Study of Secondary Cosmic Rays and Astronomical X-Ray Sources using Small Stratospheric Balloons

The X-ray sources of the universe are extraterrestrial in nature which emit X-ray photons.The closest strong X-ray source is the Sun,which is followed by various compact sources such as neutron stars,black holes,the Crab pulsar,etc.In this paper,we analyze the data received from several low-cost lightweight meteorological balloon-borne missions launched by the Indian Centre for Space Physics.Our main interest is to study the variation of the vertical intensity of secondary cosmic rays,the detection of strong X-ray sources,and their spectra in the energy band of^(1)0–80 keV during the complete flights.Due to the lack of an onboard pointing system,low exposure time,achieving a maximum altitude of only~42 km,and freely rotating the payload about its axis,we modeled the background radiation flux for the X-ray detector using physical assumptions.We also present the source detection method,observation of the pulsation of the Crab(^(3)3 Hz),and spectra of some sources such as the quiet Sun and the Crab pulsar.

Spectral analysis of χ class data of GRS 1915+105 using TCAF solution

The class variable source GRS 1915+105 exhibits a wide range of time variabilities on timescales of a few seconds to a few days. Depending on the count rates in different energy bands and the nature of the conventional color-color diagram, the variabilities were classified into sixteen classes that were later sequenced in ascending order of Comptonization Efficiency(CE), which is the ratio of power-law and blackbody photons. However, CE estimation is based on an empirical model which does not provide us with a comprehensive picture regarding accretion flow dynamics around the central source. In reality, the accretion flow is comprised of two components: the high angular momentum Keplerian flow in the form of a radiatively efficient disk and a low angular momentum radiatively inefficient sub-Keplerian halo enveloping the disk. These two components contribute differently to the overall flux due to the differences in their radiative efficiencies. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the spectral behaviors and time variabilities in terms of accretion rates. In χ class, X-ray flux is steady with no significant variation, however various χsubclasses are observed at different X-ray fluxes and variations of count rates across different χ subclasses must be linked to the variation of flow parameters such as the accretion rates, be it the Keplerian disk rate and/or the low angular momentum halo rate. This motivated us to analyze the spectra of the χ class data implementing the physical Two Component Advective Flow(TCAF) solution which directly extracts these two rates from spectral fits. We find that in the χ2,4 classes, which are reportedly devoid of significant outflows, the spectra could be fitted well applying the TCAF solution alone. In the χ1,3 classes, which are always linked with outflows, a cutoff power-law model is needed in addition to the TCAF solution.At the same time, the normalization required by this model along with the variation of photon index and exponential roll-off factor provides us with information on the relative dominance of the outflow in the latter two classes. TCAF fit also supplies us with the size and location of the Compton cloud along with its optical depth. Thus by fitting with TCAF, a physical understanding of the flow geometry in different χclasses of GRS 1915+105 has been obtained.

Accretion flow properties of XTE J1118+480 during its 2005 outburst

We study spectral and temporal properties of Galactic short orbital period transient black hole XTE J1118+480 during its 2005 outburst using archival data of RXTE PCA and HEXTE instruments in the combined energy range of 3−100 keV.Spectral analysis with the physical two component advective flow(TCAF)model allows us to understand the accretion flow properties of the source.We found that this outburst of XTE J1118+480 is an unconventional outburst as the source was only in the hard state(HS).Our spectral analysis suggests that during the entire outburst,the source was highly dominated by the low angular momentum sub-Keplerian halo rate.Since the source was active in radio throughout the outburst,we make an effort to estimate X-ray contribution of jets to total observed X-ray emissions from the spectral analysis with the TCAF model.The total X-ray intensity shows a similar nature of evolution as that of radio and jet X-ray fluxes.This allowed us to define this‘outburst’also as a jet dominated‘outburst’.Total X-ray flux is also found to subside when jet activity disappears.Our detailed spectral analysis also indicated that although the source was only in the HS during the outburst,in the late declining phase the spectrum became slightly softer due to the slow rise in the Keplerian disk rate.

Transonic Accretion and Winds Around Pseudo-Kerr Black Holes And Comparison with General Relativistic Solutions

Spectral and timing properties of accretion flows on a black hole depend on their density and temperature distributions,which in turn come from the underlying dynamics.Thus,an accurate description of the flow which includes hydrodynamics and radiative transfer is a must to interpret the observational results.In the case of nonrotating black holes,a pseudo-Newtonian description of surrounding spacetime enables one to make significant progress in predicting spectral and timing properties.This formalism is lacking for spinning black holes.In this paper,we show that there exists an exact form of a"natural"potential derivable from the general relativistic(GR)radial momentum equation.Use of this potential in an otherwise Newtonian set of equations allows to describe transonic flows very accurately as is evidenced by comparing with solutions obtained from the full GR framework.We study the properties of the critical points and the centrifugal pressure supported shocks in the parameter space spanned by the specific energy and angular momentum,and compare with the results of GR hydrodynamics.We show that this potential can safely be used for the entire range of Kerr parameter-1<a<1 for modeling of observational results around spinning black holes.We assume the flow to be inviscid.Thus,it is non-dissipative with constant energy and angular momentum.These assumptions are valid very close to the black hole as the infall timescale is much shorter as compared to the viscous timescale.