The X-Ray Polarimetry View of the Accreting Pulsar Cen X-3
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985815%3A_____%2F22%3A00571388" target="_blank" >RIV/67985815:_____/22:00571388 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0342626" target="_blank" >https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0342626</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aca486" target="_blank" >10.3847/2041-8213/aca486</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
The X-Ray Polarimetry View of the Accreting Pulsar Cen X-3
Original language description
The first X-ray pulsar, Cen X-3, was discovered 50 yr ago. Radiation from such objects is expected to be highly polarized due to birefringence of plasma and vacuum associated with propagation of photons in the presence of the strong magnetic field. Here we present results of the observations of Cen X-3 performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The source exhibited significant flux variability and was observed in two states different by a factor of similar to 20 in flux. In the low-luminosity state, no significant polarization was found in either pulse phase-averaged (with a 3 sigma upper limit of 12%) or phase-resolved (the 3 sigma upper limits are 20%-30%) data. In the bright state, the polarization degree of 5.8% +/- 0.3% and polarization angle of 49.degrees 6 +/- 1.degrees 5 with a significance of about 20 sigma were measured from the spectropolarimetric analysis of the phase-averaged data. The phase-resolved analysis showed a significant anticorrelation between the flux and the polarization degree, as well as strong variations of the polarization angle. The fit with the rotating vector model indicates a position angle of the pulsar spin axis of about 49 degrees and a magnetic obliquity of 17 degrees. The detected relatively low polarization can be explained if the upper layers of the neutron star surface are overheated by the accreted matter and the conversion of the polarization modes occurs within the transition region between the upper hot layer and a cooler underlying atmosphere. A fraction of polarization signal can also be produced by reflection of radiation from the neutron star surface and the accretion curtain.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10308 - Astronomy (including astrophysics,space science)
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2022
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Astrophysical Journal Letters
ISSN
2041-8205
e-ISSN
2041-8213
Volume of the periodical
941
Issue of the periodical within the volume
1
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
16
Pages from-to
L14
UT code for WoS article
000920360500001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85144807046