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; McKinley C. Brumback; Felix Fürst; Fiona A. Harrison; Marianne Heida; Gian Luca Israel; Matthew J. Middleton; John A. Tomsick; Natalie A. Webb; Dominic J. Walton

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab6d00

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, McKinley C. Brumback, Felix Fürst, Fiona A. Harrison, Marianne Heida, Gian Luca Israel, Matthew J. Middleton, John A. Tomsick, Natalie A. Webb, Dominic J. Walton

Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

The first pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX) to be identified is M82 X-2. After the discovery in 2014, NuSTAR observed the M82 field 15 times throughout 2015 and 2016. In this paper, we report the results of pulsation searches in all of these data sets and find only one new detection. This new detection allows us to refine the orbital period of the source and measure an average spin-down rate between 2014 and 2016 of ∼-6 × 10^-11 Hz s^-1, which is in contrast to the strong spin-up seen during the 2014 observations, representing the first detection of spin-down in a PULX system. Thanks to the improved orbital solution allowed by this new detection, we are also able to detect pulsations in additional segments of the original 2014 data set. We find a glitch superimposed on the very strong and variable spin-up already reported - the first positive glitch identified in a PULX system. We discuss the new findings in the context of current leading models for PULXs.

Original language	English
Article number	44
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	891
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab6d00
State	Published - Mar 1 2020

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Bachetti, M., Maccarone, T. J., Brightman, M., Brumback, M. C., Fürst, F., Harrison, F. A., Heida, M., Israel, G. L., Middleton, M. J., Tomsick, J. A., Webb, N. A., & Walton, D. J. (2020). All at Once: Transient Pulsations, Spin-down, and a Glitch from the Pulsating Ultraluminous X-Ray Source M82 X-2. Astrophysical Journal, 891(1), Article 44. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab6d00

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abstract = "The first pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX) to be identified is M82 X-2. After the discovery in 2014, NuSTAR observed the M82 field 15 times throughout 2015 and 2016. In this paper, we report the results of pulsation searches in all of these data sets and find only one new detection. This new detection allows us to refine the orbital period of the source and measure an average spin-down rate between 2014 and 2016 of ∼-6 × 10-11 Hz s-1, which is in contrast to the strong spin-up seen during the 2014 observations, representing the first detection of spin-down in a PULX system. Thanks to the improved orbital solution allowed by this new detection, we are also able to detect pulsations in additional segments of the original 2014 data set. We find a glitch superimposed on the very strong and variable spin-up already reported - the first positive glitch identified in a PULX system. We discuss the new findings in the context of current leading models for PULXs.",

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AU - Maccarone, Thomas J.

AU - Brightman, Murray

AU - Brumback, McKinley C.

AU - Fürst, Felix

AU - Harrison, Fiona A.

AU - Heida, Marianne

AU - Israel, Gian Luca

AU - Middleton, Matthew J.

AU - Tomsick, John A.

AU - Webb, Natalie A.

AU - Walton, Dominic J.

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AB - The first pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX) to be identified is M82 X-2. After the discovery in 2014, NuSTAR observed the M82 field 15 times throughout 2015 and 2016. In this paper, we report the results of pulsation searches in all of these data sets and find only one new detection. This new detection allows us to refine the orbital period of the source and measure an average spin-down rate between 2014 and 2016 of ∼-6 × 10-11 Hz s-1, which is in contrast to the strong spin-up seen during the 2014 observations, representing the first detection of spin-down in a PULX system. Thanks to the improved orbital solution allowed by this new detection, we are also able to detect pulsations in additional segments of the original 2014 data set. We find a glitch superimposed on the very strong and variable spin-up already reported - the first positive glitch identified in a PULX system. We discuss the new findings in the context of current leading models for PULXs.

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All at Once: Transient Pulsations, Spin-down, and a Glitch from the Pulsating Ultraluminous X-Ray Source M82 X-2

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