Physics of accretion in the millisecond pulsar XTE J1751 − 305     

Marek Gierli&#;ski  Juri Poutanen † 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2005,359(4):1261-1276

We have undertaken an extensive study of X-ray data from the accreting millisecond pulsar XTE J1751 − 305 observed by RXTE and XMM–Newton during its 2002 outburst. In all aspects this source is similar to the prototypical millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4 − 3658, except for the higher peak luminosity of 13 per cent of Eddington, and the optical depth of the hard X-ray source, which is larger by a factor ∼2. Its broad-band X-ray spectrum can be modelled by three components. We interpret the two soft components as thermal emission from a colder  ( kT ∼ 0.6 keV)  accretion disc and a hotter (∼1 keV) spot on the neutron star surface. We interpret the hard component as thermal Comptonization in plasma of temperature ∼40 keV and optical depth ∼1.5 in a slab geometry. The plasma is heated by the accretion shock as the material collimated by the magnetic field impacts on to the surface. The seed photons for Comptonization are provided by the hotspot, not by the disc. The Compton reflection is weak and the disc is probably truncated into an optically thin flow above the magnetospheric radius. Rotation of the emission region with the star creates an almost sinusoidal pulse profile with an rms amplitude of 3.3 per cent. The energy-dependent soft phase lags can be modelled by two pulsating components shifted in phase, which is naturally explained by a different character of emission of the optically thick spot and optically thin shock combined with the action of the Doppler boosting. The observed variability amplitude constrains the hotspot to lie within 3°–4° of the rotational pole. We estimate the inner radius of the optically thick accreting disc to be about 40 km. In that case, the absence of emission from the antipodal spot, which can be blocked by the accretion disc, gives the inclination of the system as ≳70°.  相似文献   

Steps towards a solution of the FS Aurigae puzzle – I. Multicolour high-speed photometry with ULTRACAM     

V. V. Neustroev  S. Zharikov  G. Tovmassian †  A. Shearer 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2005,362(4):1472-1482

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Aligning spinning black holes and accretion discs     

A. R. King  S. H. Lubow  G. I. Ogilvie  J. E. Pringle 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2005,363(1):49-56

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Gravity waves in Jupiter's stratosphere, as measured by the Galileo ASI experiment     

Leslie A. Young  Roger V. Yelle  Alvin Seiff  Donn B. Kirk 《Icarus》2005,173(1):185-199

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Warped accretion discs and the unification of active galactic nuclei     

Sergei Nayakshin 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2005,359(2):545-550

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Meteorological assessment of the surface temperatures on Titan: constraints on the surface type     

Tetsuya Tokano 《Icarus》2005,173(1):222-242

The latitudinal profile of near-surface air temperature on Titan retrieved by Voyager 1 has been difficult to understand and raised several speculations about possible exotic processes that might be occurring near Titan's surface, while the thermal properties of the surface itself are unknown. This study systematically investigates the seasonal and spatial variation of the surface temperature and air temperature in the lower troposphere by a 3-dimensional general circulation model for different putative surface types (porous icy regolith, rock-ice mixture, hydrocarbon lakes). For any viable surface type the surface temperature is unlikely to be constant through the year and should more or less vary seasonally and even diurnally, most likely by a few K. Recent observations of tropospheric clouds may be evidence of seasonal variation of the surface temperature and the model predicts in the case of solid surface the development of a convective layer with superadiabatic lapse rates near the surface exactly at those latitudes and seasons where clouds have been identified. The latitudinal profile of the surface temperature retrieved from Voyager 1 infrared spectra can be explained without invoking exotic effects, provided the thermal inertia of the surface is relatively small and/or the surface albedo is low. A dominance of water ice (high thermal inertia and high albedo) at the surface is unfavorable to reproduce the observation. The latitudinal gradient of the surface temperature is particularly large at the hydrocarbon lake surface due to low albedo and small surface drag. Local anomalies of the surface albedo or surface thermal inertia are likely to cause substantial inhomogeneities of the surface temperature. Quasi-permanent accumulation of stratospheric haze at both poles would create a perennial equator-to-pole contrast of the surface temperature, but also a substantially lower global-mean surface temperature due to an enhanced anti-greenhouse effect in summer. The air temperature in the lower troposphere exhibits a tiny latitudinal gradient and a pole-to-pole gradient due to the presence of a pole-to-pole Hadley circulation, indicating that the temperature within the planetary boundary layer may exhibit a vertical profile characteristic of season, location and scenario. There may be a shallow near-surface inversion layer in cold seasons and a shallow convective layer in warm seasons.  相似文献   

Photometric study of new southern SU UMa-type dwarf novae and candidates – III. NSV 10934, MM Sco, AB Nor and CAL 86     

Taichi Kato  Peter Nelson  Chris Stockdale  Berto Monard  Tom Richards  Rod Stubbings  Hitoshi Yamaoka  Bernard Heathcote  Roland Santallo 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2004,347(3):861-872

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Monitoring the spin up in RX J0806+15     

Pasi Hakala  Gavin Ramsay  Kristiina Byckling 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2004,353(2):453-456

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Radiative heat conduction and the magnetorotational instability     

Rafael A. Araya-Góchez  Ethan T. Vishniac 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2004,355(2):345-351

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Resurfacing history of Europa from pole-to-pole geological mapping     

Patricio H. Figueredo  Ronald Greeley 《Icarus》2004,167(2):287-312

We produced geologic maps from two regional mosaics of Galileo images across the leading and trailing hemispheres of Europa in order to investigate the temporal distribution of units in the visible geologic record. Five principal terrain types were identified (plains, bands, ridges, chaos, and crater materials), which are interpreted to result from (1) tectonic fracturing and lineament building, (2) cryovolcanic reworking of surface units, with possible emplacement of sub-surface materials, and (3) impact cratering. The geologic histories of both mapped areas are essentially similar and reflect some common trends: Tectonic resurfacing dominates the early geologic record with the formation of background plains by intricate superposition of lineaments, the opening of wide bands with infilling of inter-plate gaps, and the buildup of ridges and ridge complexes along prominent fractures in the ice. It also appears that lineaments are narrower and more widely spaced with time. The lack of impact craters overprinted by lineaments indicate that the degree of tectonic resurfacing decreased rapidly after ridged plains formation. In contrast, the degree of cryovolcanic resurfacing appears to increase with time, as chaos formation dominates the later parts of the geologic record. These trends, and the transition from tectonic- to cryovolcanic-dominated resurfacing could be attributed to the gradual thickening of Europa's cryosphere during the visible geologic history, that comprises the last 2% or 30-80 Myr of Europa's history: An originally thin, brittle ice shell could be pervasively fractured or melted through by tidal and endogenic processes; the degree of fracturing and plate displacements decreased with time in a thickening shell, and lineaments became narrower and more widely spaced; formation of chaos regions could have occurred where the thickness threshold for solid-state convection was exceeded, and can be aided by preferential tidal heating of more ductile ice. In a long-term context it is not clear at this point whether this inferred thickening trend would reflect a drastic change in the thermal evolution of the satellite, or cyclic or irregular episodes of tectonic and cryovolcanic activity.  相似文献