Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1310.2461

Fe KαLine in Hard X-ray Emitting Symbiotic Stars

Romanus Eze
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The 6.4 keV iron emission line is typically created by irradiation of the neutral (or low ionized) iron by a hard X-ray source. Whereas the 6.7 and 7.0 keV emission lines are mainly produced by photoionization and collisional excitation in hot plasma, the 6.4 keV fluorescence line is typically a signature of either reflection from an accretion disk or absorption. We have surveyed the emission using a collection of Suzaku ob- servations of hard X-ray emitting symbiotic stars to better understand the geometry of these systems. We find that they do not seem to have a single geometry, and that while absorption-induced fluorescence leads to some emission in three of the hard X-ray emitting symbiotic stars (hSSs) in our study, CH Cyg, T CrB and RT Cru there are strong hints that significant 6.4 keV emission arises in the accretion disk irradiated by the hard X-rays from the boundary layer between the accretion disk and hot white dwarf in one of our sources, SS73 17. The 6.7 and 7.0 keV lines, however, are largely produced by collisional excitation in the vicinity of the compact white dwarf.

Explore related subjects

astro-ph.HE

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Romanus Eze. 2013-10-10. Fe KαLine in Hard X-ray Emitting Symbiotic Stars. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstt1947

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Magnetic Eruption and Nucleosynthesis in GRνMHD Simulations of Spinning Neutron Star Mergers

We present three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of equal-mass binary neutron star mergers with varied neutron star spin configurations and second-moment neutrino transport, following the formation and early evolution of long-lived remnants. We compare a fiducial irrotational binary with binaries having spins that are aligned or antialigned with the orbital angular momentum, and examime how spin affects the merger dynamics, magnetic field evolution, outflows, and nucleosynthesis. Compared to the fiducial case, the aligned spin configuration releases more cold, neutron-rich tidal ejecta in the equatorial plane, which enables the development of a more tightly collimated polar outflow erupting from the remnant and inner accretion disk. Conversely, the case with spins antialigned with the orbit experiences a more violent collision at merger, disrupting magnetic amplification, loading the environment with debris, and impeding the propagation of magnetically driven winds. Strong neutrino reprocessing of the polar outflow in the irrotational and aligned spin cases produces $2.4\times 10^{-3}\,M_\odot$ of proton-rich ($Y_e \geq 0.49$) material, resulting in the synthesis of light r-process elements, whose subsequent decay potentially sends a unique electromagnetic signal from long-lived remnants. However, the outflows remain too dense and slow to be consistent with typical short gamma-ray bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

A Multi-Mission Detection Framework for High-Energy Transients: Application to a 13-year Fermi/GBM and Swift/BAT Sample

The detection of faint high-energy transients is becoming increasingly important in time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy, particularly for identifying electromagnetic counterparts to binary neutron star mergers, high-energy neutrino events, and other weak transient phenomena. At present, the sensitivity of gamma-ray and hard X-ray searches is often limited by the detection threshold of individual instruments, leaving a population of faint transients inaccessible to single-mission analyses. To address this limitation, we develop a joint detection framework that combines trigger information from multiple detectors and assigns each candidate a joint association probability, $p_{\text{joint}}$, as a function of the individual detector signal-to-noise ratios. We apply this framework to archival Fermi/GBM and Swift/BAT rates data from 2013-2025. The method effectively separates coincident signals from accidental background associations, suppressing inconsistent coincidences while enhancing the significance of faint events observed by both instruments. We find that, under optimal conditions, a two-mission search can increase the accessible volume for short gamma-ray bursts by up to $60\%$. This framework provides a practical foundation for generalized multi-mission searches, enabling more sensitive exploration of the faint high-energy transient sky and improving the prospects for future multi-messenger discoveries.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2026

A Brief Review on the Statistical Properties of Fast Radio Bursts

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond-duration radio transients of extragalactic origin, whose emission mechanisms and progenitors remain unresolved. Statistical analyses of the rapidly growing samples provide a promising means to constrain the underlying physics. In this review, we synthesize the statistical properties derived from current FRB catalogs, encompassing constraints on dispersion measure, redshift, energy/luminosity functions, repetition rate, and host-galaxy demographics. For repeating FRBs, we examine the statistics of energy, fluence/flux, waiting time, and discuss time-series analyses that reveal memory effects and chaotic dynamics. We further discuss the observational discovery and theoretical interpretation of periodic activity, and survey polarization properties that probe the magneto-ionic environments of FRB sources. Throughout, we emphasize robust empirical trends, account for observational biases and selection effects, and outline outstanding open questions regarding the physical origin of these enigmatic bursts.

astro-ph.HE↗