MAXI J1659−152 is a bright X-ray transient black-hole candidate binary system discovered in Septe... more MAXI J1659−152 is a bright X-ray transient black-hole candidate binary system discovered in September 2010. We report here on MAXI, RXTE, Swift, and XMM-Newton observations during its 2010/2011 outburst. We find that during the first one and a half week of the outburst the X-ray light curves display drops in intensity at regular intervals, which we interpret as absorption dips. About three weeks into the outbursts, again drops in intensity are seen. These dips have, however, a spectral behaviour opposite to that of the absorption dips, and are related to fast spectral state changes (hence referred to as transition dips). The absorption dips recur with a period of 2.414± 0.005 h, which we interpret as the orbital period of the system. This implies that MAXI J1659−152 is the shortest period black-hole candidate binary known to date. The inclination of the accretion disk with respect to the line of sight is estimated to be 65–80◦. We propose the companion to the black-hole candidate to...
We report on photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric monitoring of the optical and near-infra... more We report on photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric monitoring of the optical and near-infrared (NIR) afterglow of GRB020405. Ground-based optical observations, performed with 8 di fferent telescopes, started about 1 day after the high-energy prompt event and spanned a period of ∼10 days; the addition of archival HST data extended the coverage up to ∼150 days after the GRB. We report the first detection of the afterglow in NIR bands. The detection of Balmer and oxygen emission lines in the optical spectrum of the host galaxy indicates that the GRB is located at redshift z = 0.691. Fe and Mg absorption systems are detected at z = 0.691 and atz = 0.472 in the afterglow optical spectrum. The latter system is likely caused by absorbing clouds in the galaxy complex located ∼2′′ southwest of the GRB020405 host. Hence, for the first time, the galaxy responsible for an intervening absorption line system in the spectrum of a GRB afterglow is spectroscopically identified. Optical an...
... Lamers, HJ 1974, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University. Lamers, HJ, and van den Heuvel, K PJ 1975,... more ... Lamers, HJ 1974, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University. Lamers, HJ, and van den Heuvel, K PJ 1975, Astr. and Ap. (in press). Lucy, LB, and Solomon, PM 1970, Ap. J., 159, 879. Lynds, CR 1967, Ap. J. (Letters), 149, L41. McCray, R. 1975, Proc. Intemat. Coni. ...
X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF Be STARS Saul RAPPAPORT Massachusetts Institute of Technology Edward PJ VAN... more X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF Be STARS Saul RAPPAPORT Massachusetts Institute of Technology Edward PJ VAN DEN HEUVEL University of Amsterdam Be star binaries ... There are presently 75 bright galactic X-ray sources [with F 2 x 10-10 ergs/cm in the energy range 1-20 ...
This volume contains lecture notes presented at the 22nd Advanced Course of the Swiss Society for... more This volume contains lecture notes presented at the 22nd Advanced Course of the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy. The contributors deal with symbiotic stars, cataclysmic variables, massive binaries and X-ray binaries, in an attempt to provide a better understanding of stellar evolution
Constraints on mass ejection in black hole formation derived from black hole x-ray binaries Nelem... more Constraints on mass ejection in black hole formation derived from black hole x-ray binaries Nelemans, G.A.; Tauris, Th.M.; van den Heuvel, E.P.J.
The Influence of Binaries on Stellar Population Studies, 2001
Introduction Input assumptions where we can agree on Input ingredients which require discussion O... more Introduction Input assumptions where we can agree on Input ingredients which require discussion Open questions
We present an updated list of direct strong evidence in favour of kicks being imparted to newborn... more We present an updated list of direct strong evidence in favour of kicks being imparted to newborn neutron stars. In particular we discuss the new cases of evidence resulting from recent observations of the X-ray binary Circinus X-1 and the newly discovered binary radio pulsar PSR J1141–6545. We conclude that the assumption that neutron stars receive a kick velocity at their formation is unavoidable (van den Heuvel & van Paradijs 1997).This assumption explains a large variety of observations, ranging from direct observed properties of individual binary pulsars and Be/X-ray binaries to the observed birth rates and dynamical properties of the populations of LMXBs, binary recycled pulsars as well as the motion and distribution of single pulsars. Below we give an updated list in favour of kicks based on the compilation given by van den Heuvel & van Paradijs (1997) – see references therein for details.
