Timing and Spectral Analysis of the Black Hole X-Ray Binary MAXI J1803-298 with Insight-HXMT Data

We present a comprehensive analysis of the 2021 outburst of MAXI J1803–298 utilizing observations of the Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope(Insight-HXMT)spanning from the low hard state to the high soft state.Within the Insight-HXMT data set,compared to the previous work,we identify a more prolonged presence of typeC quasi-periodic oscillations(QPOs)with centroid frequencies ranging from~0.16 to 6.3 Hz,which present correlations with the hardness ratio and the photon index of the Comptonized component.For QPO frequencies less than~2 Hz,the QPO phase lags are hard(photons of 10–19 keV arrive later than those of 1–4 keV),while at higher frequencies,the lags become soft at and above~4 Hz.Furthermore,the spectra in all Insight-HXMT observations consist of a multi-color blackbody component and a Comptonized component,as commonly observed in classical black hole X-ray binaries.We analyze state transitions and the evolution of accretion geometry in this work.The fitted inner disk radius increases abnormally during the low hard state,hypothesized to result from the corona condensing onto the inner disk.Additionally,two significant drops in flux are observed during the soft intermediate state,maybe implying changes in the corona/jet and the disk,respectively.

Study of Type-B QPOs Observed in Black Hole X-Ray Binary Swift J1728.9-3613

We report the detection of type-B quasi-periodic oscillation(QPO)of the black hole X-ray binary Swift J1728.9-3613 observed by NICER during the 2019 outburst.A type-B QPO was observed for the first two days and it disappeared as flux increased,but again appeared at∼7.70 Hz when flux was dramatically decreased.The source was found in the soft intermediate state during these observations.We further studied the energy dependence of the QPO.We found that QPO was observed only for a higher energy range implying that the origin of QPO is possibly due to the corona emitting higher energy photons by the inverse Compton process.The variation of spectral parameters can be explained with the disk truncation model.The fractional rms was found to be monotonically increased with energy.The phase lag spectrum followed the“U-shaped”curve.The rms and phase lag spectrum are modeled and explained with the single-component Comptonization model vkompthdk.

The orbital phase resolved spectroscopy of X-ray binary 4U 1822–371 with Suzaku

4U 1822-371 is a typical edge-on eclipsing low mass X-ray binary and the prototype of accre- tion disk coronal sources. We report on the results of a spectral analysis over the energy range 0.5-45 keV observed by Suzaku in 2006. We extract spectra from five orbital phases. The spectra can be equally well described by various previously proposed models： an optically thick model described by a partially cov- ered cutoff power law and an optically thin model described by a blackbody plus a cutoff power law. The optically thick model requires a covering fraction of about 55%, while the optically thin model requires a temperature of the central source of about 0.16 keV. The spectrum in the optically thick model also shows the previously detected cyclotron line feature at ~30 keV with the same Suzaku observation. This fea- ture confirms the presence of a strong magnetic field. The Fe Ks fluorescent line strengths as well as the detected Fe xxvI strengths are similar to previous Chandra and XMM-Newton detections in our phased spectral analysis; however, we also observe strong Fe xxvI during the eclipse, which indicates a slightly larger central corona.

A striking confluence between theory and observations of high-mass X-ray binary pulsars

We analyze the most powerful X-ray outbursts from neutron stars in eleven Magellanic high-mass X-ray binaries and three pulsating ultraluminous X-ray sources. Most of the outbursts rise to Lmax which is about the level of the Eddington luminosity, while the remaining more powerful outbursts also appear to recognize that limit when their emissions are assumed to be anisotropic and beamed toward our direction. We use the measurements of pulsar spin periods Ps and their derivatives Ps to calculate the X-ray luminosities Lp in their faintest accreting （＂propeller-line＂） states. In five cases with unknown Ps, we use the lowest observed X-ray luminosities, which only adds to the heterogeneity of the sample. Then we calculate the ratios Lp/Lmax and we obtain an outstanding confluence of theory and observations from which we conclude that work done on both fronts is accurate and the results are trustworthy： sources known to reside on the lowest Magellanic propeller line are all located on/near that line, whereas other sources jump higher and reach higher-lying propeller lines. These jumps can be interpreted in only one way, higher-lying pulsars have stronger surface magnetic fields in agreement with previous empirical results in which Ps and Lp values were not used.

