papers

Publications (157)

astro-ph.HE2023

First X-ray polarization measurement confirms the low black-hole spin in LMC X-3

Jiří Svoboda, Michal Dovčiak, James F. Steiner +109

X-ray polarization is a powerful tool to investigate the geometry of accreting material around black holes, allowing independent measurements of the black hole spin and orientation…

astro-ph.HE2026

A candidate proton cyclotron feature in the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 4656 ULX-1

Nelson Cruz-Sanchez, Enzo A. Saavedra, Federico A. Fogantini +6

Ultraluminous X-ray sources represent extreme super-Eddington accretion regimes, and a subset is now known to host highly magnetized neutron stars. However, direct observational pr…

astro-ph.HE2025

X-ray Polarization of the High-Synchrotron-Peak BL Lacertae Object 1ES 1959+650 during Intermediate and High X-ray Flux States

Luigi Pacciani, Dawoon E. Kim, Riccardo Middei +97

We report the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) polarimetric and simultaneous multiwavelength observations of the high-energy-peaked BL Lacertae (HBL) object 1ES 1959+650,…

astro-ph.HE2026

Synchrotron radiation from NGC 470 HLX1 - a hidden hyperluminous accreting neutron star?

Tanuman Ghosh, Shiv Sethi, Gulab Chand Dewangan +3

We present the first broadband spectral analysis of NGC 470 HLX1, a hyperluminous X-ray source that exhibits significant flux variability over different epochs. We investigate the…

astro-ph.HE2016

Magnetar-like activity from the central compact object in the SNR RCW103

Nanda Rea, Alice Borghese, Paolo Esposito +4

The 6.67 hr periodicity and the variable X-ray flux of the central compact object (CCO) at the center of the SNR RCW 103, named 1E 161348-5055, have been always difficult to interp…

astro-ph.IM2015

Calibration of the NuSTAR High Energy Focusing X-ray Telescope

Kristin K. Madsen, Fiona A. Harrison, Craig B. Markwardt +19

We present the calibration of the \textit{Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array} (\nustar) X-ray satellite. We used the Crab as the primary effective area calibrator and constructe…

astro-ph.HE2023

Polarized x-rays constrain the disk-jet geometry in the black hole x-ray binary Cygnus X-1

Henric Krawczynski, Fabio Muleri, Michal Dovčiak +111

A black hole x-ray binary (XRB) system forms when gas is stripped from a normal star and accretes onto a black hole, which heats the gas sufficiently to emit x-rays. We report a po…

astro-ph.HE2026

IXPE view of the Crab pulsar following the 17 July and 6 August 2025 glitches

Paolo Soffitta, Niccolò Bucciantini, Josephine Wong +19

The Crab pulsar experienced two relatively small glitches separated by only 20 days in September and October 2025. IXPE observed the source twice, with delay times since the glitch…

astro-ph.HE2025

Discovering periodic and repeating nuclear transients in the XMM-Newton archives

Natalie A. Webb, Vincent Foustoul, Robbie Webbe +3

The regions around massive black holes can show X-ray variability on timescales from seconds to decades. Observing many black holes over different timescales can enhance our chance…

astro-ph.IM2024

PINT: Maximum-likelihood estimation of pulsar timing noise parameters

Abhimanyu Susobhanan, David Kaplan, Anne Archibald +21

PINT is a pure-Python framework for high-precision pulsar timing developed on top of widely used and well-tested Python libraries, supporting both interactive and programmatic data…

astro-ph.HE2023

Observations of Low and Intermediate Spectral Peak Blazars with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

Herman L. Marshall, Ioannis Liodakis, Alan P. Marscher +145

We present X-ray polarimetry observations from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) of three low spectral peak and one intermediate spectral peak blazars, namely 3C 273, 3…

astro-ph.HE2025

Super-Eddington Accretion Geometry: a Remarkable Stability of the Hidden Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Cygnus X-3

Romana Mikušincová, Alexandra Veledina, Fabio Muleri +112

We report on the average and orbital phase-resolved polarization of Cyg X-3 in the hard state during the 2023 Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observational campaign. We f…

astro-ph.HE2026

Peering through the dip: IXPE unveils the extended scattering environment of GX 13+1