Newly determined rotational velocities of the main-sequence components of 14 Algol-type semi-deta... more Newly determined rotational velocities of the main-sequence components of 14 Algol-type semi-detached systems and of 2 detached systems are presented. Combination of these data with the existing data on the rotation of the components of semi-detached systems shows that (i) in systems with primaries of spectral type B8 or later and with P<5 days, deviations from synchronism between rotation and revolution are small in 14 out of 15 cases. The average rotational velocity of the primaries in such systems is 75 km/sec, viz. only 40% of the average rotational velocity of single main-sequence stars in the same spectral region: (ii) primaries of spectral type earlier than B8 in systems with short as well as long periods tend to rotate more than twice as fast as one would expect from synchronism. A tentative explanation for these results is presented.
Physics of Relativistic Objects in Compact Binaries: From Birth to Coalescence, 2009
In 1971, only four years after the discovery of the first radio pulsar, the first neutron star in... more In 1971, only four years after the discovery of the first radio pulsar, the first neutron star in a close binary was discovered: the 4.84 s X-ray pulsar Centaurus X-3, which is moving in a 2.087 day orbit around an O-star with a mass > 16M ☉ [135]. Several more of these High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) were discovered soon after and it was found that, contrary to what is observed in radio pulsars, the pulse periods of several of these X-ray pulsars are steadily decreasing in the course of time, moving to shorter and shorter values on timescales of order 104 years. It was soon realized that the same accretion process of matter flowing over from the massive companion star that is the cause of the X-ray emission, also causes this ``spin-up''. The matter flow in the binary system has angular momentum - derived from the system's orbital motion - and this angular momentum is fed to the neutron star, causing its rotation rate to increase. A few years later, the suggestion was made by [6] that these pulsating X-ray sources in binaries may later in life, when their massive companion stars have exploded as a supernova, become observable as radio pulsars. Such pulsars, which had a history of accretion and spin-up in binaries were later given the name ``recycled pulsars'' [119]. In 1973 it was calculated [176] that before the second supernova explosion in a HMXB takes place, the orbit of the system will have become very narrow, as a consequence of extensive mass transfer to the neutron star and loss of mass with high angular momentum from the system, leading to final orbital periods of only a few hours. The resulting close system then consists of a helium star (the helium core of the massive companion) plus the neutron star. In 1974 the Hulse-Taylor binary radio pulsar PSRB 1913+16 was discovered, which in addition to its very narrow and eccentric orbit (Porb = 7.75 h, e = 0.615) appeared to have very abnormal characteristics as a radio pulsar: its magnetic field strength is only 2 x 1010 G, some two orders of magnitude lower than that of the other pulsars then known, and its spin period is abnormally short (0.059 s), which at the time made it the second fastest radio pulsar known, after the Crab pulsar (P = 0.033 s). Its orbital period and eccentricity were almost exactly what one would obtain if the helium star in the 4 hour orbit binary (resulting from a HMXB like Centaurus X-3, as calculated in 1973) would explode as a supernova and itself would leave a neutron star. This model for the origin of the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar was therefore proposed immediately after its discovery [44, 31]. It was thought in these days that the magnetic fields of neutron stars decay on a relatively short timescale, of order 5 million years. The abnormally weak magnetic field of PSRB1913 +16 therefore led [139] to the suggestion that the observed pulsar is the oldest of the two neutron stars in the system, which after a long period of field decay had been spun up by accretion in an X-ray binary system, before the second star exploded. It was subsequently shown [142] that this spin-up idea is the only explanation possible for this peculiar combination of rapid spin and weak magnetic field observed in PSRB 1913+16. This then immediately implies that the companion of this pulsar must also be a neutron star. The reason for this is that during the phases of accretion, orbital shrinking and spin up, the orbit of the system will have become completely circularized by tidal and frictional forces. The only way to then subsequently obtain the large observed orbital eccentricity of the system is: if a second supernova explosion took place. This then implies that the companion of PSRB 1913+16 must itself also be a neutron star: the younger one of the two. As the last-born neutron star did not undergo any accretion, and after the second explosion the system was free of gas, the second neutron star is expected to be a normal newborn ``garden variety'' radio pulsar with a normal strong magnetic field of order 1012 G [142]. Such pulsars rapidly spin down on a timescale of order a few million years, after which they become unobservable. On the other hand, due to its weak magnetic field, the spin-down timescale of PSRB1913+16 is longer than 108 years.
