Searching for annihilation radiation from SN 1006 with SPI on INTEGRAL

Historical Type Ia supernovae are a leading candidate for the source of positrons observed through their diffuse annihilation emission in the Galaxy. However, search for annihilation emission from individual Type Ia supernovae has not been possible before the improved sensitivity of \integral. The total 511 keV annihilation flux from individual SNe Ia, as well as their contribution to the overall diffuse emission, depends critically on the escape fraction of positrons produced in $^{56}$Co decays. Late optical light curves suggest that this fraction may be as high as 5%. We searched for positron annihilation radiation from the historical Type Ia supernova SN 1006 using the SPI instrument on \integral. We did not detect significant 511 keV line emission, with a 3$\sigma$ flux upper limit of 0.59 x 10$^{-4}$ ergs cm^-2 s^-1 for \wsim 1 Msec exposure time, assuming a FWHM of 2.5 keV. This upper limit corresponds to a 7.5% escape fraction, 50% higher than the expected 5% escape scenario, and rules out the possibility that Type Ia supernovae produce all of the positrons in the Galaxy (~ 12% escape fraction), if the mean positron lifetime is less than 10$^{5}$ years. Future observations with \integral will provide stronger limits on the escape fraction of positrons, the mean positron lifetime, and the contribution of Type Ia supernovae to the overall positron content of the Galaxy.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Detection of Low-Hard State Spectral and Timing Signatures from the Black Hole X-Ray Transient XTE J1650-500 at Low X-Ray Luminosities

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, we have studied the black hole candidate (BHC) X-ray transient XTE J1650-500 near the end of its 2001-2002 outburst after its transition to the low-hard state at X-ray luminosities down to L = 1.5E34 erg/s (1-9 keV, assuming a source distance of 4 kpc). Our results include a characterization of the spectral and timing properties. At the lowest sampled luminosity, we used an 18 ks Chandra observation to measure the power spectrum at low frequencies. For the 3 epochs at which we obtained Chandra/RXTE observations, the 0.5-20 keV energy spectrum is consistent with a spectral model consisting of a power-law with interstellar absorption. We detect evolution in the power-law photon index from 1.66 +/- 0.05 to 1.93 +/- 0.13 (90% confidence errors), indicating that the source softens at low luminosities. The power spectra are characterized by strong (20-35% fractional rms) band-limited noise, which we model as a zero-centered Lorentzian. Including results from an RXTE study of XTE J1650-500 near the transition to the low-hard state by Kalemci et al. (2003), the half-width of the zero-centered Lorentzian (roughly where the band-limited noise cuts off) drops from 4 Hz at L = 7E36 erg/s (1-9 keV, absorbed) to 0.067 +/- 0.007 Hz at L = 9E34 erg/s to 0.0035 +/- 0.0010 Hz at the lowest luminosity. While the spectral and timing parameters evolve with luminosity, it is notable that the general shapes of the energy and power spectra remain the same, indicating that the source stays in the low-hard state. This implies that the X-ray emitting region of the system likely keeps the same overall structure, while the luminosity changes by a factor of 470. We discuss how these results may constrain theoretical black hole accretion models.Comment: 11 pages, accepted by ApJ after minor revision

