Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462

Massimo Cocchi; Andrea Gnarini; Sergio Fabiani; Francesco Ursini; Juri Poutanen; Fiamma Capitanio; Anna Bobrikova; Ruben Farinelli; Adamantia Paizis; Lara Sidoli; Alexandra Veledina; Stefano Bianchi; Alessandro Di Marco; Adam Ingram; Jari J.E. Kajava; Fabio La Monaca; Giorgio Matt; Christian Malacaria; Romana Mikušincová; John Rankin; Silvia Zane; Iván Agudo; Lucio A. Antonelli; Matteo Bachetti; Luca Baldini; Wayne H. Baumgartner; Ronaldo Bellazzini; Stephen D. Bongiorno; Raffaella Bonino; Alessandro Brez; Niccolò Bucciantini; Simone Castellano; Elisabetta Cavazzuti; Chien Ting Chen; Stefano Ciprini; Enrico Costa; Alessandra De Rosa; Ettore Del Monte; Laura Di Gesu; Niccolò Di Lalla; Immacolata Donnarumma; Victor Doroshenko; Michal Dovčiak; Steven R. Ehlert; Teruaki Enoto; Yuri Evangelista; Riccardo Ferrazzoli; Javier A. Garcia; Shuichi Gunji; Kiyoshi Hayashida; Jeremy Heyl; Wataru Iwakiri; Svetlana G. Jorstad; Philip Kaaret; Vladimir Karas; Fabian Kislat; Takao Kitaguchi; Jeffery J. Kolodziejczak; Henric Krawczynski; Luca Latronico; Ioannis Liodakis; Simone Maldera; Alberto Manfreda; Frédéric Marin; Andrea Marinucci; Alan P. Marscher; Herman L. Marshall; Francesco Massaro; Ikuyuki Mitsuishi; Tsunefumi Mizuno; Fabio Muleri; Michela Negro; Chi Yung Ng; Stephen L. O'dell; Nicola Omodei; Chiara Oppedisano; Alessandro Papitto; George G. Pavlov; Abel L. Peirson; Matteo Perri; Melissa Pesce-Rollins; Pierre Olivier Petrucci; Maura Pilia; Andrea Possenti; Simonetta Puccetti; Brian D. Ramsey; Ajay Ratheesh; Oliver J. Roberts; Roger W. Romani; Carmelo Sgrò; Patrick Slane; Paolo Soffitta; Gloria Spandre; Douglas A. Swartz; Toru Tamagawa; Fabrizio Tavecchio; Roberto Taverna; Yuzuru Tawara; Allyn F. Tennant; Nicholas E. Thomas; Francesco Tombesi; Alessio Trois; Sergey S. Tsygankov; Roberto Turolla; Jacco Vink; Martin C. Weisskopf; Kinwah Wu; Fei Xie

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202346275

Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462

Massimo Cocchi, Andrea Gnarini, Sergio Fabiani, Francesco Ursini, Juri Poutanen, Fiamma Capitanio, Anna Bobrikova, Ruben Farinelli, Adamantia Paizis, Lara Sidoli, Alexandra Veledina, Stefano Bianchi, Alessandro Di Marco, Adam Ingram, Jari J.E. Kajava, Fabio La Monaca, Giorgio Matt, Christian Malacaria, Romana Mikušincová, John RankinSilvia Zane, Iván Agudo, Lucio A. Antonelli, Matteo Bachetti, Luca Baldini, Wayne H. Baumgartner, Ronaldo Bellazzini, Stephen D. Bongiorno, Raffaella Bonino, Alessandro Brez, Niccolò Bucciantini, Simone Castellano, Elisabetta Cavazzuti, Chien Ting Chen, Stefano Ciprini, Enrico Costa, Alessandra De Rosa, Ettore Del Monte, Laura Di Gesu, Niccolò Di Lalla, Immacolata Donnarumma, Victor Doroshenko, Michal Dovčiak, Steven R. Ehlert, Teruaki Enoto, Yuri Evangelista, Riccardo Ferrazzoli, Javier A. Garcia, Shuichi Gunji, Kiyoshi Hayashida, Jeremy Heyl, Wataru Iwakiri, Svetlana G. Jorstad, Philip Kaaret, Vladimir Karas, Fabian Kislat, Takao Kitaguchi, Jeffery J. Kolodziejczak, Henric Krawczynski, Luca Latronico, Ioannis Liodakis, Simone Maldera, Alberto Manfreda, Frédéric Marin, Andrea Marinucci, Alan P. Marscher, Herman L. Marshall, Francesco Massaro, Ikuyuki Mitsuishi, Tsunefumi Mizuno, Fabio Muleri, Michela Negro, Chi Yung Ng, Stephen L. O'dell, Nicola Omodei, Chiara Oppedisano, Alessandro Papitto, George G. Pavlov, Abel L. Peirson, Matteo Perri, Melissa Pesce-Rollins, Pierre Olivier Petrucci, Maura Pilia, Andrea Possenti, Simonetta Puccetti, Brian D. Ramsey, Ajay Ratheesh, Oliver J. Roberts, Roger W. Romani, Carmelo Sgrò, Patrick Slane, Paolo Soffitta, Gloria Spandre, Douglas A. Swartz, Toru Tamagawa, Fabrizio Tavecchio, Roberto Taverna, Yuzuru Tawara, Allyn F. Tennant, Nicholas E. Thomas, Francesco Tombesi, Alessio Trois, Sergey S. Tsygankov, Roberto Turolla, Jacco Vink, Martin C. Weisskopf, Kinwah Wu, Fei Xie

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Abstract

Context. After about 16 years since its first outburst, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 turned on again in September 2022, allowing for the first study of its X-ray polarimetric characteristics by a dedicated observing program with the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE). Aims. Polarimetric studies of XTE J1701-462 have been expected to improve our understanding of accreting weakly magnetized neutron stars, in particular, the physics and the geometry of the hot inner regions close to the compact object. Methods. The IXPE data of two triggered observations were analyzed using time-resolved spectroscopic and polarimetric techniques, following the source along its Z-track of the color-color diagram. Results. During the first pointing on 2022 September 29, an average 2-8 keV polarization degree of (4.6-±-0.4)% was measured, the highest value found up to now for this class of sources. Conversely, only a ∼0.6% average degree was obtained during the second pointing ten days later. Conclusions. The polarimetric signal appears to be strictly related to the higher energy blackbody component associated with the boundary layer (BL) emission and its reflection from the inner accretion disk, and it is as strong as 6.1% and 1.2% (> 95% significant) above 3-4 keV for the two measurements, respectively. The variable polarimetric signal is apparently related to the spectral characteristics of XTE J1701-462, which is the strongest when the source was in the horizontal branch of its Z-track and the weakest in the normal branch. These IXPE results provide new important observational constraints on the physical models and geometry of the Z-sources. Here, we discuss the possible reasons for the presence of strong and variable polarization among these sources.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	L10
Journal	Astronomy and Astrophysics
Volume	674
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346275
State	Published - Jun 1 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1051/0004-6361/202346275

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Cocchi, M., Gnarini, A., Fabiani, S., Ursini, F., Poutanen, J., Capitanio, F., Bobrikova, A., Farinelli, R., Paizis, A., Sidoli, L., Veledina, A., Bianchi, S., Di Marco, A., Ingram, A., Kajava, J. J. E., La Monaca, F., Matt, G., Malacaria, C., Mikušincová, R., ... Xie, F. (2023). Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 674, Article L10. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346275

@article{cd4be5560153432383b923ea55a98bf1,

title = "Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462",

abstract = "Context. After about 16 years since its first outburst, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 turned on again in September 2022, allowing for the first study of its X-ray polarimetric characteristics by a dedicated observing program with the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE). Aims. Polarimetric studies of XTE J1701-462 have been expected to improve our understanding of accreting weakly magnetized neutron stars, in particular, the physics and the geometry of the hot inner regions close to the compact object. Methods. The IXPE data of two triggered observations were analyzed using time-resolved spectroscopic and polarimetric techniques, following the source along its Z-track of the color-color diagram. Results. During the first pointing on 2022 September 29, an average 2-8 keV polarization degree of (4.6-±-0.4)% was measured, the highest value found up to now for this class of sources. Conversely, only a ∼0.6% average degree was obtained during the second pointing ten days later. Conclusions. The polarimetric signal appears to be strictly related to the higher energy blackbody component associated with the boundary layer (BL) emission and its reflection from the inner accretion disk, and it is as strong as 6.1% and 1.2% (> 95% significant) above 3-4 keV for the two measurements, respectively. The variable polarimetric signal is apparently related to the spectral characteristics of XTE J1701-462, which is the strongest when the source was in the horizontal branch of its Z-track and the weakest in the normal branch. These IXPE results provide new important observational constraints on the physical models and geometry of the Z-sources. Here, we discuss the possible reasons for the presence of strong and variable polarization among these sources.",

author = "Massimo Cocchi and Andrea Gnarini and Sergio Fabiani and Francesco Ursini and Juri Poutanen and Fiamma Capitanio and Anna Bobrikova and Ruben Farinelli and Adamantia Paizis and Lara Sidoli and Alexandra Veledina and Stefano Bianchi and {Di Marco}, Alessandro and Adam Ingram and Kajava, {Jari J.E.} and {La Monaca}, Fabio and Giorgio Matt and Christian Malacaria and Romana Miku{\v s}incov{\'a} and John Rankin and Silvia Zane and Iv{\'a}n Agudo and Antonelli, {Lucio A.} and Matteo Bachetti and Luca Baldini and Baumgartner, {Wayne H.} and Ronaldo Bellazzini and Bongiorno, {Stephen D.} and Raffaella Bonino and Alessandro Brez and Niccol{\`o} Bucciantini and Simone Castellano and Elisabetta Cavazzuti and Chen, {Chien Ting} and Stefano Ciprini and Enrico Costa and {De Rosa}, Alessandra and {Del Monte}, Ettore and {Di Gesu}, Laura and {Di Lalla}, Niccol{\`o} and Immacolata Donnarumma and Victor Doroshenko and Michal Dov{\v c}iak and Ehlert, {Steven R.} and Teruaki Enoto and Yuri Evangelista and Riccardo Ferrazzoli and Garcia, {Javier A.} and Shuichi Gunji and Kiyoshi Hayashida and Jeremy Heyl and Wataru Iwakiri and Jorstad, {Svetlana G.} and Philip Kaaret and Vladimir Karas and Fabian Kislat and Takao Kitaguchi and Kolodziejczak, {Jeffery J.} and Henric Krawczynski and Luca Latronico and Ioannis Liodakis and Simone Maldera and Alberto Manfreda and Fr{\'e}d{\'e}ric Marin and Andrea Marinucci and Marscher, {Alan P.} and Marshall, {Herman L.} and Francesco Massaro and Ikuyuki Mitsuishi and Tsunefumi Mizuno and Fabio Muleri and Michela Negro and Ng, {Chi Yung} and O'dell, {Stephen L.} and Nicola Omodei and Chiara Oppedisano and Alessandro Papitto and Pavlov, {George G.} and Peirson, {Abel L.} and Matteo Perri and Melissa Pesce-Rollins and Petrucci, {Pierre Olivier} and Maura Pilia and Andrea Possenti and Simonetta Puccetti and Ramsey, {Brian D.} and Ajay Ratheesh and Roberts, {Oliver J.} and Romani, {Roger W.} and Carmelo Sgr{\`o} and Patrick Slane and Paolo Soffitta and Gloria Spandre and Swartz, {Douglas A.} and Toru Tamagawa and Fabrizio Tavecchio and Roberto Taverna and Yuzuru Tawara and Tennant, {Allyn F.} and Thomas, {Nicholas E.} and Francesco Tombesi and Alessio Trois and Tsygankov, {Sergey S.} and Roberto Turolla and Jacco Vink and Weisskopf, {Martin C.} and Kinwah Wu and Fei Xie",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Authors 2023.",

year = "2023",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1051/0004-6361/202346275",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "674",

journal = "Astronomy and Astrophysics",

issn = "0004-6361",

publisher = "EDP Sciences",

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Cocchi, M, Gnarini, A, Fabiani, S, Ursini, F, Poutanen, J, Capitanio, F, Bobrikova, A, Farinelli, R, Paizis, A, Sidoli, L, Veledina, A, Bianchi, S, Di Marco, A, Ingram, A, Kajava, JJE, La Monaca, F, Matt, G, Malacaria, C, Mikušincová, R, Rankin, J, Zane, S, Agudo, I, Antonelli, LA, Bachetti, M, Baldini, L, Baumgartner, WH, Bellazzini, R, Bongiorno, SD, Bonino, R, Brez, A, Bucciantini, N, Castellano, S, Cavazzuti, E, Chen, CT, Ciprini, S, Costa, E, De Rosa, A, Del Monte, E, Di Gesu, L, Di Lalla, N, Donnarumma, I, Doroshenko, V, Dovčiak, M, Ehlert, SR, Enoto, T, Evangelista, Y, Ferrazzoli, R, Garcia, JA, Gunji, S, Hayashida, K, Heyl, J, Iwakiri, W, Jorstad, SG, Kaaret, P, Karas, V, Kislat, F, Kitaguchi, T, Kolodziejczak, JJ, Krawczynski, H, Latronico, L, Liodakis, I, Maldera, S, Manfreda, A, Marin, F, Marinucci, A, Marscher, AP, Marshall, HL, Massaro, F, Mitsuishi, I, Mizuno, T, Muleri, F, Negro, M, Ng, CY, O'dell, SL, Omodei, N, Oppedisano, C, Papitto, A, Pavlov, GG, Peirson, AL, Perri, M, Pesce-Rollins, M, Petrucci, PO, Pilia, M, Possenti, A, Puccetti, S, Ramsey, BD, Ratheesh, A, Roberts, OJ, Romani, RW, Sgrò, C, Slane, P, Soffitta, P, Spandre, G, Swartz, DA, Tamagawa, T, Tavecchio, F, Taverna, R, Tawara, Y, Tennant, AF, Thomas, NE, Tombesi, F, Trois, A, Tsygankov, SS, Turolla, R, Vink, J, Weisskopf, MC, Wu, K & Xie, F 2023, 'Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462', Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 674, L10. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346275

TY - JOUR

T1 - Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462

AU - Cocchi, Massimo

AU - Gnarini, Andrea

AU - Fabiani, Sergio

AU - Ursini, Francesco

AU - Poutanen, Juri

AU - Capitanio, Fiamma

AU - Bobrikova, Anna

AU - Farinelli, Ruben

AU - Paizis, Adamantia

AU - Sidoli, Lara

AU - Veledina, Alexandra

AU - Bianchi, Stefano

AU - Di Marco, Alessandro

AU - Ingram, Adam

AU - Kajava, Jari J.E.

AU - La Monaca, Fabio

AU - Matt, Giorgio

AU - Malacaria, Christian

AU - Mikušincová, Romana

AU - Rankin, John

AU - Zane, Silvia

AU - Agudo, Iván

AU - Antonelli, Lucio A.

AU - Bachetti, Matteo

AU - Baldini, Luca

AU - Baumgartner, Wayne H.

AU - Bellazzini, Ronaldo

AU - Bongiorno, Stephen D.

AU - Bonino, Raffaella

AU - Brez, Alessandro

AU - Bucciantini, Niccolò

AU - Castellano, Simone

AU - Cavazzuti, Elisabetta

AU - Chen, Chien Ting

AU - Ciprini, Stefano

AU - Costa, Enrico

AU - De Rosa, Alessandra

AU - Del Monte, Ettore

AU - Di Gesu, Laura

AU - Di Lalla, Niccolò

AU - Donnarumma, Immacolata

AU - Doroshenko, Victor

AU - Dovčiak, Michal

AU - Ehlert, Steven R.

AU - Enoto, Teruaki

AU - Evangelista, Yuri

AU - Ferrazzoli, Riccardo

AU - Garcia, Javier A.

AU - Gunji, Shuichi

AU - Hayashida, Kiyoshi

AU - Heyl, Jeremy

AU - Iwakiri, Wataru

AU - Jorstad, Svetlana G.

AU - Kaaret, Philip

AU - Karas, Vladimir

AU - Kislat, Fabian

AU - Kitaguchi, Takao

AU - Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.

AU - Krawczynski, Henric

AU - Latronico, Luca

AU - Liodakis, Ioannis

AU - Maldera, Simone

AU - Manfreda, Alberto

AU - Marin, Frédéric

AU - Marinucci, Andrea

AU - Marscher, Alan P.

AU - Marshall, Herman L.

AU - Massaro, Francesco

AU - Mitsuishi, Ikuyuki

AU - Mizuno, Tsunefumi

AU - Muleri, Fabio

AU - Negro, Michela

AU - Ng, Chi Yung

AU - O'dell, Stephen L.

AU - Omodei, Nicola

AU - Oppedisano, Chiara

AU - Papitto, Alessandro

AU - Pavlov, George G.

AU - Peirson, Abel L.

AU - Perri, Matteo

AU - Pesce-Rollins, Melissa

AU - Petrucci, Pierre Olivier

AU - Pilia, Maura

AU - Possenti, Andrea

AU - Puccetti, Simonetta

AU - Ramsey, Brian D.

AU - Ratheesh, Ajay

AU - Roberts, Oliver J.

AU - Romani, Roger W.

AU - Sgrò, Carmelo

AU - Slane, Patrick

AU - Soffitta, Paolo

AU - Spandre, Gloria

AU - Swartz, Douglas A.

AU - Tamagawa, Toru

AU - Tavecchio, Fabrizio

AU - Taverna, Roberto

AU - Tawara, Yuzuru

AU - Tennant, Allyn F.

AU - Thomas, Nicholas E.

AU - Tombesi, Francesco

AU - Trois, Alessio

AU - Tsygankov, Sergey S.

AU - Turolla, Roberto

AU - Vink, Jacco

AU - Weisskopf, Martin C.

AU - Wu, Kinwah

AU - Xie, Fei

PY - 2023/6/1

Y1 - 2023/6/1

N2 - Context. After about 16 years since its first outburst, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 turned on again in September 2022, allowing for the first study of its X-ray polarimetric characteristics by a dedicated observing program with the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE). Aims. Polarimetric studies of XTE J1701-462 have been expected to improve our understanding of accreting weakly magnetized neutron stars, in particular, the physics and the geometry of the hot inner regions close to the compact object. Methods. The IXPE data of two triggered observations were analyzed using time-resolved spectroscopic and polarimetric techniques, following the source along its Z-track of the color-color diagram. Results. During the first pointing on 2022 September 29, an average 2-8 keV polarization degree of (4.6-±-0.4)% was measured, the highest value found up to now for this class of sources. Conversely, only a ∼0.6% average degree was obtained during the second pointing ten days later. Conclusions. The polarimetric signal appears to be strictly related to the higher energy blackbody component associated with the boundary layer (BL) emission and its reflection from the inner accretion disk, and it is as strong as 6.1% and 1.2% (> 95% significant) above 3-4 keV for the two measurements, respectively. The variable polarimetric signal is apparently related to the spectral characteristics of XTE J1701-462, which is the strongest when the source was in the horizontal branch of its Z-track and the weakest in the normal branch. These IXPE results provide new important observational constraints on the physical models and geometry of the Z-sources. Here, we discuss the possible reasons for the presence of strong and variable polarization among these sources.

AB - Context. After about 16 years since its first outburst, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 turned on again in September 2022, allowing for the first study of its X-ray polarimetric characteristics by a dedicated observing program with the Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE). Aims. Polarimetric studies of XTE J1701-462 have been expected to improve our understanding of accreting weakly magnetized neutron stars, in particular, the physics and the geometry of the hot inner regions close to the compact object. Methods. The IXPE data of two triggered observations were analyzed using time-resolved spectroscopic and polarimetric techniques, following the source along its Z-track of the color-color diagram. Results. During the first pointing on 2022 September 29, an average 2-8 keV polarization degree of (4.6-±-0.4)% was measured, the highest value found up to now for this class of sources. Conversely, only a ∼0.6% average degree was obtained during the second pointing ten days later. Conclusions. The polarimetric signal appears to be strictly related to the higher energy blackbody component associated with the boundary layer (BL) emission and its reflection from the inner accretion disk, and it is as strong as 6.1% and 1.2% (> 95% significant) above 3-4 keV for the two measurements, respectively. The variable polarimetric signal is apparently related to the spectral characteristics of XTE J1701-462, which is the strongest when the source was in the horizontal branch of its Z-track and the weakest in the normal branch. These IXPE results provide new important observational constraints on the physical models and geometry of the Z-sources. Here, we discuss the possible reasons for the presence of strong and variable polarization among these sources.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164300184&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85164300184&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1051/0004-6361/202346275

DO - 10.1051/0004-6361/202346275

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85164300184

SN - 0004-6361

VL - 674

JO - Astronomy and Astrophysics

JF - Astronomy and Astrophysics

M1 - L10

ER -

Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701-462

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