Broad-band spectroscopy of the transient X-ray binary pulsar KS 1947+300 during 2013 giant outburst: Detection of pulsating soft X-ray excess component

We present the results obtained from detailed timing and spectral studies of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar KS 1947＋300 during its 2013 giant outburst. We used data from Suzaku observations of the pulsar at two epochs, i.e. on 2013 October 22 （close to the peak of the outburst） and 2013 November 22. X- ray pulsations at - 18.81 s were clearly detected in the light curves obtained from both observations. Pulse periods estimated during the outburst showed that the pulsar was spinning up. The pulse profile was found to be single-peaked up to -10 keV beyond which a sharp peak followed by a dip-like feature appeared at hard X-rays. The dip-like feature has been observed up to -70 keV. The 1-110 keV broad-band spectroscopy of both observations revealed that the best-fit model was comprised of a partially absorbed Negative and Positive power law with EXponential cutoff （NPEX） continuum model along with a blackbody component for the soft X-ray excess and two Gaussian functions at 6.4 and 6.7 keV for emission lines. Both the lines were identified as emission from neutral and He-like iron atoms. To fit the spectra, we included the previously reported cyclotron absorption line at 12.2 keV. From the spin-up rate, the magnetic field of the pulsar was estimated to be -1.2 x 10^12 G and found to be comparable to that obtained from the detection of the cyclotron absorption feature. Pulse-phase resolved spectroscopy revealed the pulsating nature of the soft X-ray excess component in phase with the continuum flux. This confirms that the accretion column and/or accretion stream are the most probable regions of the soft X-ray excess emission in KS1947＋300. The presence of the pulsating soft X-ray excess in phase with continuum emission may be the possible reason for not observing the dip at soft X-rays.

Suzaku observation of Be / X-ray binary pulsar EXO 2030+375

We study the timing and spectral properties of Be/X-ray binary pulsar EXO 2030＋375 using a Suzaku observation taken on 2012 May 23, during a less intense Type I outburst. Pulsations were clearly detected in the X-ray light curves at a barycentric period of 41.2852 s, which suggest that the pulsar is spinning-up. The pulse profiles were found to be peculiar, e.g. unlike those obtained from the earlier Suzaku observation acquired on 2007 May 14. A single-peaked narrow profile at soft X-rays （0.5-10 keV range） changed to a double-peaked broad profile in the 12-55 keV energy range and again reverted back to a smooth single-peaked profile at hard X-rays （55-70 keV range）. The 1.0-100.0 keV broadband spectrum of the pulsar was found to be well described by three continuum models described as （i） a partial covering high energy cut-off power-law model, （ii） a partially absorbed power-law with high- energy exponential rolloff and （iii） a partial covering Negative and Positive power law with EXponential （NPEX） continuum model. Unlike the earlier Suzaku observation during which several low energy emission lines were detected, a weak and narrow Iron Ka emission line at 6.4 keV was only present in the pulsar spectrum during the 2012 May outburst. Non-detection of any absorption like feature in the 1-100 keV energy range supports the claim of the absence of the cyclotron resonance scattering feature in EXO 2030＋375 from the earlier Suzaku observation. Pulse-phase resolved spectroscopy revealed the presence of additional dense matter causing the absence of a second peak from the soft X-ray pulse profiles. The details of the results are described in the paper.

Near-infrared observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar A0535+262

We present the results obtained from extensive near-infrared （IR） spectro- scopic and photometric observations of the Be/X-ray binary A0535＋262/HDE 245770 at different phases of its - 111 d orbital period. This observation campaign is part of the monitoring program of selective Be/X-ray binary systems aimed at understanding X-ray and near-IR properties at different orbital phases, especially during the perias- tron passage of the neutron star. The near-IR observations presented here were carried out using the 1.2 m telescope at the Mt. Abu IR Observatory. Though the source was relatively faint for spectroscopic observations with the 1.2 m telescope, we monitored the source closely during the 2011 February-March giant X-ray outburst to primarily investigate whether any drastic changes in the near-IR JHK spectra took place at the periastron passage. Changes of such a striking nature were expected to be detectable in our spectra. Photometric observations of the Be star show a gradual and systematic fading in the JHK light curves since the onset of the X-ray outburst, which could suggest a mild evacuation/truncation of the circumstellar disk of the Be companion. Near-IR spectroscopy of the object shows that the JHK spectra are dominated by the emission lines of hydrogen Brackett and Paschen series and HeI lines at 1.0830, 1.7002 and 2.0585 μm. The presence of all the hydrogen emission lines in the JHK spectra, along with the absence of any significant change in the continuum of the Be companion during X-ray quiescent and X-ray outburst phases, suggests that the near- IR line emitting regions of the disk are not significantly affected during the X-ray outburst.