Alessandro Di Marco, Fabio La Monaca, Luigi Stella +17

Neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries feature complex accretion geometries, often including an accretion disk corona or disk winds. Here, a study of the highly inclined dipping sour…

astro-ph.HE2013

The Reflection Component from Cygnus X-1 in the Soft State Measured by NuSTAR and Suzaku

John A. Tomsick, Michael A. Nowak, Michael Parker +21

The black hole binary Cygnus X-1 was observed in late-2012 with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and Suzaku, providing spectral coverage over the ~1-300 keV range…

astro-ph.HE2023

X-ray Polarization of the Eastern Lobe of SS 433

Philip Kaaret, Riccardo Ferrazzoli, Stefano Silvestri +103

How astrophysical systems translate the kinetic energy of bulk motion into the acceleration of particles to very high energies is a pressing question. SS 433 is a microquasar that…

astro-ph.HE2023

Complex variations of X-ray polarization in the X-ray pulsar LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431

Victor Doroshenko, Juri Poutanen, Jeremy Heyl +109

We report on Imaging X-ray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) observations of the Be-transient X-ray pulsar LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431 made at two luminosity levels during the giant outb…

astro-ph.HE2026

The Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) Community Science Book

Michael Koss, Nafisa Aftab, Steven W. Allen +395

The AXIS Community Science Book represents the collective effort of 592 scientists worldwide to define the transformative science enabled by the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (A…

astro-ph.HE2014

The Broadband XMM-Newton and NuSTAR X-ray Spectra of Two Ultraluminous X-ray Sources in the Galaxy IC 342

Vikram Rana, Fiona A. Harrison, Matteo Bachetti +15

We present results for two Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs), IC 342 X-1 and IC 342 X-2, using two epochs of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations separated by 7 days. We obser…

astro-ph.HE2023

X-ray polarimetry of the accreting pulsar GX 301-2

Valery F. Suleimanov, Sofia V. Forsblom, Sergey S. Tsygankov +102

The phase- and energy-resolved polarization measurements of accreting X-ray pulsars (XRPs) allow us to test different theoretical models of their emission, and they also provide an…

astro-ph.HE2013

NuSTAR observations of magnetar 1E 1841-045

Hongjun An, Romain Hascoet, Victoria M. Kaspi +18

We report new spectral and temporal observations of the magnetar 1E 1841-045 in the Kes 73 supernova remnant obtained with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Combi…

astro-ph.HE2019

A ~60-day super-orbital period originating from the ultraluminous X-ray pulsar in M82

Murray Brightman, Fiona A. Harrison, Matteo Bachetti +6

Ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) pulsars are a new class of object powered by apparent super-critical accretion onto magnetized neutron stars. Three sources in this class identified so fa…

astro-ph.IM2023

Equalizing the Pixel Response of the Imaging Photoelectric Polarimeter On-Board the IXPE Mission

John Rankin, Fabio Muleri, Alessandro Di Marco +18

The Gas Pixel Detector is a gas detector, sensitive to the polarization of X-rays, currently flying on-board IXPE - the first observatory dedicated to X-ray polarimetry. It detects…

astro-ph.IM2021

The Instrument of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

Paolo Soffitta, Luca Baldini, Ronaldo Bellazzini +78

While X-ray Spectroscopy, Timing and Imaging have improved verymuch since 1962, when the first astronomical non-solar source was discovered, especially with the launch of Newton/X-…

astro-ph.HE2017

The slowest spinning X-ray pulsar in an extragalactic globular cluster

Ivan Zolotukhin, Matteo Bachetti, Nicola Sartore +2

Neutron stars are thought to be born rapidly rotating and then exhibit a phase of a rotation-powered pulsations as they slow down to 1-10 s periods. The significant population of m…

astro-ph.HE2024

An IXPE-Led X-ray Spectro-Polarimetric Campaign on the Soft State of Cygnus X-1: X-ray Polarimetric Evidence for Strong Gravitational Lensing

