Lense-Thirring precession around neutron stars with known spin
Abstract
Quasi periodic oscillations (QPOs) between 300 and 1200 Hz in the X-ray emission from low mass X-ray binaries have been linked to Keplerian orbital motion at the inner edge of accretion disks. Lense-Thirring precession is precession of the line of nodes of inclined orbits with respect to the equatorial plane of a rotating object due to the general relativistic effect of frame dragging. The Lense-Thirring model of Stella and Vietri (1998) explains QPOs observed in neutron star low mass X-ray binaries at frequencies of a few tens of Hz by the nodal precession of the orbits at the inner disk edge at a precession frequency, ν_{LT} , identical to the Lense-Thirring precession of a test particle orbit. A quadratic relation between ν_{LT} and the Keplerian orbital frequency, and a linear dependence on spin frequency are predicted. In early work (van Straaten et al., 2003) this quadratic relation was confirmed to remarkable precision in three objects of uncertain spin. Since the initial work, many neutron star spin frequencies have been measured in X-ray sources that show QPOs at both low and high frequency. Using archival data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, we compare the Lense-Thirring prediction to the properties of quasi periodic oscillations measured in a sample of 14 low mass X-ray binaries of which the neutron star spin frequencies can be inferred from their bursting behaviour. We find that in the range predicted for the precession frequency, we can distinguish two different oscillations that often occur simultaneously. In previous works, these two oscillations have often been confused. For both frequencies, we find correlations with inferred Keplerian frequency characterized by power laws with indices that differ significantly from the prediction of 2.0 and therefore inconsistent with the Lense-Thirring model. Also, the specific moment of inertia of the neutron star required by the observed frequencies exceeds values predicted for realistic equations of state. We find no evidence that the neutron star spin frequency affects the QPO frequencies. We discuss the possibility that precession of a hot inner flow can happen at frequencies different from test particle values and consistent with those observed.
- Publication:
-
41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016cosp...41E1977V