AstroSat observation of the Be/X-ray binary Pulsar 3A 0726–260(4U 0728–25)

Results on timing and spectral properties of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar 3A 0726-260(4U 0728-25)are presented.The binary was observed on 2016 May 6-7 with the Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter(LAXPC)and Soft X-ray Telescope(SXT)instruments onboard the AstroSat satellite.During this observation,the source was in non-flaring persistent state at a flux level of^8.6±0.3×10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1in 0.4-20 keV.Strong X-ray pulsations with a period of 103.144±0.001 s are detected in 0.3-7 keV with the SXT and in 3-40 keV with the LAXPC.The pulse profile is energy dependent,and there is an indication that the pulse shape changes from a broad single pulse to a double pulse at higher energy.At energies above20 keV,we report the first time detection of pulsation period 103.145±0.001 s and the double peaked pulse profile from the source.The energy spectrum of the source is derived from the combined analysis of the SXT and LAXPC spectral data in 0.4-20 keV.The best spectral fit is obtained by a power law model with a photon index(1.7±0.03)with high energy spectral cut-off at 12.9±0.7 keV.A broad iron line at^6.3 keV is detected in the energy spectrum.We briefly discuss the implications of these results.

The Width-Flux Relation of the Broad Iron KαLine during the State Transitions of the Black Hole X-Ray Binaries

The observations of varying broad iron lines during the state transition of the black hole X-ray binaries have been accumulating.In this work,the relation between the normalized intensity and the width of iron lines is investigated,in order to understand better the variation of iron lines and possibly its connection to state transition.Considering the uncertainties due to ionization and illuminating X-rays,only the effects of geometry and gravity are taken into account.Three scenarios were studied,i.e.,the continuous disk model,the innermost annulus model,and the cloud model.As shown by our calculations,at given iron width,the line flux of the cloud model is smaller than that of the continuous disk model;while for the innermost annulus model,the width is almost unrelated with the flux.The range of the line strength depends on both the BH spin and the inclination of the disk.We then apply to the observation of MAXI J1631-479 by Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array during its decay from the soft state to the intermediate state.We estimated the relative line strength and width according to the spectral fitting results in Xu et al.,and then compared with our theoretical width-flux relation.It was found that the cloud model was more favored.We further modeled the iron line profiles,and found that the cloud model can explain both the line profile and its variation with reasonable parameters.

NuSTAR View of the R-ΓCorrelation in the Hard State of Black Hole Lowmass X-Ray Binaries

The power law and reflection emission have been observed in the X-ray spectra of both black hole X-ray binaries(BHXRBs)and active galactic nuclei(AGNs),indicating a common physical origin of the X-ray emission from these two types of sources.The relevant parameters describing the shape of both components and the potential correlation between these parameters can provide important clues on the geometric and physical properties of the disk and the corona in these sources.In this work,we present a positive correlation between the photon indexΓand the reflection strength R for the low-mass BHXRBs in the hard state by modeling NuSTAR data,which is qualitatively consistent with the previous studies.We compare our results with the predictions from different theoretical disk-corona models.We show that the RIT correlation found in this work seems to favor the moving corona model proposed by Beloborodov.Our results indicate that the coronal geometry varies significantly among BHXRBs.We further compare our results with that of AGNs.We find that the reflection strength R is smaller than unity in the hard state of BHXRBs,while it can be as large as~5 in AGNs,which implies that the variations of the disk-coronal geometry of AGNs are more vigorous than that of the BHXRBs in the hard state.

Optical and X-Ray Studies of Marginal Contact Binary RW Dor Using TESS and XMM-Newton Observatories

Marginal short-period contact binaries are important to understand as they pose a different physical scenario than the predicted theoretical model based on the thermal relaxation oscillation mechanism due to their shallow degree of contact.Here we present the optical and X-ray studies of a contact binary source RW Dor using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite(TESS)and XMM-Newton telescopes.For the first time we report the varying O'Connell effect and explain the asymmetry with a spot model.Based on the new times of minima,we make a robust estimate of the orbital period of the third body at 47.01~0.52 yr with an eccentricity e=0.21.We show that the period-decreasing trend observed in O-C variation can be explained by both conservative mass transfer from primary to secondary and AML via stellar wind.The X-ray luminosity exhibited by RW Dor did not vary significantly on three different occasions and was found to be about 3.34×10~(29)erg s~(-1).Assuming that the quiescent X-ray emission is emitted from an undisturbed loop structure,the loop size is estimated to be 0.6-1×10~(10)cm which is≤Alfvén radius r_A~8×10~(10)cm.