The appearance of a compact jet in the soft-intermediate state of 4U 1543-47

Recent advancements in the understanding of jet-disc coupling in black hole candidate X-ray binaries (BHXBs) have provided close links between radio jet emission and X-ray spectral and variability behaviour. In 'soft' X-ray states the jets are suppressed, but the current picture lacks an understanding of the X-ray features associated with the quenching or recovering of these jets. Here we show that a brief, ~4 day infrared (IR) brightening during a predominantly soft X-ray state of the BHXB 4U 1543-47 is contemporaneous with a strong X-ray Type B quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO), a slight spectral hardening and an increase in the rms variability, indicating an excursion to the soft-intermediate state (SIMS). This IR 'flare' has a spectral index consistent with optically thin synchrotron emission and most likely originates from the steady, compact jet. This core jet emitting in the IR is usually only associated with the hard state, and its appearance during the SIMS places the 'jet line' between the SIMS and the soft state in the hardness-intensity diagram for this source. IR emission is produced in a small region of the jets close to where they are launched (~ 0.1 light-seconds), and the timescale of the IR flare in 4U 1543-47 is far too long to be caused by a single, discrete ejection. We also present a summary of the evolution of the jet and X-ray spectral/variability properties throughout the whole outburst, constraining the jet contribution to the X-ray flux during the decay.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS. 11 pages, 6 figure

State transitions in the 2001/2002 outburst of XTE J1650-500

We present a study of the X-ray transient and black hole candidate XTE J1650-500 during its 2001/2002 outburst. The source made two state transitions between the hard and soft states, at luminosity levels that differed by a factor of ~5-10. The first transition, between hard and soft, lasted for ~30 days and showed two parts; one part in which the spectral properties evolve smoothly away from the hard state and another that we identify as the 'steep power law state'. The two parts showed different behavior of the Fe K emission line and QPO frequencies. The second transition, from soft to hard, lasted only \~15 days and showed no evidence of the presence of the 'steep power law state'. Comparing observations from the early rise and the decay of the outburst, we conclude that the source can be in the hard state in a range of more 10^4 in luminosity. We briefly discuss the state transitions in the framework of a two-flow model.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Proc. of the II BeppoSAX Meeting: "The Restless High-Energy Universe" (Amsterdam, May 5-8, 2003), E.P.J. van den Heuvel, J.J.M. in 't Zand, and R.A.M.J. Wijers Ed

Search for polarization from the prompt gamma-ray emission of GRB 041219a with SPI on INTEGRAL

Measuring the polarization of the prompt gamma-ray emission from GRBs can significantly improve our understanding of both the GRB emission mechanisms, as well as the underlying engine driving the explosion. We searched for polarization in the prompt gamma-ray emission of GRB 041219a with the SPI instrument on INTEGRAL. Using multiple-detector coincidence events in the 100--350 keV energy band, our analysis yields a polarization fraction from this GRB of 99 +- 33 %. Statistically, we cannot claim a polarization detection from this source. Moreover, different event selection criteria lead to even less significant polarization fractions, e.g. lower polarization fractions are obtained when higher energies are included in the analysis. We cannot strongly rule out the possibility that the measured modulation is dominated by instrumental systematics. Therefore, SPI observations of GRB 041219a do not significantly constrain GRB models. However, this measurement demonstrates the capability of SPI to measure polarization, and the techniques developed for this analysis

Relations between x-ray timing features and spectral parameters of galactic black hole x-ray binaries

We present a study of correlations between spectral and timing parameters for a sample of black hole X-ray binary candidates. Data are taken from GX 339-4, H 1743-322, and XTE J1650-500, as the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observed complete outbursts of these sources. In our study we investigate outbursts that happened before the end of 2009 to make use of the high-energy coverage of the HEXTE detector and select observations that show a certain type of quasi-periodic oscillations (type-C QPOs). The spectral parameters are derived using the empirical convolution model simpl to model the Comptonized component of the emission together with a disc blackbody for the emission of the accretion disc. Additional spectral features, namely a reflection component, a high-energy cut-off, and excess emission at 6.4 keV, are taken into account. Our investigations confirm the known positive correlation between photon index and centroid frequency of the QPOs and reveal an anti-correlation between the fraction of up-scattered photons and the QPO frequency. We show that both correlations behave as expected in the “sombrero” geometry. Furthermore, we find that during outburst decay the correlation between photon index and QPO frequency follow a general track, independent of individual outbursts