MAXI J1659−152 is a bright X-ray transient black-hole candidate binary system discovered in Septe... more MAXI J1659−152 is a bright X-ray transient black-hole candidate binary system discovered in September 2010. We report here on MAXI, RXTE, Swift, and XMM-Newton observations during its 2010/2011 outburst. We find that during the first one and a half week of the outburst the X-ray light curves display drops in intensity at regular intervals, which we interpret as absorption dips. About three weeks into the outbursts, again drops in intensity are seen. These dips have, however, a spectral behaviour opposite to that of the absorption dips, and are related to fast spectral state changes (hence referred to as transition dips). The absorption dips recur with a period of 2.414± 0.005 h, which we interpret as the orbital period of the system. This implies that MAXI J1659−152 is the shortest period black-hole candidate binary known to date. The inclination of the accretion disk with respect to the line of sight is estimated to be 65–80◦. We propose the companion to the black-hole candidate to...
We report on photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric monitoring of the optical and near-infra... more We report on photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric monitoring of the optical and near-infrared (NIR) afterglow of GRB020405. Ground-based optical observations, performed with 8 di fferent telescopes, started about 1 day after the high-energy prompt event and spanned a period of ∼10 days; the addition of archival HST data extended the coverage up to ∼150 days after the GRB. We report the first detection of the afterglow in NIR bands. The detection of Balmer and oxygen emission lines in the optical spectrum of the host galaxy indicates that the GRB is located at redshift z = 0.691. Fe and Mg absorption systems are detected at z = 0.691 and atz = 0.472 in the afterglow optical spectrum. The latter system is likely caused by absorbing clouds in the galaxy complex located ∼2′′ southwest of the GRB020405 host. Hence, for the first time, the galaxy responsible for an intervening absorption line system in the spectrum of a GRB afterglow is spectroscopically identified. Optical an...
... Lamers, HJ 1974, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University. Lamers, HJ, and van den Heuvel, K PJ 1975,... more ... Lamers, HJ 1974, Ph.D. thesis, Utrecht University. Lamers, HJ, and van den Heuvel, K PJ 1975, Astr. and Ap. (in press). Lucy, LB, and Solomon, PM 1970, Ap. J., 159, 879. Lynds, CR 1967, Ap. J. (Letters), 149, L41. McCray, R. 1975, Proc. Intemat. Coni. ...
X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF Be STARS Saul RAPPAPORT Massachusetts Institute of Technology Edward PJ VAN... more X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF Be STARS Saul RAPPAPORT Massachusetts Institute of Technology Edward PJ VAN DEN HEUVEL University of Amsterdam Be star binaries ... There are presently 75 bright galactic X-ray sources [with F 2 x 10-10 ergs/cm in the energy range 1-20 ...
This volume contains lecture notes presented at the 22nd Advanced Course of the Swiss Society for... more This volume contains lecture notes presented at the 22nd Advanced Course of the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy. The contributors deal with symbiotic stars, cataclysmic variables, massive binaries and X-ray binaries, in an attempt to provide a better understanding of stellar evolution
Constraints on mass ejection in black hole formation derived from black hole x-ray binaries Nelem... more Constraints on mass ejection in black hole formation derived from black hole x-ray binaries Nelemans, G.A.; Tauris, Th.M.; van den Heuvel, E.P.J.
The Influence of Binaries on Stellar Population Studies, 2001
Introduction Input assumptions where we can agree on Input ingredients which require discussion O... more Introduction Input assumptions where we can agree on Input ingredients which require discussion Open questions
We present an updated list of direct strong evidence in favour of kicks being imparted to newborn... more We present an updated list of direct strong evidence in favour of kicks being imparted to newborn neutron stars. In particular we discuss the new cases of evidence resulting from recent observations of the X-ray binary Circinus X-1 and the newly discovered binary radio pulsar PSR J1141–6545. We conclude that the assumption that neutron stars receive a kick velocity at their formation is unavoidable (van den Heuvel & van Paradijs 1997).This assumption explains a large variety of observations, ranging from direct observed properties of individual binary pulsars and Be/X-ray binaries to the observed birth rates and dynamical properties of the populations of LMXBs, binary recycled pulsars as well as the motion and distribution of single pulsars. Below we give an updated list in favour of kicks based on the compilation given by van den Heuvel & van Paradijs (1997) – see references therein for details.
