2014ApJ...797..111L -
Astrophys. J., 797, 111 (2014/December-3)
NuSTAR observations and broadband spectral energy distribution modeling of the millisecond pulsar binary PSR J1023+0038.
LI K.L., KONG A.K.H., TAKATA J., CHENG K.S., TAM P.H.T., HUI C.Y. and JIN R.
Abstract (from CDS):
We report the first hard X-ray (3-79 keV) observations of the millisecond pulsar (MSP) binary PSR J1023+0038 using NuSTAR. This system has been shown transiting between a low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) state and a rotation-powered MSP state. The NuSTAR observations were taken in both LMXB state and rotation-powered state. The source is clearly seen in both states up to ∼79 keV. During the LMXB state, the 3-79 keV flux is about a factor of 10 higher than in the rotation-powered state. The hard X-rays show clear orbital modulation during the X-ray faint rotation-powered state but the X-ray orbital period is not detected in the X-ray bright LMXB state. In addition, the X-ray spectrum changes from a flat power-law spectrum during the rotation-powered state to a steeper power-law spectrum in the LMXB state. We suggest that the hard X-rays are due to the intrabinary shock from the interaction between the pulsar wind and the injected material from the low-mass companion star. During the rotation-powered MSP state, the X-ray orbital modulation is due to Doppler boosting of the shocked pulsar wind. At the LMXB state, the evaporating matter of the accretion disk due to the gamma-ray irradiation from the pulsar stops almost all the pulsar wind, resulting in the disappearance of the X-ray orbital modulation.
Abstract Copyright:
∼
Journal keyword(s):
accretion, accretion disks - binaries: close - pulsars: individual: PSR J1023+0038 - X-rays: binaries
Simbad objects:
3
Full paper
View the references in ADS
To bookmark this query, right click on this link: simbad:2014ApJ...797..111L and select 'bookmark this link' or equivalent in the popup menu