X-ray在鱼体组织及微量元素检测中的应用

鱼类硬质组织物,特别是骨骼支持鱼体和保护其体内器官的组织,对其进行特征检测分析是研究鱼类游泳运动、鱼类解剖、鱼体建模等的数据基础。随着X-ray技术的发展和国产设备的广泛应用,其仪器设备成本明显降低,使得X-ray在渔业研究与自动化生产中的应用成为可能。首先介绍了X-ray技术的基本原理与其在鱼体组织检测中的应用,X-ray技术在鱼体组织及微量元素检测中的应用主要分为鱼类组织器官的无损检测和鱼体微量元素检测两部分,其中分别介绍了包括照相法、数字成像法、衍射技术和吸收光谱法等X-ray技术;然后综述其在鱼体组织器官建模、鱼骨检测、鱼类化石研究、鱼耳石分析和鱼体微量元素检测方面的应用,总结了Xray在渔业领域应用中存在的问题;最后对X-ray的渔业应用方向进行展望。

The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)on the SMILE Mission

The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)is part of the scientific payload of the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission.SMILE is a joint science mission between the European Space Agency(ESA)and the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)and is due for launch in 2025.SXI is a compact X-ray telescope with a wide field-of-view(FOV)capable of encompassing large portions of Earth’s magnetosphere from the vantage point of the SMILE orbit.SXI is sensitive to the soft X-rays produced by the Solar Wind Charge eXchange(SWCX)process produced when heavy ions of solar wind origin interact with neutral particles in Earth’s exosphere.SWCX provides a mechanism for boundary detection within the magnetosphere,such as the position of Earth’s magnetopause,because the solar wind heavy ions have a very low density in regions of closed magnetic field lines.The sensitivity of the SXI is such that it can potentially track movements of the magnetopause on timescales of a few minutes and the orbit of SMILE will enable such movements to be tracked for segments lasting many hours.SXI is led by the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom(UK)with collaborating organisations on hardware,software and science support within the UK,Europe,China and the United States.

Global hybrid simulations of soft X-ray emissions in the Earth’s magnetosheath

Earth’s magnetopause is a thin boundary separating the shocked solar wind plasma from the magnetospheric plasmas,and it is also the boundary of the solar wind energy transport to the magnetosphere.Soft X-ray imaging allows investigation of the large-scale magnetopause by providing a two-dimensional(2-D)global view from a satellite.By performing 3-D global hybrid-particle-in-cell(hybrid-PIC)simulations,we obtain soft X-ray images of Earth’s magnetopause under different solar wind conditions,such as different plasma densities and directions of the southward interplanetary magnetic field.In all cases,magnetic reconnection occurs at low latitude magnetopause.The soft X-ray images observed by a hypothetical satellite are shown,with all of the following identified:the boundary of the magnetopause,the cusps,and the magnetosheath.Local X-ray emissivity in the magnetosheath is characterized by large amplitude fluctuations(up to 160%);however,the maximum line-of-sight-integrated X-ray intensity matches the tangent directions of the magnetopause well,indicating that these fluctuations have limited impact on identifying the magnetopause boundary in the X-ray images.Moreover,the magnetopause boundary can be identified using multiple viewing geometries.We also find that solar wind conditions have little effect on the magnetopause identification.The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission will provide X-ray images of the magnetopause for the first time,and our global hybrid-PIC simulation results can help better understand the 2-D X-ray images of the magnetopause from a 3-D perspective,with particle kinetic effects considered.

