report the discovery of weak yet hard X-ray emission from the Wolf-Rayet (WR) star WR 142 with the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope. Being of spectral subtype WO2, WR 142 is a massive star in a very advanced evolutionary stage shortly before its explosion as a supernova or gamma-ray burst. This is the first detection of X-ray emission from a WO-type star. We rule out any serendipitous X-ray sources within approximate to 1 '' of WR 142. WR 142 has an X-ray luminosity of L(X) approximate to 7 x 10(30) erg s(-1), which constitutes only less than or similar to 10(-8) of its bolometric luminosity. The hard X-ray spectrum suggests a plasma temperature of about 100 MK. Commonly, X-ray emission from stellar winds is attributed to embedded shocks due to the intrinsic instability of the radiation driving. From qualitative considerations we conclude that this mechanism cannot account for the hardness of the observed radiation. There are no hints for a binary companion. Therefore the only remaining, albeit speculative explanation must refer to magnetic activity. Possibly related, WR 142 seems to rotate extremely fast, as indicated by the unusually round profiles of its optical emission lines. Our detection implies that the wind of WR 142 must be relatively transparent to X-rays, which can be due to strong wind ionization, wind clumping, or nonspherical geometry from rapid rotation.

In this thesis I describe a number of projects arising from the ROSAT mission, inspired by a desire to understand better the activity of late-type stars from studies of their coronal EUV and X-ray emission. A brief introduction summarises some of the most important work on cool star coronas. The second chapter describes the mechanisms by which X-rays are produced in coronal plasmas. I also discuss the ROSAT mission, its instrumentation and applicability for observing cool stars. In Chapter 3 I describe the discovery of one of the brightest sources in the EUV sky, the hot white dwarf companion to HD 33959C. I discuss the importance of such binaries for the determination of more accurate measurements of mass, radius and distance than is possible for isolated white dwarfs. Chapter 4 is a WFC survey of all known late-type stars within 25 parsecs of the Sun. I construct and discuss the first ever EUV luminosity functions for such a sample and show that stars in interacting binaries are more active than single stars. In Chapters 5 and 6 I present a deep PSPC survey of the Hyades, comprising 11 overlapping pointings. In Chapter 5 I derive the Hyades dK and dM X-ray luminosity functions down to Lx ~ 5 x 1027 erg s-1. In Chapter 6 I investigate the X-ray spectra of the more luminous Hyads, both non-parametrically using hardness ratios, and parametrically using simple one-temperature and two-temperature fits to the data. Flares were observed in VB 50 and VA 334; both stars show increases in temperature and emission measure during the flaring episodes. In Chapter 7 I summarise my conclusions and discuss projects which arise from the work presented in this thesis. Finally I describe some of the impacts that we may expect to see from three future missions, JET-X, AXAF and XMM.

The action of X-rays is commonly invoked to explain the wind properties of low-luminosity O-type stars. These stars have significantly smaller mass loss rates than predicted radiation-driven wind theories. In this respect they may resemble the first generation of supermassive stars in the early universe which presumably had weak winds due to their low metallicity. We present the high-resolution X-ray spectrum of a weak-wind star, mu Col, and discuss the potential for X-ray emission line strengths and profiles to discriminate among proposed mechanisms for the generation of X-rays in stellar winds, and in resolving the weak-wind problem.

An introduction is given to the fields of X-ray and cataclysmic binaries, low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and globular clusters. New observations of the W Vir star AC5 (=V86) are used show that it is probably the source of Hα emission previous authors have found in core of the globular cluster M15. The first phase resolved optical spectroscopy of AC211, the optical counterpart of the X-ray source in M15, are presented, and its binary period discovered to be 9.l±0.5 hours. A re-analysis of archive ultraviolet (UV) spectra of M15, shows spectral features which are attributed to AC211. These observations are combined with those of other authors, to prove AC211 is probably an "accretion disc corona" (ADC) source. After reviewing the superoutbursts of the SU UMa class of dwarf novae, X-ray, UV, optical and infrared observations of the SU UMa star OY Car are used to show that during superoutburst there is extensive vertical structure in its accretion disc, similar to that in the ADC and "dipping" LMXBs. Archive UV data from the 1978 outburst of WZ Sge shows that it had similar vertical structure. UV observations presented of EX Hya during a bright outburst may have the same explanation. From the OY Car data, a temperature and area for the region which produces the "superhump" light are derived, of 8 OOOK and ^-10²⁰cm², respectively. It is found that during OY Car's superoutburst, the size of the 0-C variations of the eclipse timings are significantly smaller than was previously thought, and that it has an extended X-ray source whose size is comparable to the binary separation. The results are discussed with respect to models of the superhump phenomena in SU UMa stars, and possible causes of vertical disc structure in X-ray and cataclysmic binaries.