Newly determined rotational velocities of the main-sequence components of 14 Algol-type semi-deta... more Newly determined rotational velocities of the main-sequence components of 14 Algol-type semi-detached systems and of 2 detached systems are presented. Combination of these data with the existing data on the rotation of the components of semi-detached systems shows that (i) in systems with primaries of spectral type B8 or later and with P<5 days, deviations from synchronism between rotation and revolution are small in 14 out of 15 cases. The average rotational velocity of the primaries in such systems is 75 km/sec, viz. only 40% of the average rotational velocity of single main-sequence stars in the same spectral region: (ii) primaries of spectral type earlier than B8 in systems with short as well as long periods tend to rotate more than twice as fast as one would expect from synchronism. A tentative explanation for these results is presented.
Physics of Relativistic Objects in Compact Binaries: From Birth to Coalescence, 2009
In 1971, only four years after the discovery of the first radio pulsar, the first neutron star in... more In 1971, only four years after the discovery of the first radio pulsar, the first neutron star in a close binary was discovered: the 4.84 s X-ray pulsar Centaurus X-3, which is moving in a 2.087 day orbit around an O-star with a mass > 16M ☉ [135]. Several more of these High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) were discovered soon after and it was found that, contrary to what is observed in radio pulsars, the pulse periods of several of these X-ray pulsars are steadily decreasing in the course of time, moving to shorter and shorter values on timescales of order 104 years. It was soon realized that the same accretion process of matter flowing over from the massive companion star that is the cause of the X-ray emission, also causes this ``spin-up''. The matter flow in the binary system has angular momentum - derived from the system's orbital motion - and this angular momentum is fed to the neutron star, causing its rotation rate to increase. A few years later, the suggestion was made by [6] that these pulsating X-ray sources in binaries may later in life, when their massive companion stars have exploded as a supernova, become observable as radio pulsars. Such pulsars, which had a history of accretion and spin-up in binaries were later given the name ``recycled pulsars'' [119]. In 1973 it was calculated [176] that before the second supernova explosion in a HMXB takes place, the orbit of the system will have become very narrow, as a consequence of extensive mass transfer to the neutron star and loss of mass with high angular momentum from the system, leading to final orbital periods of only a few hours. The resulting close system then consists of a helium star (the helium core of the massive companion) plus the neutron star. In 1974 the Hulse-Taylor binary radio pulsar PSRB 1913+16 was discovered, which in addition to its very narrow and eccentric orbit (Porb = 7.75 h, e = 0.615) appeared to have very abnormal characteristics as a radio pulsar: its magnetic field strength is only 2 x 1010 G, some two orders of magnitude lower than that of the other pulsars then known, and its spin period is abnormally short (0.059 s), which at the time made it the second fastest radio pulsar known, after the Crab pulsar (P = 0.033 s). Its orbital period and eccentricity were almost exactly what one would obtain if the helium star in the 4 hour orbit binary (resulting from a HMXB like Centaurus X-3, as calculated in 1973) would explode as a supernova and itself would leave a neutron star. This model for the origin of the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar was therefore proposed immediately after its discovery [44, 31]. It was thought in these days that the magnetic fields of neutron stars decay on a relatively short timescale, of order 5 million years. The abnormally weak magnetic field of PSRB1913 +16 therefore led [139] to the suggestion that the observed pulsar is the oldest of the two neutron stars in the system, which after a long period of field decay had been spun up by accretion in an X-ray binary system, before the second star exploded. It was subsequently shown [142] that this spin-up idea is the only explanation possible for this peculiar combination of rapid spin and weak magnetic field observed in PSRB 1913+16. This then immediately implies that the companion of this pulsar must also be a neutron star. The reason for this is that during the phases of accretion, orbital shrinking and spin up, the orbit of the system will have become completely circularized by tidal and frictional forces. The only way to then subsequently obtain the large observed orbital eccentricity of the system is: if a second supernova explosion took place. This then implies that the companion of PSRB 1913+16 must itself also be a neutron star: the younger one of the two. As the last-born neutron star did not undergo any accretion, and after the second explosion the system was free of gas, the second neutron star is expected to be a normal newborn ``garden variety'' radio pulsar with a normal strong magnetic field of order 1012 G [142]. Such pulsars rapidly spin down on a timescale of order a few million years, after which they become unobservable. On the other hand, due to its weak magnetic field, the spin-down timescale of PSRB1913+16 is longer than 108 years.
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