Early neutron star evolution in high-mass X-ray binaries
Early neutron star evolution in high-mass X-ray binaries
The application of standard accretion theory to observations of X-ray binaries provides valuable insights into neutron star (NS) properties, such as their spin period and magnetic field. However, most studies concentrate on relatively old systems, where the NS is in its late propeller, accretor, or nearly spin equilibrium phase. Here, we use an analytic model from standard accretion theory to illustrate the evolution of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) early in their life. We show that a young NS is unlikely to be an accretor because of the long duration of ejector and propeller phases. We apply the model to the recently discovered ∼4000 yr old HMXB XMMU J051342.6−672412 and find that the system's NS, with a tentative spin period of 4.4 s, cannot be in the accretor phase and has a magnetic field B > a few × 10
13 G, which is comparable to the magnetic field of many older HMXBs and is much higher than the spin equilibrium inferred value of a few × 10
11 G. The observed X-ray luminosity could be the result of thermal emission from a young cooling magnetic NS or a small amount of accretion that can occur in the propeller phase.
Accretion, Accretion discs, Pulsars: general, Stars: magnetic field, Stars: neutron, X-rays: binaries, X-rays: individual: XMMU J051342.6−672412
44-49
Ho, Wynn C.G.
d78d4c52-8f92-4846-876f-e04a8f803a45
Wijngaarden, M.J.P.
e6064827-8f6f-4fc4-b24d-140d11939237
Andersson, Nils
2dd6d1ee-cefd-478a-b1ac-e6feedafe304
Tauris, Thomas M.
b88be86f-f82e-4b4b-a710-bd71a86f13ef
Haberl, F.
e279c877-e917-4a24-bcc9-cf7de12b33fb
1 May 2020
Ho, Wynn C.G.
d78d4c52-8f92-4846-876f-e04a8f803a45
Wijngaarden, M.J.P.
e6064827-8f6f-4fc4-b24d-140d11939237
Andersson, Nils
2dd6d1ee-cefd-478a-b1ac-e6feedafe304
Tauris, Thomas M.
b88be86f-f82e-4b4b-a710-bd71a86f13ef
Haberl, F.
e279c877-e917-4a24-bcc9-cf7de12b33fb
Ho, Wynn C.G., Wijngaarden, M.J.P., Andersson, Nils, Tauris, Thomas M. and Haberl, F.
(2020)
Early neutron star evolution in high-mass X-ray binaries.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 494 (1), .
(doi:10.1093/mnras/staa675).
Abstract
The application of standard accretion theory to observations of X-ray binaries provides valuable insights into neutron star (NS) properties, such as their spin period and magnetic field. However, most studies concentrate on relatively old systems, where the NS is in its late propeller, accretor, or nearly spin equilibrium phase. Here, we use an analytic model from standard accretion theory to illustrate the evolution of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) early in their life. We show that a young NS is unlikely to be an accretor because of the long duration of ejector and propeller phases. We apply the model to the recently discovered ∼4000 yr old HMXB XMMU J051342.6−672412 and find that the system's NS, with a tentative spin period of 4.4 s, cannot be in the accretor phase and has a magnetic field B > a few × 10
13 G, which is comparable to the magnetic field of many older HMXBs and is much higher than the spin equilibrium inferred value of a few × 10
11 G. The observed X-ray luminosity could be the result of thermal emission from a young cooling magnetic NS or a small amount of accretion that can occur in the propeller phase.
Text
2003.06436
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 5 March 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 March 2020
Published date: 1 May 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The authors thank the anonymous referee for comments which led to improvements in the manuscript. WCGH and NA acknowledge support through grant ST/R00045X/1 from the Science and Technology Facilities Council in the United Kingdom. TMT acknowledges an AIAS–COFUND Senior Fellowship funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement no. 754513) and Aarhus University Research Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
Keywords:
Accretion, Accretion discs, Pulsars: general, Stars: magnetic field, Stars: neutron, X-rays: binaries, X-rays: individual: XMMU J051342.6−672412
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 438938
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/438938
ISSN: 1365-2966
PURE UUID: 6cfc6c49-3119-4835-ae7d-85d7c860ca2e
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Date deposited: 27 Mar 2020 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:47
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Contributors
Author:
M.J.P. Wijngaarden
Author:
Thomas M. Tauris
Author:
F. Haberl
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