Testing the relativistic precession model using low frequency and kHz quasi-periodic oscillations in neutron star low mass X-ray binaries with known spin

Abstract

We analyze all available RXTE data on a sample of 13 low mass X-ray binaries with known neutron star spin that are not persistent pulsars. We carefully measure the correlations between the centroid frequencies of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). We compare these correlations to the prediction of the relativistic precession model (RPM) that, due to frame dragging, a QPO will occur at the Lense-Thirring precession frequency ${\nu }_{LT}$ of a test particle orbit whose orbital frequency is the upper kHz QPO frequency ${\nu }_u$. Contrary to the most prominent previous studies, we find two different oscillations in the range predicted for ${\nu }_{LT}$ that are simultaneously present over a wide range of ${\nu }_u$. Additionally, one of the low frequency noise components evolves into a (third) QPO in the ${\nu }_{LT}$ range when ${\nu }_u$ exceeds 600 Hz. The frequencies of these QPOs all correlate to ${\nu }_u$ following power laws with indices between 0.4$-$3.3, significantly exceeding the predicted value of 2.0 in 80$\%$ of the cases (at 3 to >20$\sigma$). Also, there is no evidence that the neutron star spin frequency affects any of these three QPO frequencies as would be expected for frame dragging. Finally, the observed QPO frequencies tend to be higher than the ${\nu }_{LT}$ predicted for reasonable neutron star specific moment of inertia. In the light of recent successes of precession models in black holes, we briefly discuss ways in which such precession can occur in neutron stars at frequencies different from test particle values and consistent with those observed. A precessing torus geometry and other torques than frame dragging may allow precession to produce the observed frequency correlations, but can only explain one of the three QPOs in the ${\nu }_{LT}$ range.

arXiv comment27 pages, 34 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (28)

• Lense-Thirring Precession and QPOs in Low Mass X-Ray Binaries
• Catalogue of cataclysmic binaries, low-mass X-ray binaries and related objects (Seventh edition)
• A Unified Description of the Timing Features of Accreting X-ray Binaries
• Low frequency QPO spectra and Lense-Thirring precession
• Correlations in Quasi-Periodic Oscillation and Noise Frequencies Among Neutron-Star and Black-Hole X-ray Binaries
• The broad-band power spectra of X-ray binaries
• Precise mass and spin measurements for a stellar-mass black hole through X-ray timing: the case of GRO J1655-40
• Are There Three Peaks in the Power Spectra of GX 339-4 and Cyg X-1?
• Thermonuclear burst oscillations
• A quasi-periodic modulation of the iron line centroid energy in the black hole binary H 1743-322
• Discovery of coherent millisecond X-ray pulsations in Aql X-1
• Evidence for a Millisecond Pulsar in 4U 1636-53 During a Superburst
• The atoll source states of 4U 1608-52
• A multi-Lorentzian timing study of the atoll sources 4U 0614+09 and 4U 1728-34
• Relations Between Timing Features and Colors in the X-Ray Binary 4U 0614+09
• X-ray time variability across the atoll source states of 4U 1636--53
• Relativistic precession around rotating neutron stars: Effects due to frame-dragging and stellar oblateness
• Strong Correlation Between Noise Features at Low Frequency and the Kilohertz QPOs in the X-Ray Binary 4U 1728-34
• Relations Between Timing Features and Colors in Accreting Millisecond Pulsars
• Study of the Temporal Behavior of 4U 1728-34 as a Function of its Position in the Color-Color Diagram
• Identification of black hole power spectral components across all canonical states
• A physical interpretation of the variability power spectral components in accreting neutron stars
• Probing the origin of quasi-periodic oscillations: the short-timescale evolution of phase lags in GRS 1915+105
• Magnetically Driven Precession of Warped Disks and Milli-Hertz Variabilities in Accreting X-Ray Pulsars
• Low-frequency QPO from the 11 Hz accreting pulsar in Terzan 5: not frame dragging
• Pulse amplitude depends on kHz QPO frequency in the accreting millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658
• The aperiodic X-ray variability of the accreting millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658
• Effects of Radiation Forces on the Frequency of Gravitomagnetic Precession Near Neutron Stars

Cited by in corpus (16)

• A review of quasi-periodic oscillations from black hole X-ray binaries: observation and theory
• Links between quasi-periodic oscillations and accretion states in neutron star low mass X-ray binaries
• A new method to constrain neutron star structure from quasi-periodic oscillations
• Upper-twin-peak quasiperiodic oscillation in x-ray binaries and the energy from tidal circularization of relativistic orbits
• The highest-frequency kHz QPOs in neutron star low mass X-ray binaries
• NICER observations of the black hole candidate MAXI J0637$-$430 during the 2019-2020 Outburst
• High-frequency variability in neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries
• A model-independent comparison of the variability of accreting neutron stars and black holes
• The stochastic X-ray variability of the accreting millisecond pulsar MAXI J0911-655
• Testing jet geometries and disk-jet coupling in the neutron star LMXB 4U 0614+091 with the internal shocks model
• On the frequency correlations of low-frequency QPOs with kilohertz QPOs in accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars
• Detection of a strong ~2.5 Hz modulation in the Newly Discovered Millisecond Pulsar MAXI J1816-195
• Very low-frequency oscillations from the 11 Hz pulsar in Terzan 5: frame-dragging back on the table
• Quasi-periodic pulse amplitude modulation in the accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J00291+5934
• The stochastic X-ray variability of the accreting millisecond pulsar IGR J17062-6143
• Lense-Thirring precession of neutron-star accretion flows: Relativistic versus classical precession