James F. Steiner, Edward Nathan, Kun Hu +134

We present the first X-ray spectropolarimetric results for Cygnus X-1 in its soft state from a campaign of five IXPE observations conducted during 2023 May-June. Companion multiwav…

astro-ph.HE2024

IXPE observation of PKS 2155-304 reveals the most highly polarized blazar

Pouya M. Kouch, Ioannis Liodakis, Riccardo Middei +133

We report the X-ray polarization properties of the high-synchrotron-peaked (HSP) blazar PKS 2155304 based on observations with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). We…

astro-ph.HE2019

Probing the Black Hole Engine with Measurements of the Relativistic X-ray Reflection Component

Javier A. García, Matteo Bachetti, David R. Ballantyne +21

Over the last decades X-ray spectroscopy has proven to be a powerful tool for the estimation of black hole spin and several other key parameters in dozens of AGN and black hole X-r…

astro-ph.HE2023

The first X-ray polarimetric observation of the black hole binary LMC X-1

Jakub Podgorny, Lorenzo Marra, Fabio Muleri +108

We report on an X-ray polarimetric observation of the high-mass X-ray binary LMC X-1 in the high/soft state, obtained by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in October 20…

astro-ph.SR2026

Correlation between active regions' spectra at high radio frequencies and solar flare occurrences

Sara Mulas, Alberto Pellizzoni, Marco Marongiu +31

High radio frequencies observations with the Italian network of large single-dish radio telescopes resulted in ~450 solar images between 2018 and 2023 in K-band frequency range (18…

astro-ph.HE2025

A NuSTAR study of quasi-periodic oscillations from the ultraluminous X-ray sources in M82

Hamza El Byad, Matteo Bachetti, Silvia Columbu +13

The study of quasi-periodic oscillations in X-ray binaries provides valuable insights into the physics of accretion around compact objects. The M82 galaxy hosts two ultraluminous X…

astro-ph.IM2021

Extending the and statistics to generic pulsed profiles

Matteo Bachetti, Maura Pilia, Daniela Huppenkothen +3

The search for astronomical pulsed signals within noisy data, in the radio band, is usually performed through an initial Fourier analysis to find "candidate" frequencies and then r…

astro-ph.HE2024

X-ray and multiwavelength polarization of Mrk 501 from 2022 to 2023

Chien-Ting J. Chen, Ioannis Liodakis, Riccardo Middei +143

We present multiwavelength polarization measurements of the luminous blazar Mrk~501 over a 14-month period. The 2--8 keV X-ray polarization was measured with the Imaging X-ray Pola…

astro-ph.HE2022

Hard X-ray flares and spectral variability in NGC 4395 ULX1

Tanuman Ghosh, Vikram Rana, Matteo Bachetti

We report the detection of flaring events in NGC 4395 ULX1, a nearby ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), for the first time, using recent XMM-NEWTON observations. The flaring episode…

astro-ph.HE2024

Skipping a beat: discovery of persistent quasi-periodic oscillations associated with pulsed fraction drop of the spin signal in M51 ULX-7

Matteo Imbrogno, Sara Elisa Motta, Roberta Amato +24

The discovery of pulsations in (at least) six ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) has shown that neutron stars can accrete at (highly) super-Eddington rates, challenging the standar…

astro-ph.HE2025

IXPE Observation of the Low-Synchrotron Peaked Blazar S4 0954+65 During An Optical-X-ray Flare

Pouya M. Kouch, Ioannis Liodakis, Francesco Fenu +134

The X-ray polarization observations made possible with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) offer new ways of probing high-energy emission processes in astrophysical jets…

astro-ph.HE2025

X-ray Dips and Polarization Angle Swings in GX 13+1

Alessandro Di Marco, Fabio La Monaca, Anna Bobrikova +8

We present the result from the April 2024 observation of the low-mass X-ray binary GX 13+1 with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), together with NICER and Swift-XRT coo…

astro-ph.HE2021

Evolution of the spin, spectrum and super-orbital period of the ultraluminous X-ray pulsar M51 ULX7

