Denoising of X-ray pulsar observed profile using biorthogonal lifting wavelet transform

In X-ray pulsar-based navigation, strong X-ray background noise leads to a low signal-to-noise ratio（SNR） of the observed profile, which consequently makes it very difficult to obtain an accurate pulse phase that directly determines the navigation precision. This signifies the necessity of denoising of the observed profile. Considering that the ultimate goal of denoising is to enhance the pulse phase estimation, a profile denoising algorithm is proposed by fusing the biorthogonal lifting wavelet transform of the linear phase characteristic with the thresholding technique. The statistical properties of X-ray background noise after epoch folding are studied. Then a wavelet-scale dependent threshold is introduced to overcome correlations between wavelet coefficients. Moreover, a modified hyperbola shrinking function is presented to remove the impulsive oscillations of the observed profile. The results of numerical simulations and real data experiments indicate that the proposed method can effectively improve SNR of the observed profile and pulse phase estimation accuracy, especially in short observation durations. And it also outperforms the Donoho thresholding strategy normally used in combination with the orthogonal discrete wavelet transform.

Effects of dynamo magnetic fields on observational properties of accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars

In this paper,we have investigated accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars,which are rapidly rotating neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries.These systems exhibit coherent X-ray pulsations that arise when the accretion flow is magnetically channeled to the stellar surface.Here,we have developed the fundamental equations for an accretion disk around accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars in the presence of a dynamo generated magnetic field in the inner part of the disk.We have also formulated the numerical method for the structure equations in the inner region of the disk and the highest accretion rate is enough to form the inner region of the disk,which is overpowered by radiation pressure and electron scattering.Finally,we have examined our results with the effects of dynamo magnetic fields on accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars.

In-Orbit Calibration and Data Analysis of China＇s First Grazing Incidence Focusing X-Ray Pulsar Telescope

The grazing incidence focusing X-ray pulsar telescope(iFXPT), as the main payload of the X-ray Pulsar Navigation Test Satellite(XPNAV-1), will have great significance on China's space scientific exploration and X-ray pulsar navigation. With PSR B0531+21(Crab Pulsar) as the observation target, the pulsar profile has been recovered based on the data obtained by iFXPT, realizing the main objective of "observing" PSR B0531+21 for the first time in China. This payload mainly consists of the Wolter-I X-ray optics, silicon drift detector, magnetic deflector, electronics, high-energy particle shield and high-stability structures. Currently, the iFXPT, with its good in-orbit performance, has obtained a considerable observation data. The effective area, sensitivity and energy response have been calibrated both on ground and in-orbit, demonstrating a high degree of consistency. Meanwhile, the in-orbit observation data and information for pulsar navigation has also been analyzed simultaneously. As a result, the feasibility of the exploration scheme and the performance of the telescope have been fully validated.

Spectral Properties of Anomalous X-ray Pulsars

We examine the spectra of the persistent emission from anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and their variation with the spin-down rate . Based on an accretion-powered model, the influences of both the magnetic field and the mass accretion rate on the spectral properties of AXPs are addressed. We then investigate the relation between the spectral property of AXPs and mass accretion rate . The result shows that there exists a linear correlation between the photon index and the mass accretion rate: the spectral hardness increases with increasing . A possible emission mechanism for the explanation of the spectral properties of AXPs is also discussed.

X-ray pulsar signal detection using photon interarrival time

The distribution probability of the photon interarrival time （PIT） without signal initial phases is derived based on the Poisson model of X-ray pulsar signals, and a pulsar signal detection algorithm employing the PIT sequence is put forward. The joint probability of the PIT sequence is regarded as a function of the distribution probability and used to compare a constant radiation intensity model with the nonhomogeneous Poisson model for the signal detection. The relationship between the number of detected photons and the probabilities of false negative and positive is studied, and the success rate and mean detection time are estimated based on the number of the given photons. For the spacecraft velocity data detection, the changes of time of photon arrival （TOPA） and PIT caused by spacecraft motion are presented first, then the influences on detection are analyzed respectively. By using the analytical pulse profile of PSR B0531＋21, the simulation of the Xray pulsar signal detection is implemented. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the contrast tests show that the proposed method is suitable for the spacecraft velocity data detection.

