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arXiv · 2503.07987

Emission and Absorption Lines in Photospheric Radius Expansion Bursts of 4U 1820$-$30

Wenhui Yu·Zhaosheng Li·Yuanyue Pan·Xuejuan Yang·Yupeng Chen·Shu Zhang·Maurizio Falanga
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Abstract

We analyze the emission and absorption lines during photospheric radius expansion (PRE) X-ray bursts from the ultracompact binary 4U 1820--30, observed with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). Using Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the significance, we identified a 1 keV emission line from 14 bursts, a 3 keV absorption line from 12 bursts, and 1.6 keV absorption from one burst. By coadding the burst spectra at the maximum radius phase, we detected a 1.034 keV emission line with significance of $14.2\sigma$, and absorption lines at 1.64 and 3 keV with significances of $10.8\sigma$ and $11.7\sigma$, respectively. The observed energy shifts are consistent with the prediction from the burst-driven wind model, indicating that all three spectral features are produced by the PRE wind. Analysis of the ratios between the emission and absorption line energies suggests that the 1 keV feature is a superposition of several narrower Fe L-shell lines. To evaluate the scientific capabilities of the Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS), we simulated mock observations of multiple narrow lines near 1 keV. The results demonstrate that HUBS is well suited for detailed studies of the 1 keV emission line during bursts, offering significant potential to advance our understanding of these phenomena.

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Wenhui Yu, Zhaosheng Li, Yuanyue Pan, Xuejuan Yang, Yupeng Chen, Shu Zhang, Maurizio Falanga. 2025-03-11. Emission and Absorption Lines in Photospheric Radius Expansion Bursts of 4U 1820$-$30. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%2F202453142

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