Murray Brightman, Matteo Bachetti, Hannah Earnshaw +6

M51 ULX7 is among a small group of known ultraluminous X-ray pulsars (ULXP). The neutron star powering the source has a spin period of 2.8s, orbits its companion star with a period…

astro-ph.HE2024

A Two-Week Monitoring Campaign on Mrk 421

W. Peter Maksym, Ioannis Liodakis, M. Lynne Saade +153

X-ray polarization is a unique new probe of the particle acceleration in astrophysical jets made possible through the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. Here we report on the firs…

astro-ph.HE2024

X-Ray Polarimetry of the Dipping Accreting Neutron Star 4U 1624-49

M. Lynne Saade, Philip Kaaret, Andrea Gnarini +98

We present the first X-ray polarimetric study of the dipping accreting neutron star 4U 162449 with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). We report a detection of polari…

astro-ph.HE2024

Highly Significant Detection of X-Ray Polarization from the Brightest Accreting Neutron Star Sco X-1

Fabio La Monaca, Alessandro Di Marco, Juri Poutanen +116

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) measured with high significance the X-ray polarization of the brightest Z-source Scorpius X-1, resulting in the nominal 2-8 keV energy…

astro-ph.HE2026

A joint MeerKAT and Parkes view of Omega Centauri: New TRAPUM Searches and Pulsar Timing

Miquel Colom i Bernadich, Shi Dai, Federico Abbate +27

Millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are powerful probes of globular clusters (GCs), tracing stellar evolution, cluster dynamics, and the local gravitational potential. We investigate the MS…

astro-ph.HE2026

Magnetic-field Order in the Southwestern Rim of RCW 86 Constrained Using X-Ray Polarimetry

Stefano Silvestri, Dmitry Prokhorov, Jacco Vink +97

RCW 86 is a supernova remnant whose origin has recently been linked to an off-center explosion within a cavity created by its progenitor star. In the southwestern region, the forwa…

astro-ph.HE2024

Cygnus X-3 revealed as a Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source by IXPE

Alexandra Veledina, Fabio Muleri, Juri Poutanen +127

The accretion of matter by compact objects can be inhibited by radiation pressure if the luminosity exceeds the critical value, known as the Eddington limit. Discovery of ultralumi…

astro-ph.HE2022

Polarized x-rays from a magnetar

Roberto Taverna, Roberto Turolla, Fabio Muleri +93

We report on the first detection of linearly polarized x-ray emission from an ultra-magnetized neutron star with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The IXPE 35 observat…

astro-ph.HE2025

High optical to X-ray polarization ratio reveals Compton scattering in BL Lacertae's jet

Ivan Agudo, Ioannis Liodakis, Jorge Otero-Santos +147

Blazars, supermassive black hole systems (SMBHs) with highly relativistic jets aligned with the line of sight, are the most powerful long-lived emitters of electromagnetic emission…

astro-ph.HE2014

A Hard X-Ray Power-Law Spectral Cutoff in Centaurus X-4

Deepto Chakrabarty, John A. Tomsick, Brian W. Grefenstette +17

The low-mass X-ray binary Cen X-4 is the brightest and closest (<1.2 kpc) quiescent neutron star transient. Previous 0.5-10 keV X-ray observations of Cen X-4 in quiescence identifi…

astro-ph.HE2022

X-ray Polarization Observations of BL Lacertae

Riccardo Middei, Ioannis Liodakis, Matteo Perri +143

Blazars are a class of jet-dominated active galactic nuclei with a typical double-humped spectral energy distribution. It is of common consensus the Synchrotron emission to be resp…

astro-ph.IM2021

The IXPE Instrument Calibration Equipment

Fabio Muleri, Raffaele Piazzolla, Alessandro Di Marco +28

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer is a mission dedicated to the measurement of X-ray polarization from tens of astrophysical sources belonging to different classes. Expected t…

astro-ph.HE2022

Orbital decay in M82 X-2

Matteo Bachetti, Marianne Heida, Thomas Maccarone +21

M82 X-2 is the first pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX) discovered. The luminosity of these extreme pulsars, if isotropic, implies an extreme mass transfer rate. An altern…

astro-ph.HE2023

IXPE and multi-wavelength observations of blazar PG 1553+113 reveal an orphan optical polarization swing

Riccardo Middei, Matteo Perri, Simonetta Puccetti +119

The lower energy peak of the spectral energy distribution of blazars has commonly been ascribed to synchrotron radiation from relativistic particles in the jets. Despite the consen…

astro-ph.HE2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): resolving the nature of Sgr A* flares, compact object binaries and diffuse X-ray emission in the Galactic Center and beyond

