Activities of X-ray binaries accompanied by a neutron star with weak magnetic field: Cir X-1, Aql X-1 and 4U 1608-52
Abstract
This paper is presented on X-ray activities of X-ray binaries accompanied by a neutron star with weak magnetic field. Neutron star low mass X-ray binaries (NS-LMXBs) have been well studied so far, but there are still unknown problems concerning activities of outbursts and X-ray spectral features. We can define the soft and hard states which show different spectra created from each disk structure. These states depend on the gas accretion rate causing viscosity change in the disk, whereas we have pointed out an importance of magnetic field in NS-LMXB for X-ray activities (Matsuoka & Asai 2013). Thus, we have obtained decay features occurred by a propeller effect for Aql X-1 and 4U1608-52, and thus, we have defined the propeller effect levels of these sources (Asai et al. 2013). A companion star of Cir X-1 is a star of B5~A0 type, but it has X-ray spectral feature similar to NS-LMXB as well as it produced type I X-ray bursts. A long history over 40 years of X-ray observations has provided that Cir X-1 X-ray intensities have many varieties from continuous variable fluxes with Z-type feature of NS-LMXB to recurrent outburst fluxes with Atoll-type feature on a time scale of years. Recent MAXI observations have revealed a strange sudden decay feature in some outbursts. It is difficult to explain this decay feature by the simple picture which causes by ordinary mechanisms known in NS-LMXB such as a state transition, a propeller effect and a brink due to disk irradiation (Powell et al. 2007). Therefore, we introduced new type of instability of the accretion disk in relation to stellar wind stripping effect (Asai et al. 2014) which may be common to a system consisting of a compact star and an ordinary massive star.
- Publication:
-
40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014cosp...40E2038M