Long Term X-Ray Spectral Variations of the Seyfert-1 Galaxy Mrk 279

We present the results from a long term X-ray analysis of Mrk 279 during the period 2018–2020.We use data from multiple missions–AstroSat,NuSTAR and XMM-Newton,for the purpose.The X-ray spectrum can be modeled as a double Comptonization along with the presence of neutral Fe Kαline emission,at all epochs.We determined the source’s X-ray flux and luminosity at these different epochs.We find significant variations in the source’s flux state.We also investigate the variations in the source’s spectral components during the observation period.We find that the photon index and hence the spectral shape follow the variations only over longer time periods.We probe the correlations between fluxes of different bands and their photon indices,and found no significant correlations between the parameters.

Feasibility study applied to mapping tidal effects in the Pannonian basin--An effort to check location dependencies atμGal level

This paper summarizes the main instrumental and methodological points of the tidal research which was performed in the framework of the National Scientific Research Fund Project K101603. Since the project is still running the tidal analysis results published here are only preliminary. Unmodelled tidal effects have been highlighted in some recent absolute gravity measurements carried out in the Pannonian basin resulting in a periodic modulation exceeding the typical standard deviations （±1microGal） of the drop sets. Since the most dominant source of the daily gravity variation is the bulk tidal effect, the goal of the project is to check its location dependency at BGal level. Unfortunately Hungary has had no dedicated instrumentation, so an effort was made to make the available LaCoste- Romberg spring G meters capable for continuous recording. As a reference instrument the GWR SG025 operated in the Conrad Observatory, Austria was also used and in the mean time of the project, a Scintrex CG-5 became also available, Eventually 6 instruments at 5 different locations were operated for 3 9 months mainly in co-located configuration. Although many experiments （moving mass calibrations） were done to determine the scale factors and scale functions of the instruments, the direct comparison of the tidal parameters obtained from the observations is still questionable. Therefore the ratio of the delta factors of O1 and M2 tidal constituents was investigated supposing that M2 is much more influenced by the ocean loading effect than O1. The slight detected increase of δ（O1 ）/δ（M2） （≈0.2%） toward east does not contradict to theory. This result has to be validated in the near future by analyzing available ocean loading models.

Metasomatism-induced wehrlite formation in the upper mantle beneath the Nógrád-G?m?r Volcanic Field(Northern Pannonian Basin):Evidence from xenoliths

Clinopyroxene-enriched upper mantle xenoliths classified as wehrlites are common(~20% of all xenoliths) in the central part of the Nograd-G(o| ")m(o|")r Volcanic Field(NGVF),situated in the northern margin of the Pannonian Basin in northern Hungary and southern Slovakia.In this study,we thoroughly investigated 12 wehrlite xenoliths,two from each wehrlite-bearing occurrence,to determine the conditions of their formation.Specific textural features,including clinopyroxene-rich patches in an olivine-rich lithology,orthopyroxene remnants in the cores of newlyformed clinopyroxenes and vermicular spinel forms all suggest that wehrlites were formed as a result of intensive interaction between a metasomatic agent and the peridotite wall rock.Based on the major and trace element geochemistry of the rock-forming minerals,significant enrichment in basaltic(Fe,Mn,Ti) and high field strength elements(Nb,Ta,Hf,Zr) was observed,compared to compositions of common lherzolite xenoliths.The presence of orthopyroxene remnants and geochemical trends in rock-forming minerals suggest that the metasomatic process ceased before complete wehrlitization was achieved.The composition of the metasomatic agent is interpreted to be a mafic silicate melt,which was further confirmed by numerical modelling of trace elements using the plate model.The model results also show that the melt/rock ratio played a key role in the degree of petrographic and geochemical transformation.The lack of equilibrium and the conclusions drawn by using variable lherzolitic precursors in the model both suggest that wehrlitization was the last event that occurred shortly before xenolith entrainment in the host mafic melt.We suggest that the wehrlitization and the Plio-Pleistocene basaltic volcanism are related to the same magmatic event.

Broadband Spectral Properties of MAXI J1348-630 using AstroSat Observations

We present broadband X-ray spectral analysis of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1348-630,performed using five AstroSat observations.The source was in the soft spectral state for the first three observations and in the hard state for the last two.The three soft state spectra were modeled using a relativistic thin accretion disk with reflection features and thermal Comptonization.Joint fitting of the soft state spectra constrained the spin parameter of the black hole a_(*)>0.97 and the disk inclination angle i=32.9_(-0.6)^(+4.1)degrees.The bright and faint hard states had bolometric flux a factor of~6 and~10 less than that of the soft state respectively.Their spectra were fitted using the same model except that the inner disk radius was not assumed to be at the last stable orbit.However,the estimated values do not indicate large truncation radii and the inferred accretion rate in the disk was an order of magnitude lower than that of the soft state.Along with earlier reported temporal analysis,AstroS at data provide a comprehensive picture of the evolution of the source.

Fractions of Compact Object Binaries in Star Clusters:Theoretical Predictions

The binary population in field stars and star clusters contributes to the formation of gravitational wave(GW)sources.However,the fraction of compact-object binaries(CBs),which is an important feature parameter of binary populations,is still difficult to measure and very uncertain.This paper predicts the fractions of important CBs and semi-compact object binaries(SCBs) making use of an advanced stellar population synthesis technique.A comparison with the result of N-body simulation is also presented.It is found that most CBs are formed within about 500 Myr after the starburst.The fractions of CBs and SCBs are demonstrated to correlate with stellar metallicity.The higher the metallicity becomes,the smaller the fraction of black hole binaries(BHBs),neutron star binaries(NSBs) and SCBs.This suggests that the GW sources of BHBs and NSBs are more likely to form in metal-poor environments.However,the fraction of black hole-neutron star binaries is shown to be larger for metalrich populations on average.

Log-normal flux distribution of bright Fermi blazars

We present the results of the γ-ray flux distribution study on the brightest blazars which were observed by Fermi-LAT. We selected 50 of the brightest blazars based on the maximum number of detections reported in the Third LAT AGN Catalog. We performed standard unbinned maximum likelihood analysis on the LAT data during the period between August 2008 and December 2016, in order to obtain the average monthly flux. After quality cuts, blazars for which at least 90% of the total flux had survived were selected for further study, and this included 19 FSRQs and 19 BL Lacs. The Anderson-Darling and χ2 tests suggest that the integrated monthly flux follows a log-normal distribution for all sources, except for three FSRQs for which neither a normal nor a log-normal distribution was preferred. A double log-normal flux distribution tendency was observed in these sources, though this has to be confirmed with improved statistics. We also found that the standard deviation of the log-normal flux distribution increases with the mean spectral index of the blazar, and can be fitted with a line of slope 0.24±0.04. We repeat our study on three additional brightest unclassified blazars to identify their flux distribution properties. Based on the features of their log-normal flux distribution, we infer these unclassified blazars may be closely associated with FSRQs. We also highlight that considering the lognormal behavior of the flux distribution of blazars, averaging their long term flux on a linear scale can largely underestimate the nominal flux and this discrepancy can propagate down to the estimation of source parameters through spectral modeling.

A critique of supernova data analysis in cosmology

Observational astronomy has shown significant growth over the last decade and has made important contributions to cosmology. A major paradigm shift in cosmology was brought about by observations of Type Ia supernovae. The notion that the universe is accelerating has led to several theoretical challenges. Unfortunately, although high-quality supernovae data-sets are being produced, their statistical anal- ysis leaves much to be desired. Instead of using the data to directly test the model, several studies seem to concentrate on assuming the model to be correct and limiting themselves to estimating model parameters and internal errors. As shown here, the important purpose of testing a cosmological theory is thereby vitiated.

Broadband spectral fitting of blazars using XSPEC

The broadband spectral energy distribution（SED） of blazars is generally interpreted as radiation arising from synchrotron and inverse Compton mechanisms. Traditionally,the underlying source parameters responsible for these emission processes,like particle energy density,magnetic field,etc.,are obtained through simple visual reproduction of the observed fluxes. However,this procedure is incapable of providing confidence ranges for the estimated parameters. In this work,we propose an efficient algorithm to perform a statistical fit of the observed broadband spectrum of blazars using different emission models. Moreover,we use the observable quantities as the fit parameters,rather than the direct source parameters which govern the resultant SED. This significantly improves the convergence time and eliminates the uncertainty regarding initial guess parameters. This approach also has an added advantage of identifying the degenerate parameters,which can be removed by including more observable information and/or additional constraints. A computer code developed based on this algorithm is implemented as a user-defined routine in the standard X-ray spectral fitting package,XSPEC. Further,we demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm by fitting the well sampled SED of blazar 3 C 279 during its gamma ray flare in 2014.

Systematic analysis of low/hard state RXTE spectra of GX 339–4 to constrain the geometry of the system

One of the popular models for the low/hard state of black hole binaries is that the standard accretion disk is truncated and the hot inner region produces, via Comptonization, hard X-ray flux.This is supported by the value of the high energy photon index, which is often found to be small,～ 1.7（〈 2）, implying that the hot medium is starved of seed photons. On the other hand, the suggestive presence of a broad relativistic Fe line during the hard state would suggest that the accretion disk is not truncated but extends all the way to the innermost stable circular orbit. In such a case, it is a puzzle why the hot medium would remain photon starved. The broad Fe line should be accompanied by a broad smeared reflection hump at ～ 30 ke V and it may be that this additional component makes the spectrum hard and the intrinsic photon index is larger, i.e. 〉2. This would mean that the medium is not photon deficient, reconciling the presence of a broad Fe line in the observed hard state. To test this hypothesis,we have analyzed the RXTE observations of GX 339–4 from the four outbursts during 2002–2011 and identify observations when the system was in the hard state and showed a broad Fe line. We have then attempted to fit these observations with models, which include smeared reflection, to understand whether the intrinsic photon index can indeed be large. We find that, while for some observations the inclusion of reflection does increase the photon index, there are hard state observations with a broad Fe line that have photon indices less than 2.

Trials and tribulations of playing the devil's advocate

Beginning with his student days at school and college, the author describes his training at Cambridge with special emphasis on his mentor Fred Hoyle. His early experience of participating in a controversy at Cambridge played a major role in giving him the confidence to defend his scientific ideas. All through his later life he chose areas that were not part of mainstream research. These included the steady state theory and later the quasi steady state cosmology, action at a distance, noncosmological redshifts, quantum conformal cosmology, etc. After being a founding member of the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy（IOTA） at Cambridge, the author joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research（TIFR） in Mumbai and later moved to Pune to set up the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics（IUCAA）. He briefly reviews his own work and ends by pointing out the difficulties a non-conformist scientist faces in his professional life. In the conclusion, he mentions his interests in science popularization and science fiction for which he has won awards and appreciation, including UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize.

Long term optical variability of bright X-ray point sources in elliptical galaxies

We present long term optical variability studies of bright X-ray sources in four nearby elliptical galaxies with the Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer array （ACIS-S） and observations from the Hubble Space Telescope （HST） Advanced Camera for Surveys. Out of the 46 bright （X-ray counts 〉 60） sources that are in the common field of view of the Chandra and HST observations, 34 of them have potential optical counterparts, while the rest of them are optically dark. After taking into account systematic errors, estimated using optical sources in the field as a reference, we find that four of the X-ray sources （three in NGC 1399 and one in NGC 1427） have variable optical counterparts at a high level of significance. The X-ray luminosities of these sources are ～10^38 erg S^-1 and are also variable on similar time scales. The optical variability implies that the optical emission is asso- ciated with the X-ray source itself rather than being the integrated light from a host globular cluster. For one source, the change in optical magnitude is 〉 0.3, which is one of the highest reported for this class of X-ray sources and this suggests that the optical variability is induced by the X-ray activity. However, the optically variable sources in NGC 1399 have been reported to have blue colors （g - z 〉 1）. All four sources have been detected in the infrared （IR） by Spitzer as point sources, and their ratios of 5.8 to 3.6 μm flux are 〉 0.63, indicating that their IR spectra are like those of Active Galactic Nuclei （AGNs）. While spectroscopic confirmation is required, it is likely that all four sources are background AGNs. We find none of the X-ray sources having opticalfiR colors different from AGNs to be optically variable.

UV and X-ray variability of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 564

We analyze eight XMM-Newton observations of the bright Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxy Arakelian 564（Ark 564）. These observations, separated bye^6 days, allow us to look for correlations between the simultaneous ultraviolet（UV） emission（from th Optical Monitor） with not only the X-ray flux but also with different X-ray spectral parameters. The X-ray spectra from all the observations are found to be adequately fitted by a double Comptonization model where the soft excess and the hard X-ray power law are represented by thermal Comptonization in a low temperature plasma and hot corona, respectively. Apart from the fluxes of each component, the hard X-ray power law index is found to be variable. These results suggest that the variability is associated with changes in the geometry of the inner region. The UV emission is found to be variable and well correlated with the high energy index while the correlations with the fluxes of each component are found to be weaker. Using viscous timescale arguments we rule out the possibility that the UV variation is due to the fluctuating accretion rate in the outer disk. If the UV variation is driven by X-ray reprocessing, then our results indicate that the strength of the X-ray reprocessing depends more on the geometry of the X-ray producing inner region rather than on the X-ray luminosity alone.

Broad-band spectral study of LMXB black hole candidate 4U 1957+11 with NuSTAR

We present here the results of broadband spectral analysis of a low-mass X-ray binary and a black hole candidate 4 U 1957+11.The source was observed nine times with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope A rray(NuSTAR)between September 2018 and November 2019.During these observations,the spectral state of 4 U 1957+11 evolved marginally.The disc dominant spectra are described well with a hot,multicolor disc blackbody with disc temperature varying in the range kT_(in)~1.35-1.86 keV and a non-thermal component having a steep slope(Γ=2-3).A broad Fe emission line feature(5-8 keV)was observed in the spectra of all the observations.The relativistic disc model was used to study the effect of distance,inclination and the black hole mass on its spin.Simulations indicate a higher spin for smaller distances and lower black hole masses.At smaller distances and higher masses,spin is maximum and almost independent of the distance.An inverse correlation exists between the spin and the spectral hardening factor for all the cases.The system prefers a moderate spin of about 0.85 for black hole masses between 4-6 M⊙for a 7 kpc distance.

Optical spectroscopy and photometry of main-belt asteroids with a high orbital inclination

We carried out low-resolution optical spectroscopy of 51 main-belt asteroids, most of which have highly-inclined orbits. They are selected from D-type candidates in the SDSS-MOC 4 catalog. Using the University of Hawaii 2.2 m telescope and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 m telescope in India, we determined the spectral types of 38 asteroids. Among them, eight asteroids were classified as D-type asteroids. Fractions of D-type asteroids are 3.0 ± 1.1% for low orbital inclination main-belt asteroids and 7.3 ± 2.0% for high orbital inclination main-belt asteroids. The results of our study indicate that some D-type asteroids were formed within the ecliptic region between the main belt and Jupiter, and were then perturbed by Jupiter.

Nonlinear time series analysis of the light curves from the black hole system GRS1915+105

GRS 1915＋105 is a prominent black hole system exhibiting variability over a wide range of time scales and its observed light curves have been classified into 12 temporal states. Here we undertake a complete analysis of these light curves from all the states using various quantifiers from nonlinear time series analysis, such as the correlation dimension （D2）, the correlation entropy （K2）, singular value decomposition （SVD） and the multifractal spectrum （f（α） spectrum）. An important aspect of our analysis is that, for estimating these quantifiers, we use algorithmic schemes which we have recently proposed and successfully tested on synthetic as well as practical time series from various fields. Though the schemes are based on the conventional delay embedding technique, they are automated so that the above quantitative measures can be computed using conditions prescribed by the algorithm and without any intermediate subjective analysis. We show that nearly half of the 12 temporal states exhibit deviation from randomness and their complex temporal behavior could be approximated by a few （three or four） coupled ordinary nonlinear differential equations. These results could be important for a better understanding of the processes that generate the light curves and hence for modeling the temporal behavior of such complex systems. To our knowledge, this is the first complete analysis of an astrophysical object （let alone a black hole system） using various techniques from nonlinear dynamics.

Comprehensive spectral analysis of Cyg X-1 using RXTE data

We analyze a large number （〉 500） of pointed Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer （RXTE） observations of Cyg X- 1 and model the spectrum of each one. A subset of the observations for which there is a simultaneous reliable measure of the hardness ratio by the All Sky Monitor shows that the sample covers nearly all the spectral shapes of Cyg X-1. Each observation is fitted with a generic empirical model consisting of a disk black body spectrum, a Comptonized component whose input photon shape is the same as the disk emission, a Gaussian to represent the iron line and a reflection feature. The relative strength, width of the iron line and the reflection parameter are in general correlated with the high energy photon spectral index F. This is broadly consistent with a geometry where for the hard state （low F ~ 1.7） there is a hot in- ner Comptonizing region surrounded by a truncated cold disk. The inner edge of the disk moves inwards as the source becomes softer till finally in the soft state （high F 〉 2.2） the disk fills the inner region and active regions above the disk produce the Comptonized component. However, the reflection parameter shows non-monotonic behavior near the transition region （F ~ 2）, which suggests a more complex geometry or physical state of the reflector. In addition, the inner disk temperature, during the hard state, is on average higher than in the soft one, albeit with large scatter. These inconsistencies could be due to limitations in the data and the empirical model used to fit them. The flux of each spectral component is well correlated with F, which shows that unlike some other black hole systems, Cyg X- 1 does not show any hysteresis be- havior. In the soft state, the flux of the Comptonized component is always similar to the disk one, which confirms that the ultra-soft state （seen in other brighter black hole systems） is not exhibited by Cyg X-1. The rapid variation of the Compton amplifica- tion factor with F naturally explains the absence of spectra with lP 〈 1.6, despite a large number having F ~ 1.65. This comprehensive analysis lays the framework by which more detailed and sophisticated broadband observations may be understood.

X-Ray and Radio Studies of the Candidate Millisecond Pulsar Binary 4FGL J0935.3+0901

4 FGL J0935.5+0901, a γ-ray source recently identified as a candidate redback-type millisecond pulsar(MSP)binary, shows an interesting feature of having double-peaked emission lines in its optical spectrum. This feature would further suggest the source is a transitional MSP system in the sub-luminous disk state. We have observed the source with XMM-Newton and Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST) at X-ray and radio frequencies respectively for further studies. From the X-ray observation, a bimodal count-rate distribution, which is a distinctive feature of the transitional MSP systems, is not detected, but the properties of X-ray variability and power-law spectrum are determined for the source. These results help establish the consistency of it being a redback in the radio pulsar state. However no radio pulsation signals are found in the FAST observation, resulting in an upper limit on the flux density of ~4 μJy. Implications of these results are discussed.

Magnetar giant flare originating from GRB 200415A:transient GeV emission, time-resolved E_(p)-L_(iso) correlation and implications

Giant flares(GFs)are unusual bursts from soft gamma-ray repeaters(SGRs)that release an enormous amount of energy in a fraction of a second.The afterglow emission of these SGR-GFs or GF candidates is a highly beneficial means of discerning their composition,relativistic speed and emission mechanisms.GRB 200415A is a recent GF candidate observed in a direction coincident with the nearby Sculptor galaxy at 3.5 Mpc.In this work,we searched for transient gamma-ray emission in past observations by Fermi-LAT in the direction of GRB 200415A.These observations confirm that GRB 200415A is observed as a transient GeV source only once.A pure pair-plasma fireball cannot provide the required energy for the interpretation of GeV afterglow emission and a baryonic poor outflow is additionally needed to explain the afterglow emission.A baryonic rich outflow is also viable,as it can explain the variability and observed quasi-thermal spectrum of the prompt emission if dissipation is happening below the photosphere via internal shocks.Using the peak energy(Ep)of the time-resolved prompt emission spectra and their fluxes(Fp),we found a correlation between Ep and Fp or isotropic luminosity Liso for GRB 200415A.This supports the intrinsic nature of Ep-Liso correlation found in SGRs-GFs,hence favoring a baryonic poor outflow.Our results also indicate a different mechanism at work during the initial spike,and that the evolution of the prompt emission spectral properties in this outflow would be intrinsically due to the injection process.

The kilosecond variability of X-ray sources in nearby galaxies

Chandra observations of 17 nearby galaxies were analyzed and 166 bright sources with X-ray counts 〉 100 were chosen for temporal analysis. Fractional root mean square （rms） variability amplitudes were estimated for light curves, binned at 4 kilosecond （ks）, with length 〈 40 ks. While there are nine ultra-luminous X- ray sources （ULXs） with unabsorbed luminosity （in the 0.3-8.0 keV band） L 〉 1039 erg s-1 in the sample for which the fractional rms variability is constrained to be 〈 10%, only two of them show variability. One of the variable ULXs exhibits a secular transition and has an ultra-soft spectrum with temperature - 0.3 keV while the other is a rapidly varying source in NGC 0628, which has previously been com- pared to the Galactic microquasar GRS 1915＋105. These results seem to indicate that ULXs are typically not highly variable on ks timescales, except for some ultra-soft ones. Among the relatively low luminosity sources （L - 10^38 erg s-1）, we find five of them to be variable. Apart from an earlier known source in NGC 1569, we identify a source in NGC 2403 that exhibits persistent high amplitude fluctuations. In general, the variability of the sources does not seem to be correlated with hardness, which indicates that they may not be due to variations in any absorbing material, but instead could reflect instabilities in the inner accretion disk.

The peculiar velocity and temperature profile of galaxy clusters

Dynamical parameters like average velocity dispersion and temperature profile of galaxy clusters are determined using the theory of quasi-equilibrium ther- modynamics. The calculated results of velocity dispersion show a good agreement between theory and simulations with the results of velocity dispersion from Abdullah et al. An adaptive mesh refinement grid-based hybrid code has been used to carry out the simulations. Our results indicate that the average velocity dispersion profile of 20 Abell galaxy clusters falls in the range of 500 - 1000 km s^-1 and their temperature profile is of the order of 10^7 to 10^8 K calculated on the basis of kinetic theory. The data in the plot show a significant contribution from gravitating particles clustering together in the vicinity of the cluster center and beyond a certain region this veloc- ity dies out and becomes dominated by the Hubble flow due to which all the galaxy clusters in an expanding universe participate in Hubble expansion.