Kaya Mori, Gabriele Ponti, Matteo Bachetti +24

HEX-P is a probe-class mission concept that will combine high spatial resolution X-ray imaging ( FWHM) and broad spectral coverage (0.2-80 keV) with an effective area far sup…

astro-ph.HE2024

X-ray Polarization of the Black Hole X-ray Binary 4U 1630-47 Challenges Standard Thin Accretion Disk Scenario

Ajay Ratheesh, Michal Dovčiak, Henric Krawczynski +112

Large energy-dependent X-ray polarization degree is detected by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ({IXPE}) in the high-soft emission state of the black hole X-ray binary 4U 16…

astro-ph.HE2026

Kes 75 with IXPE: Detection of Nebular X-ray Polarization and Change in Pulsar Lightcurve

Josephine Wong, Jack T. Dinsmore, Roger W. Romani +16

We present the first X-ray polarization measurements of the PSR/PWN complex within SNR Kes 75. Two IXPE observations were conducted in October/November 2024 a…

astro-ph.HE2015

NuSTAR discovery of an unusually steady long-term spin-up of the Be binary 2RXP J130159.6-635806

Roman A. Krivonos, Sergey S. Tsygankov, Alexander A. Lutovinov +14

We present spectral and timing analysis of NuSTAR observations of the accreting X-ray pulsar 2RXP J130159.6-635806. The source was serendipitously observed during a campaign focuse…

astro-ph.HE2019

On the magnetic field in M51 ULX-8

Matthew Middleton, Murray Brightman, Fabio Pintore +4

The reported discovery of a cyclotron resonance scattering feature (CRSF) in the spectrum of M51 ULX-8 may provide an important clue as to the nature of the magnetic field in those…

astro-ph.HE2023

X-ray Polarization of BL Lacertae in Outburst

Abel L. Peirson, Michela Negro, Ioannis Liodakis +128

We report the first confidence detection of X-ray polarization in BL Lacertae. During a recent X-ray/-ray outburst, a 287 ksec observation (2022 November 27-30) was ta…

astro-ph.HE2023

IXPE observations of the quintessential wind-accreting X-ray pulsar Vela X-1

Sofia V. Forsblom, Juri Poutanen, Sergey S. Tsygankov +97

The radiation from accreting X-ray pulsars was expected to be highly polarized, with some estimates for the polarization degree of up to 80%. However, phase-resolved and energy-res…

astro-ph.HE2016

The NuSTAR view of the non-thermal emission from PSR J0437-4715

Sebastien Guillot, Victoria M. Kaspi, Robert F. Archibald +11

We present a hard X-ray NuSTAR observation of PSR J0437-4715, the nearest millisecond pulsar. The known pulsations at the apparent pulse period ~5.76 ms are detected at energies up…

astro-ph.HE2014

A broadband X-ray study of the Geminga pulsar with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton

Kaya Mori, Eric V. Gotthelf, Francois Dufour +14

We report on the first hard X-ray detection of the Geminga pulsar above 10 keV using a 150 ks observation with the NuSTAR observatory. The double-peaked pulse profile of non-therma…

astro-ph.HE2017

ULX spectra revisited: Accreting, highly magnetized neutron stars as the engines of ultraluminous X-ray sources

Filippos Koliopanos, Georgios Vasilopoulos, Olivier Godet +3

Aims: In light of recent discoveries of pulsating ULXs and recently introduced models, that propose neutron stars (NSs) as the central engines of ULXs, we revisit the (XMM-Newton a…

astro-ph.HE2015

Phase-resolved NuSTAR and Swift-XRT Observations of Magnetar 4U 0142+61

Shriharsh P. Tendulkar, Romain Hascöet, Chengwei Yang +12

We present temporal and spectral analysis of simultaneous 0.5-79 keV Swift-XRT and NuSTAR observations of the magnetar 4U 0142+61. The pulse profile changes significantly with phot…

astro-ph.HE2013

The ultraluminous X-ray sources NGC 1313 X-1 and X-2: a broadband study with NuSTAR and XMM-Newton