Finding the magnetopause location using soft X-ray observations and a statistical inverse method

Variability in the location and shape of the dayside magnetopause is attributed to magnetic reconnection,a fundamental process that enables the transfer of mass,energy,and momentum from the solar wind into the magnetosphere.The spatial and temporal properties of the magnetopause,under varying solar and magnetospheric conditions,remain largely unknown because empirical studies using in-situ observations are challenging to interpret.Global wide field-of-view(FOV)imaging is the only means to simultaneously observe the spatial distribution of the plasma properties over the vast dayside magnetospheric region and,subsequently,quantify the energy transport from the interplanetary medium into the terrestrial magnetosphere.Two upcoming missions,ESA/CAS SMILE and NASA’s LEXI will provide wide-field imagery of the dayside magnetosheath in soft X-rays,an emission generated by charge exchange interactions between high charge-state heavy ions of solar wind origin and exospheric neutral atoms.High-cadence two-dimensional observations of the magnetosheath will allow the estimation of dynamic properties of its inner boundary,the magnetopause,and enable studies of its response to changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure and interplanetary magnetic field orientation.This work introduces a statistically-based estimation approach based on inverse theory to estimate the spatial distribution of magnetosheath soft X-ray emissivities and,with this,identify the location of the magnetopause over the Sun−Earth line.To do so,we simulate the magnetosheath structure using the MHD-based OpenGGCM model and generate synthetic soft X-ray images using LEXI’s orbit and attitude information.Our results show that 3-D estimations using the described statistically-based technique are robust against Poisson-distributed shot noise inherent to soft X-ray images.Also,our proposed methodology shows that the accuracy of both three-dimensional(3-D)estimation and the magnetopause standoff distance calculation highly depends on the observational point.

Two methods for separating the magnetospheric solar wind charge exchange soft X-ray emission from the diffuse X-ray background

Solar wind charge exchange(SWCX)is the process of solar wind high-valence ions exchanging charges with neutral components and generating soft X-rays.Recently,detecting the SWCX emission from the magnetosphere is proposed as a new technique to study the magnetosphere using panoramic soft X-ray imaging.To better prepare for the data analysis of upcoming magnetospheric soft X-ray imaging missions,this paper compares the magnetospheric SWCX emission obtained by two methods in an XMM-Newton observation,during which the solar wind changed dramatically.The two methods differ in the data used to fit the diffuse X-ray background(DXB)parameters in spectral analysis.The method adding data from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey(RASS)is called the RASS method.The method using the quiet observation data is called the Quiet method,where quiet observations usually refer to observations made by the same satellite with the same target but under weaker solar wind conditions.Results show that the spectral compositions of magnetospheric SWCX emission obtained by the two methods are very similar,and the changes in intensity over time are highly consistent,although the intensity obtained by the RASS method is about 2.68±0.56 keV cm^(-2)s^(-1)sr^(-1)higher than that obtained by the Quiet method.Since the DXB intensity obtained by the RASS method is about 2.84±0.74 keV cm^(-2)s^(-1)sr^(-1)lower than that obtained by the Quiet method,and the linear correlation coefficient between the difference of SWCX and DXB obtained by the two methods in diffe rent energy band is close to-1,the diffe rences in magnetospheric SWCX can be fully attributed to the diffe rences in the fitted DXB.The difference between the two methods is most significant when the energy is less than 0.7 keV,which is also the main energy band of SWCX emission.In addition,the difference between the two methods is not related to the SWCX intensity and,to some extent,to solar wind conditions,because SWCX intensity typically va ries with the solar wind.In summary,both methods are robust and reliable,and should be considered based on the best available options.

SMILE soft X-ray Imager flight model CCD370 pre-flight device characterisation

Throughout the SMILE mission the satellite will be bombarded by radiation which gradually damages the focal plane devices and degrades their performance.In order to understand the changes of the CCD370s within the soft X-ray Imager,an initial characterisation of the devices has been carried out to give a baseline performance level.Three CCDs have been characterised,the two flight devices and the flight spa re.This has been carried out at the Open University in a bespo ke cleanroom measure ment facility.The results show that there is a cluster of bright pixels in the flight spa re which increases in size with tempe rature.However at the nominal ope rating tempe rature(-120℃) it is within the procure ment specifications.Overall,the devices meet the specifications when ope rating at -120℃ in 6 × 6 binned frame transfer science mode.The se rial charge transfer inefficiency degrades with temperature in full frame mode.However any charge losses are recovered when binning/frame transfer is implemented.