Understanding the X-ray spectrum of anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft gamma-ray repeaters

Hard X-rays above 10 keV are detected from several anomalous X-ray pul- sars （AXPs） and soft gamma-ray repeaters （SGRs）, and different models have been proposed to explain the physical origin within the frame of either a magnetar model or a fallback disk system. Using data from Suzaku and INTEGRAL, we study the soft and hard X-ray spectra of four AXPs/SGRs： 1RXS J 170849-400910, 1E 1547.0- 5408, SGR 1806-20 and SGR 0501＋4516. It is found that the spectra could be well reproduced by the bulk-motion Comptonization （BMC） process as was first suggested by Triimper et al., showing that the accretion scenario could be compatible with X- ray emission from AXPs/SGRs. Simulated results from the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope using the BMC model show that the spectra would have discrepancies from the power-law, especially the cutoff at -200 keV. Thus future observations will allow researchers to distinguish different models of the hard X-ray emission and will help us understand the nature of AXPs/SGRs.

A Two-Temperature Supernova Fallback Disk Model for Anomalous X-ray Pulsars

We present a case study of the relevance of the radially pulsational instability of a two-temperature accretion disk around a neutron star to anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs). Our estimates are based on the approximation that such a neutron star disk with mass in the range of 10-6-10-5 M⊙ is formed by supernova fallback. We derive several peculiar properties of the accretion disk instability: a narrow interval of X-ray pulse periods; lower X-ray luminosities; a period derivative and an evolution time scale. All these results are in good agreement with the observations of the AXPs.

Hard X-ray emission cutoff in the anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142+61 detected by INTEGRAL

The anomalous X-ray pulsar 4U 0142＋61 has been studied with obser- vations from INTEGRAL. The hard X-ray spectrum in the range 18-500 keV for 4U 0142＋61 was derived using nearly nine years of INTEGRAL/IBIS data. We ob- tained the average hard X-ray spectrum of 4U 0142＋61 with all available data. The spectrum of 4U 0142＋61 can be fitted with a power law that includes an exponen- tial high energy cutoff. This average spectrum is well fitted by a power law with r ,~ 0.51 ± 0.11 plus a cutoff energy at 128.6 ± 17.2 keV. The hard X-ray flux of the source from 20-150 keV showed no significant variations （within 20%） from 2003- 2011. The spectral profiles have some variability over the nine years such that the photon index varies from 0.3-1.5 and the cutoff energies from 110-250 keV. The de- tection of the high energy cutoff around 130 keV shows some constraints on the radia- tion mechanisms of magnetars and possibly probes the differences between magnetar and accretion models for this special class of neutron stars. Future HXMTobservations could provide stronger constraints on the hard X-ray spectral properties of this source and other magnetar candidates.

On the magnetic fields of ultraluminous X-ray pulsars

So far quite a few ultraluminous X-ray(ULX) pulsars have been discovered.In this work,we construct a super-Eddington,magnetic accretion disk model to estimate the dipole magnetic field of eight ULX pulsars based on their observed spin-up variations and luminosities.We obtain two branches of dipole magnetic field solutions.They are distributed in the range of B-(0.156-64.5) × 10^(10) G and-(0.275-79.0) × 10^(13) G corresponding to the low-and high-B solutions respectively.The low magnetic field solutions correspond to the state that the neutron stars are far away from the spin equilibrium,and the high magnetic field solutions are close to the spin equilibrium.The ultra-strong magnetic fields derived in Be-type ULX pulsars imply that the accretion mode in Be-type ULX pulsars could be more complicated than in the persistent ULX pulsars and may not be accounted for by the magnetized accretion disk model.We suggest that the transition between the accretor and the propeller regimes may be used to distinguish between the low-and high-B magnetic field solutions in addition to the detection of the cyclotron resonance scattering features.

Formation of accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars

Accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars(AMXPs) are an important subclass of low-mass X-ray binaries(LMXBs), in which coherent millisecond X-ray pulsations can be observed during outburst states.They have dual characteristics of LMXBs and millisecond pulsars, providing a direct confirmation for the recycling scenario. However, their formation is not well understood. In this work, we simulate the evolution of LMXBs with the MESA code to explore the formation and evolution of AMXPs. Based on the binary evolutionary model of LMXBs and the model of accretion disk instability, we find that most of the observed AMXPs can be produced from LMXBs with orbital periods at the onset of Roche lobe overflow close to the bifurcation period and their observed properties can be explained by our models. The AMXPs with main sequence(MS) donors ultimately evolve into AMXPs with extremely low-mass He white dwarf donors.Moreover, our results indicate that these AMXPs with MS donors are likely to have donor stars near the terminal-age main sequence.

Determination of the magnetic fields of Magellanic X-ray pulsars

The 80 high-mass X-ray binary （HMXB） pulsars that are known to reside in the Magellanic Clouds （MCs） have been observed by the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray telescopes on a regular basis for 15 years, and the XMM-Newton and Chandra archives contain nearly complete information about the duty cycles of the sources with spin periods Ps 〈 100 s. We have reprocessed the archival data from both observatories and we combined the output products with all the published observations of 31 MC pulsars with Ps 〈 100 s in an attempt to investigate the faintest X-ray emission states of these objects that occur when accretion to the polar caps proceeds at the smallest possible rates. These states determine the so-called propeller lines of the accreting pulsars and yield information about the magnitudes of their surface magnetic fields. We have found that the faintest states of the pulsars segregate into five discrete groups which obey to a high degree of accuracy the theoretical relation between spin period and X-ray luminosity. So the entire population of these pulsars can be described by just five propeller lines and the five corresponding magnetic moments （0.29, 0.53, 1.2, 2.9 and 7.3, in units of 1030 G cma）.

Temporal variations and spectral properties of the Be/X-ray pulsar GRO J1008–57 studied by INTEGRAL

The spin period variations and hard X-ray spectral properties of the Be/Xray pulsar GRO J1008-57 are studied with INTEGRAL observations during two out- bursts in 2004 June and 2009 March. The pulsation periods of -93.66 s in 2004 and - 93.73 s in 2009 are determined. Pulse profiles of GRO J1008-57 during out- bursts are strongly energy dependent with a double-peaked profile from 3-7 keV and a single-peaked profile in hard X-rays above 7 keV. Combined with previous measure- ments, we find that GRO J1008-57 has undergone a spin-down trend from 1993 - 2009 with a rate of - 4.1 × 10^-5 s d^-1, and could have changed into a spin-up trend after 2009. We find a relatively soft spectrum in the early phase of the 2009 outburst with cutoff energy ~ 13keV. Above a hard X-ray flux of - 10^-9 erg cm^-2 s^-1, the spectra of GRO J1008-57 during outbursts need an enhanced hydrogen absorption with column density ~ 6 x 1022 cm-2. The observed dip-like pulse profile of GRO J1008-57 in soft X-ray bands could be caused by this intrinsic absorption. Around the outburst peaks, a possible cyclotron resonance scattering feature at - 74 keV is detected in the spectra of GRO J1008-57 which is consistent with the feature that was reported in MAXI/GSC observations, making the source a neutron star with the highest known magnetic field （- 6.6 × 10^12 G） among accreting X-ray pulsars. This marginal feature is supported by the present detections in GRO J1008-57 following the correlation between the fundamental line energies and cutoff energies in accret- ing X-ray pulsars. Finally we discovered two modulation periods at - 124.38 d and 248.78d using RXTE/ASM light curves of GRO J1008-57. Two flare peaks ap- pearing in the folded light curve had different spectral properties. The normal outburst lasting 0,1 of an orbital phase had a hard spectrum and could not be significantly de- tected below 3 keV. The second flare lasting ten days showed a very soft spectrum without significant detections above 5 keV. GRO J1008-57 is a good candidate of an accreting system with an equatorial circumstellar disk around the companion star. The neutron star passing the disk of the Be star near periastron and apastron produces two X-ray flares. The soft spectral properties in the secondary flares still need further detailed studies with soft X-ray spectroscopy.

Review of X-ray pulsar spacecraft autonomous navigation

This article provides a review on X-ray pulsar-based navigation(XNAV).The review starts with the basic concept of XNAV,and briefly introduces the past,present and future projects concerning XNAV.This paper focuses on the advances of the key techniques supporting XNAV,including the navigation pulsar database,the X-ray detection system,and the pulse time of arrival estimation.Moreover,the methods to improve the estimation performance of XNAV are reviewed.Finally,some remarks on the future development of XNAV are provided.

Fast period estimation of X-ray pulsar signals using an improved fast folding algorithm

An accurate period is important to recover the pulse profile from a recorded photon event series of an X-ray pulsar and to estimate the pulse time of arrival,which is the measurement of X-ray pulsar navigation.Epoch folding is a classical period estimation method in the time domain;however,its computational complexity grows as the number of trail periods increases.In order to reduce the computational complexity,this paper improves the fast folding algorithm through segment correlation and amplitude accumulation,which is based on the post-order traversal of a binary tree.Compared with epoch folding,the improved fast folding algorithm can achieve a similar accuracy at the cost of a lower computational burden.Compared with the original fast folding algorithm,the improved algorithm can be applied to detectors with a much smaller effective area.The performance of the method is investigated by simulation data and observation data from the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer(NICER).

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.