X-ray states and radio emission in the black hole candidate XTE J1550-564

We report on radio and X-ray observations of the black hole candidate (BHC) XTE J1550-564 performed during its 2000 X-ray outburst. Observations have been conducted with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and have allowed us to sample the radio behavior of XTE J1550-564 in the X-ray Low Hard and Intermediate/Very High states. We observed optically thin radio emission from XTE J1550-564 five days after a transition to an Intermediate/Very High state, but we observed no radio emission six days later, while XTE J1550-564 was still in the Intermediate/Very High state. In the Low Hard state, XTE J1550-564 is detected with an inverted radio spectrum. The radio emission in the Low Hard state most likely originates from a compact jet; optical observations suggest that the synchrotron emission from this jet may extend up to the optical range. The total power of the compact jet might therefore be a significant fraction of the total luminosity of the system. We suggest that the optically thin synchrotron radio emission detected five days after the transition to the Intermediate/Very High state is due to a discrete ejection of relativistic plasma during the state transition. Subsequent to the decay of the optically thin radio emission associated with the state transition, it seems that in the Intermediate/Very High state the radio emission is quenched by a factor greater than 50, implying a suppression of the outflow. We discuss the properties of radio emission in the X-ray states of BHCs.Comment: 15 pages, including 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ, scheduled for the vol. 553 Jun 1, 2001 issu

The Galactic black hole transient H1743-322 during outburst decay: connections between timing noise, state transitions and radio emission

Multi-wavelength observations of Galactic black hole transients during outburst decay are instrumental for our understanding of the accretion geometry and the formation of outflows around black hole systems. H1743-322, a black hole transient observed intensely in X-rays and also covered in the radio band during its 2003 decay, provides clues about the changes in accretion geometry during state transitions and also the general properties of X-ray emission during the intermediate and the low-hard states. In this work, we report on the evolution of spectral and temporal properties in X-rays and the flux in the radio band with the goal of understanding the nature of state transitions observed in this source. We concentrate on the transition from the thermal dominant state to the intermediate state that occurs on a timescale of one day. We show that the state transition is associated with a sudden increase in power-law flux. We determine that the ratio of the power-law flux to the overall flux in the 3--25 keV band must exceed 0.6 to observe strong timing noise. Even after the state transition, once this ratio was below 0.6, the system transited back to the thermal dominant state for a day. We show that the emission from the compact radio core does not turn on during the transition from the thermal dominant state to the intermediate state but does turn on when the source reaches the low-hard state, as seen in 4U 1543-47 and GX 339-4. We find that the photon index correlates strongly with the QPO frequency and anti-correlates with the rms amplitude of variability. We also show that the variability is more likely to be associated with the power-law emission than the disk emission.Comment: 23 pages, 5 Figures, 1 Table, accepted for publication in Ap

Tracing the jet contribution to the mid-IR over the 2005 outburst of GRO J1655-40 via broadband spectral modeling

We present new results from a multi-wavelength (radio/infrared/optical/X-ray) study of the black hole X-ray binary GRO J1655-40 during its 2005 outburst. We detected, for the first time, mid-infrared emission at 24 um from the compact jet of a black hole X-ray binary during its hard state, when the source shows emission from a radio compact jet as well as a strong non-thermal hard X-ray component. These detections strongly constrain the optically thick part of the synchrotron spectrum of the compact jet, which is consistent with being flat over four orders of magnitude in frequency. Moreover, using this unprecedented coverage, and especially thanks to the new Spitzer observations, we can test broadband disk and jet models during the hard state. Two of the hard state broadband spectra are reasonably well fitted using a jet model with parameters overall similar to those previously found for Cyg X-1 and GX 339-4. Differences are also present; most notably, the jet power in GRO J1655-40 appears to be a factor of at least ~3-5 higher (depending on the distance) than that of Cyg X-1 and GX 339-4 at comparable disk luminosities. Furthermore, a few discrepancies between the model and the data, previously not found for the other two black hole systems for which there was no mid-IR/IR and optical coverage, are evident, and will help to constrain and refine theoretical models.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap