2025
Modulation of X-Ray Flux by Obscuration of Neutron Star Boundary Layer
TÖRÖK, Gabriel; Kateřina KLIMOVIČOVÁ; Debora LANČOVÁ; Monika MATUSZKOVÁ; Eva ŠRÁMKOVÁ et al.Basic information
Original name
Modulation of X-Ray Flux by Obscuration of Neutron Star Boundary Layer
Authors
TÖRÖK, Gabriel; Kateřina KLIMOVIČOVÁ; Debora LANČOVÁ; Monika MATUSZKOVÁ; Eva ŠRÁMKOVÁ; Martin URBANEC; Miljenko ČEMELJIĆ; René ŠPRŇA and Vladimír KARAS
Edition
Astrophysical Journal, GB - Spojené království Velké Británie a, 2025, 0004-637X
Other information
Language
English
Type of outcome
Article in a journal
Field of Study
10308 Astronomy
Country of publisher
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Confidentiality degree
is not subject to a state or trade secret
References:
Impact factor
Impact factor: 5.400 in 2024
Organization unit
Institute of physics in Opava
UT WoS
001427563300001
EID Scopus
2-s2.0-85219032655
Keywords in English
quasi periodic oscillations;integrated relativistic tori; black hole; epicyclic oscillations;axisymetrical modes; accreation tori;light curves;mass;binares;disk
Tags
Tags
International impact, Reviewed
Links
GN25-16928O, research and development project. GX21-06825X, research and development project.
Changed: 26/1/2026 09:23, Mgr. Pavlína Jalůvková
Abstract
In the original language
The quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in the X-ray variability of both black hole (BH) and neutron star (NS) systems provide a tool for probing strong gravity and dense matter equations of state. Nevertheless, the mechanism of QPO modulation in NS systems, where the amplitudes of QPOs with frequencies approaching the kHz range are very high in comparison to BH high-frequency QPOs, remains an unsolved puzzle. Relativistic ray tracing of photons emitted from the immediate vicinity of compact objects has, to date, been used to investigate various mechanisms that explain the observed weak BH QPOs. However, it has not been applied to model the NS QPO signal, which requires incorporating the NS surface and a bright boundary layer (BL) on it. Here, we explore the QPO modulation mechanisms based on the BL obscuration. Using simplified models of axisymmetric oscillations of thick accretion disks (tori), we demonstrate that the disk oscillations drive the high NS QPO amplitudes through BL obscuration, which is relevant, especially for vertical oscillations. We also demonstrate that obscuration effects enable the observability of the Keplerian frequency in the case of disks that decay due to instabilities.