Matteo Bachetti, Vikram Rana, Dominic J. Walton +16

We present the results of NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the two ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULX) NGC 1313 X-1 and X-2. The combined spectral bandpass of the two satellites…

astro-ph.HE2014

NuSTAR results and future plans for magnetar and rotation-powered pulsar observations

Hongjun An, Victoria M. Kaspi, Robert Archibald +27

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is the first focusing hard X-ray mission in orbit and operates in the 3-79 keV range. NuSTAR's sensitivity is roughly two orders…

astro-ph.HE2023

The First X-ray Polarization Observation of the Black Hole X-ray Binary 4U 1630-47 in the Steep Power Law State

Nicole Rodriguez Cavero, Lorenzo Marra, Henric Krawczynski +107

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) observed the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630-47 in the steep power law (or very high) state. The observations reveal a linear polariza…

astro-ph.IM2026

A simple, flexible method for timing cross-calibration of space missions

Matteo Bachetti, Yukikatsu Terada, Megumi Shidatsu +25

The timing (cross-)calibration of astronomical instruments is often done by comparing pulsar times-of-arrival (TOAs) to a reference timing model. In high-energy astronomy, the choi…

astro-ph.IM2019

A multi-wavelength pipeline for pulsar searches

Maura Pilia, Alessio Trois, Matteo Bachetti +7

Pulsar studies in the recent years have shown, more than others, to have benefited from a multi-wavelength approach. The INAF - Astronomical Observatory in Cagliari (INAF-OAC) is a…

astro-ph.HE2025

Long term variability of Cygnus X-1. IX. A spectral-timing comparison of Cygnus X-1 and MAXI J1820+070 in the hard state

Arkadip Basak, Phil Uttley, Niek Bollemeijer +11

Cygnus X-1 is a persistent, high-mass black hole X-ray binary (BHXRB) which in the hard state shows many similar properties to transient BHXRBs, along with intriguing differences,…

astro-ph.HE2023

Determination of X-ray pulsar geometry with IXPE polarimetry

Victor Doroshenko, Juri Poutanen, Sergey S. Tsygankov +91

Using observations of X-ray pulsar Her X-1 by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, we report on a highly significant () detection of the polarization signal from an accre…

gr-qc2025

The Science of the Einstein Telescope

Adrian Abac, Raul Abramo, Simone Albanesi +485

Einstein Telescope (ET) is the European project for a gravitational-wave (GW) observatory of third-generation. In this paper we present a comprehensive discussion of its science ob…

astro-ph.HE2025

X-ray Polarization Detection of the Pulsar Wind Nebula in G21.5-0.9 with IXPE

Niccolò Di Lalla, Nicola Omodei, Niccolò Bucciantini +98

We present the X-ray polarization observation of G21.5-0.9, a young Galactic supernova remnant (SNR), conducted with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in October 2023,…

astro-ph.IM2021

The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): Pre-Launch

Martin C. Weisskopf, Paolo Soffitta, Luca Baldini +155

Scheduled to launch in late 2021, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer Mission in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The mission w…

astro-ph.HE2018

Magnetic field strength of a neutron-star-powered ultraluminous X-ray source

Murray Brightman, Fiona A. Harrison, Felix Fuerst +7

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are bright X-ray sources in nearby galaxies not associated with the central supermassive black hole. Their luminosities imply they are powered by…

astro-ph.IM2021

Timing Calibration of the NuSTAR X-ray Telescope

Matteo Bachetti, Craig B. Markwardt, Brian W. Grefenstette +13

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission is the first focusing X-ray telescope in the hard X-ray (3-79 keV) band. Among the phenomena that can be studied in this…

astro-ph.HE2023

X-ray pulsar GRO J100857 as an orthogonal rotator

Sergey S. Tsygankov, Victor Doroshenko, Alexander A. Mushtukov +99

X-ray polarimetry is a unique way to probe the geometrical configuration of highly magnetized accreting neutron stars (X-ray pulsars). GRO J100857 is the first transient X-ray p…

astro-ph.HE2023

X-ray polarimetry reveals the magnetic field topology on sub-parsec scales in Tycho's supernova remnant

