Propeller effect in two brightest transient X-ray pulsars: 4U 0115+63 and V 0332+53

Abstract

We present the results of the monitoring programmes performed with the Swift/XRT telescope and aimed specifically to detect an abrupt decrease of the observed flux associated with a transition to the propeller regime in two well known X-ray pulsars 4U 0115+63 and V 0332+53 during their giant outbursts in 2015. Such transitions were detected at the threshold luminosities of $(1.4\pm 0.4)\times 10^{36}$ erg s${}^{-1}$ and $(2.0\pm 0.4)\times 10^{36}$ erg s${}^{-1}$ for 4U 0115+63 and V 0332+53, respectively. Spectra of the sources are shown to be significantly softer during the low state. In both sources, the accretion at rates close to the aforementioned threshold values briefly resumes during the periastron passage following the transition into propeller regime. The strength of the dipole component of the magnetic field required to inhibit the accretion agrees well with estimates based on the position of the cyclotron lines in their spectra, thus excluding presence of a strong multipole component of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the neutron star.

7 pages, 4 figures, accepted by A&A

References in corpus (14)

• An Ultraluminous X-ray Source Powered by An Accreting Neutron Star
• Thermal and Bulk Comptonization in Accretion-Powered X-Ray Pulsars
• The critical accretion luminosity for magnetized neutron stars
• "Propeller" Regime of Disk Accretion to Rapidly Rotating Stars
• 4U 0115+63 from RXTE and INTEGRAL Data: Pulse Profile and Cyclotron Line Energy
• The ultra luminous X-ray source NuSTAR J095551+6940.8: A magnetar in a high mass X-ray binary
• On the dependence of the X-ray continuum variations with luminosity in accreting X-ray pulsars
• An ultraluminous nascent millisecond pulsar
• The return to quiescence of Aql X-1 following the 2010 outburst
• Swift observations of SAX J1808.4-3658: monitoring the return to quiescence
• Magnetic fields of neutron stars in X-ray binaries
• GK Per and EX Hya: Intermediate polars with small magnetospheres
• GRO J1744-28: an intermediate B-field pulsar in a low mass X-ray binary
• Supergiant, fast, but not so transient 4U 1907+09

Cited by in corpus (69)