Estimating the subsolar magnetopause position from soft X-ray images using a low-pass image filter

The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager(LEXI)and Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)missions will image the Earth’s dayside magneto pause and cusps in soft X-rays after their respective launches in the near future,to specify glo bal magnetic reconnection modes for varying solar wind conditions.To suppo rt the success of these scientific missions,it is critical to develop techniques that extract the magnetopause locations from the observed soft X-ray images.In this research,we introduce a new geometric equation that calculates the subsolar magnetopause position(RS)from a satellite position,the look direction of the instrument,and the angle at which the X-ray emission is maximized.Two assumptions are used in this method:(1)The look direction where soft X-ray emissions are maximized lies tangent to the magnetopause,and(2)the magnetopause surface near the subsolar point is almost spherical and thus RSis nea rly equal to the radius of the magneto pause curvature.We create synthetic soft X-ray images by using the Open Geospace General Circulation Model(OpenGGCM)global magnetohydrodynamic model,the galactic background,the instrument point spread function,and Poisson noise.We then apply the fast Fourier transform and Gaussian low-pass filte rs to the synthetic images to re move noise and obtain accurate look angles for the soft X-ray pea ks.From the filte red images,we calculate RS and its accuracy for different LEXI locations,look directions,and solar wind densities by using the OpenGGCM subsolar magnetopause location as ground truth.Our method estimates RS with an accuracy of<0.3 RE when the solar wind density exceeds>10 cm-3.The accuracy improves for greater solar wind densities and during southward interplanetary magnetic fields.The method ca ptures the magnetopause motion during southwa rd interplaneta ry magnetic field turnings.Consequently,the technique will enable quantitative analysis of the magnetopause motion and help reveal the dayside reconnection modes for dynamic solar wind conditions.This technique will suppo rt the LEXI and SMILE missions in achieving their scientific o bjectives.

Solar wind ion charge state distributions and compound cross sections for solar wind charge exchange X-ray emission

Solar Wind Charge eXchange X-ray(SWCX) emission in the heliosphere and Ea rth’s exosphere is a hard to avoid signal in soft Xray obse rvations of astrophysical targets.On the other hand,the X-ray imaging possibilities offered by the SWCX process has led to an increasing number of future dedicated space missions for investigating the solar wind-terrestrial inte ractions and magnetospheric interfaces.In both cases,accurate modelling of the SWCX emission is key to correctly interpret its signal,and remove it from obse rvations,when needed.In this paper,we compile solar wind abundance measurements from ACE for different solar wind types,and atomic data from literature,including charge exchange cross-sections and emission probabilities,used fo r calculating the compound cross-section a for the SWCX X-ray emission.We calculate a values for charge-exchange with H and He,relevant to soft X-ray energy bands(0.1-2.0 keV)for various solar wind types and solar cycle conditions.

On the apparent line-of-sight alignment of the peak X-ray intensity of the magnetosheath and the tangent to the magnetopause,as viewed by SMILE-SXI

The Soft X-ray Imager(SXI)on board the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)spacecraft will be able to view the Earth’s magnetosheath in soft X-rays.Simulated images of the X-ray emission visible from the position of SMILE are created for a range of solar wind densities by using 3 years of the SMILE mission orbit,together with models of the expected X-ray emissivity from the Earth’s magnetosheath.Results from global magnetohydrodynamic simulations and a simple model for exospheric neutral densities are used to compare the locations of the lines of sight along which integrated soft X-ray intensities peak with the lines of sight lying tangent to surfaces(defined here to be the magnetopause)along which local soft X-ray intensities peak or exhibit their strongest gradients,or both,for strongly southward interplanetary magnetic field conditions when no depletion or low-latitude boundary layers are expected.Where,in the parameter space of the various times and seasons,orbital phases,solar wind conditions,and magnetopause models,the alignment of the X-ray emission peak with the magnetopause tangent is good,or is not,is presented.The main results are as follows.The spacecraft needs to be positioned well outside the magnetopause;low-altitude times near perigee are not good.In addition,there are seasonal aspects:dayside-apogee orbits are generally very good because the spacecraft travels out sunward at high altitude,but nightside-apogee orbits,behind the Earth,are bad because the spacecraft only rarely leaves the magnetopause.Dusk-apogee and dawnapogee orbits are intermediate.Dayside-apogee orbits worsen slightly over the first three mission years,whereas nightside-apogee orbits improve slightly.Additionally,many more times of good agreement with the peak-to-tangent hypothesis occur when the solar wind is in a high-density state,as opposed to a low-density state.In a high-density state,the magnetopause is compressed,and the spacecraft is more often a good distance outside the magnetopause.