Riccardo Ferrazzoli, Patrick Slane, Dmitry Prokhorov +97

Supernova remnants are commonly considered to produce most of the Galactic cosmic rays via diffusive shock acceleration. However, many questions about the physical conditions at sh…

astro-ph.HE2023

Discovery of X-ray polarization angle rotation in active galaxy Mrk 421

Laura Di Gesu, Herman L. Marshall, Steven R. Ehlert +140

The magnetic field conditions in astrophysical relativistic jets can be probed by multiwavelength polarimetry, which has been recently extended to X-rays. For example, one can trac…

astro-ph.HE2018

No Time for Dead Time: Use the Fourier Amplitude Differences to Normalize Dead-time-affected Periodograms

Matteo Bachetti, Daniela Huppenkothen

Dead time affects many of the instruments used in X-ray astronomy, by producing a strong distortion in power density spectra. This can make it difficult to model the aperiodic vari…

astro-ph.HE2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe: Resolved X-ray Populations in Extragalactic Environments

Bret D. Lehmer, Kristen Garofali, Breanna A. Binder +15

We construct simulated galaxy data sets based on the High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P) mission concept to demonstrate the significant advances in galaxy science that will be yielded…

astro-ph.HE2015

A search for hyperluminous X-ray sources in the XMM-Newton source catalog

Ivan Zolotukhin, Natalie A. Webb, Olivier Godet +2

We present a new method to identify luminous off-nuclear X-ray sources in the outskirts of galaxies from large public redshift surveys, distinguishing them from foreground and back…

astro-ph.HE2013

The smooth cyclotron line in Her X-1 as seen with NuSTAR

Felix Fuerst, Brian W. Grefenstette, Ruediger Staubert +17

Her X-1, one of the brightest and best studied X-ray binaries, shows a cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) near 37 keV. This makes it an ideal target for detailed study wi…

astro-ph.HE2023

A polarimetrically oriented X-ray stare at the accreting pulsar EXO 2030+375

Christian Malacaria, Jeremy Heyl, Victor Doroshenko +104

Accreting X-ray pulsars (XRPs) are presumably ideal targets for polarization measurements, as their high magnetic field strength is expected to polarize the emission up to a polari…

astro-ph.HE2023

The IXPE view of GRB 221009A

Michela Negro, Niccoló Di Lalla, Nicola Omodei +108

We present the IXPE observation of GRB 221009A which includes upper limits on the linear polarization degree of both prompt and afterglow emission in the soft X-ray energy band. GR…

astro-ph.IM2013

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Mission

Fiona A. Harrison, William W. Craig, Finn E. Christensen +77

The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission, launched on 13 June 2012, is the first focusing high-energy X-ray telescope in orbit. NuSTAR operates in the band from 3…

astro-ph.HE2016

Modelling high-resolution spatially-resolved Supernova Remnant spectra with the Sardinia Radio Telescope

Sara Loru, Alberto Pellizzoni, Elise Egron +12

Supernova Remnants (SNRs) exhibit spectra featured by synchrotron radio emission arising from the relativistic electrons, and high-energy emission from both leptonic (Bremsstrahlun…

astro-ph.HE2024

Analysis of Crab X-ray Polarization using Deeper IXPE Observations

Josephine Wong, Tsunefumi Mizuno, Niccoló Bucciantini +98

We present Crab X-ray polarization measurements using IXPE data with a total exposure of 300ks, three times more than the initial 2022 discovery paper. Polarization is detected in…

astro-ph.HE2015

Ultraluminous X-ray sources: three exciting years

Matteo Bachetti

The extreme extragalactic sources known as Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULX) represent a unique testing environment for compact objects population studies and the accretion process…

astro-ph.HE2021

Spectral and Timing Analysis of NuSTAR and Swift/XRT Observations of the X-Ray Transient MAXI J0637-430

Hadar Lazar, John A. Tomsick, Sean N. Pike +10

We present results for the first observed outburst from the transient X-ray binary source MAXI J0637-430. This study is based on eight observations from the Nuclear Spectroscopic T…

astro-ph.HE2019

All at once: transient pulsations, spin down and a glitch from the Pulsating Ultraluminous X-ray Source M82 X-2