• Cyclotron lines in highly magnetized neutron stars
• Ultraluminous X-ray sources
• The gas-to-extinction ratio and the gas distribution in the Galaxy
• SMC X-3: the closest ultraluminous X-ray source powered by a neutron star with non-dipole magnetic field
• Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources
• Luminosity dependence of the cyclotron line and evidence for the accretion regime transition in V 0332+53
• Science objectives of the Einstein Probe mission
• An evolving jet from a strongly-magnetised accreting X-ray pulsar
• Advances in Understanding High-Mass X-ray Binaries with INTEGRAL and Future Directions
• Stable accretion from a cold disc in highly magnetized neutron stars
• The X-ray properties of Be/X-ray pulsars in quiescence
• The 2019 super-Eddington outburst of RX J0209.6-7427: Detection of pulsations and constraints on the magnetic field strength
• M51 ULX-7: super-orbital periodicity and constraints on the neutron star magnetic field
• On the radiation beaming of bright X-ray pulsars and constraints on neutron star mass-radius relation
• On the magnetic field of the first Galactic ultraluminous X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124
• A universal relation for the propeller mechanisms in magnetic rotating stars at different scales
• Spectrum formation in X-ray pulsars at very low mass accretion rate: Monte-Carlo approach
• A propelling neutron star in the enigmatic Be-star $\gamma$~Cassiopeia
• Discovery of a pulse-phase-transient cyclotron line in the X-ray pulsar GROJ2058+42
• Propeller effect in the transient X-ray pulsar SMC X-2
• Accretion regimes in the X-ray pulsar 4U 1901+03
• Broadband aperiodic variability in X-ray pulsars: accretion rate fluctuations propagating under the influence of viscous diffusion
• SRG/ART-XC and NuSTAR observations of the X-ray pulsar GRO J1008-57 in the lowest luminosity state
• Ultraluminous X-ray sources as neutrino pulsars
• Revisiting the spectral and timing properties of 4U 1909+07 with NuSTAR and Astrosat
• A re-establishing jet during an X-ray re-brightening of the Be/X-ray binary Swift J0243.6+6124
• Discovery of the 5 keV cyclotron line followed by three harmonics in SwiftJ1626.6-5156
• Study of the X-ray pulsar IGR J19294+1816 with NuSTAR: detection of cyclotron line and transition to accretion from the cold disc
• Radio emission from the X-ray pulsar Her X-1: a jet launched by a strong magnetic field neutron star?
• The (re)appearance of NGC 925 ULX-3, a new transient ULX
• Studying the accretion geometry of EXO 2030+375 at luminosities close to the propeller regime
• Simulating the shock dynamics of a neutron star accretion column
• The low luminosity behaviour of the 4U 0115+63 Be/X-ray transient
• Radius of the neutron star magnetosphere during disk accretion
• Discovery of X-ray pulsations in the Be/X-ray binary IGR J06074+2205
• Electron-positron pairs in hot plasma of accretion column in bright X-ray pulsars
• GROJ1750-27: a neutron star far behind the Galactic Center switching into the propeller regime
• Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients uncovered by the EXTraS project: flares reveal the development of magnetospheric instability in accreting neutron stars
• The origin of the bimodal luminosity distribution of ultraluminous X-ray pulsars
• Discovery of pulsation dropout and turn-on during the high state of the accreting X-ray pulsar LMC X-4
• Discovery of radio emission from the symbiotic X-ray binary system GX 1+4
• First characterization of Swift J1845.7-0037 with NuSTAR
• Pulsating iron spectral features in the emission of X-ray pulsar V0332+53
• Propeller states in locally super-critical ULXs
• Properties of the transient X-ray pulsar Swift J1816.7--1613 and its optical companion
• Physical modeling of viscous disc evolution around magnetized neutron star. Aql X-1 2013 outburst decay
• Discovery of a pulse-phase-transient cyclotron line in the X-ray pulsar Swift J1808.4-1754 and identification of an optical companion
• X-Ray Views of Galactic Accreting Pulsars in High-Mass X-Ray Binaries
• Soft excess in the quiescent Be/X-ray pulsar RX J0812.4-3114
• The unusual behaviour of the young X-ray pulsar SXP 1062 during the 2019 outburst
• A peculiar cyclotron line near 16 keV detected in the 2015 outburst of 4U 0115+63?
• Quiescent X-ray variability in the neutron star Be/X-ray transient GRO J1750-27
• SRG/ART-XC, Swift, NICER and NuSTAR study of different states of the transient X-ray pulsar MAXI J0903-531
• Energy-resolved pulse profile changes in V 0332+53: Indications of wings in the cyclotron absorption line profile
• Detection of X-ray pulsations at the lowest observed luminosity of Be/X-ray binary pulsar EXO 2030+375 with AstroSat
• Observational constraints on the magnetic field of the bright transient Be/X-ray pulsar SXP 4.78
• Recurrent low-level luminosity behaviour after a giant outburst in the Be/X-ray transient 4U 0115+63
• Discovery of a bimodal luminosity distribution in persistent Be/X-ray pulsar 2RXP J130159.6-635806
• New Transient ULX Candidate in NGC 4254: Evidence of Circumbinary Disk?
• Observations of V0332+53 during the 2015 Outburst using Fermi/GBM, MAXI, Swift, and INTEGRAL
• Optical and X-ray Follow-Up to a Globular Cluster Ultraluminous X-ray Source in NGC 4472
• Timing and spectral properties of Be/Xray pulsar 4U 1901+03 during 2019 outburst
• X-ray constraint for the unseen companion of V723 Mon: it is a mass-gap black hole rather than binary neutron stars
• Double-hump spectrum, pulse profile dip, and pulsed fraction spectra from the low-accretion regime in the X-ray pulsar MAXI J0655-013
• On the nature of the X-ray pulsar XTE J1859+083 and its broadband properties
• X-ray emission mechanisms in accreting white dwarfs
• Long-term spin-down and low luminosity regime in the Be/X-ray binary pulsar GX 304-1
• A study of the accretion mechanisms of the High Mass X-ray Binary IGR J00370+6122
• Flux variability of the "10 keV feature" of 4U 0115+63