Matteo Bachetti, Thomas J. Maccarone, Murray Brightman +9

M82 X-2 is the first pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX)to be identified. Since the discovery in 2014, NuSTAR has observed the M82 field 15 times throughout 2015 and 2016.…

astro-ph.HE2010

The drop of the coherence of the lower kHz QPOs is also observed in XTE J1701-462

Didier Barret, Matteo Bachetti, M. Coleman Miller

We investigate the quality factor and RMS amplitude of the lower kHz QPOs from XTE J1701-462, a unique X-ray source which was observed in both the so-called Z and atoll states. Cor…

astro-ph.HE2022

Limits on X-ray Polarization at the Core of Centaurus A as Observed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

Steven R. Ehlert, Riccardo Ferrazzoli, Andrea Marinucci +95

We present measurements of the polarization of X-rays in the band from the nucleus of the radio galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A), using a 100ks observation…

astro-ph.HE2022

The X-ray polarimetry view of the accreting pulsar Cen X-3

Sergey S. Tsygankov, Victor Doroshenko, Juri Poutanen +95

Cen X-3 is the first X-ray pulsar discovered 50 years ago. Radiation from such objects is expected to be highly polarized due to birefringence of plasma and vacuum associated with…

astro-ph.HE2024

Detection of X-ray Polarization from the Blazar 1ES 1959+650 with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

Manel Errando, Ioannis Liodakis, Alan P. Marscher +142

Observations of linear polarization in the 2-8 keV energy range with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) explore the magnetic field geometry and dynamics of the regions g…

astro-ph.HE2022

The X-ray Polarization View of Mrk~421 in an Average Flux State as Observed by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

Laura Di Gesu, Immacolata Donnarumma, Fabrizio Tavecchio +100

Particle acceleration mechanisms in supermassive black hole jets, such as shock acceleration, magnetic reconnection, and turbulence, are expected to have observable signatures in t…

astro-ph.HE2026

A multiwavelength study of the Galactic center black hole candidate MAXI J1744-294

Shifra Mandel, Kaya Mori, Paul A. Draghis +37

For the first time in nearly a decade, a bright transient was detected in the central parsec (pc) of the Galaxy. MAXI J1744-294, or -- as it was known in its previous life -- Swift…

astro-ph.HE2023

Discovery of strongly variable X-ray polarization in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary transient XTE J1701462

Massimo Cocchi, Andrea Gnarini, Sergio Fabiani +105

After about 16 years since its first outburst, the transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701462 turned on again in September 2022, allowing for the first study of i…

astro-ph.HE2010

QPO emission from moving hot spots on the surface of neutron stars: a model

Matteo Bachetti, Marina Romanova, Akshay Kulkarni +2

We present recent results of 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of neutron stars with small misalignment angles, as regards the features in lightcurves produced by regular movement…

astro-ph.HE2024

Evidence for a shock-compressed magnetic field in the northwestern rim of Vela Jr. from X-ray polarimetry

Dmitry A. Prokhorov, Yi-Jung Yang, Riccardo Ferrazzoli +97

Synchrotron X-ray emission has been detected from nearly a dozen young supernova remnants (SNRs). X-rays of synchrotron origin exhibit linear polarization in a regular, non-randoml…

astro-ph.HE2022

X-ray polarization detection of Cassiopeia A with IXPE

Jacco Vink, Dmitry Prokhorov, Riccardo Ferrazzoli +92

We report on a detection of polarized 3-6 keV X-ray emission from the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The overall pola…

astro-ph.IM2019

The X-ray Polarization Probe mission concept

Keith Jahoda, Henric Krawczynski, Fabian Kislat +100

The X-ray Polarization Probe (XPP) is a second generation X-ray polarimeter following up on the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The XPP will offer true broadband polarim…

astro-ph.HE2013

NuSTAR and INTEGRAL observations of a low/hard state of 1E1740.7-2942

Lorenzo Natalucci, John A. Tomsick, Angela Bazzano +19

The microquasar 1E1740.7-2942, also known as the "Great Annihilator", was observed by NuSTAR in the Summer of 2012. We have analyzed in detail two observations taken ~2 weeks apart…