Pulsars, transients and relativistic astrophysics

Abstract:

The neutron star zoo comprises several subpopulations that range from energetic magnetars and thermally emitting X-ray neutron stars to radio-emitting pulsars. Despite studies over the last five decades, it has been challenging to obtain a clear physical link between the various populations of neutron stars, vital to constrain their formation and evolutionary pathways. Here we report the detection of a burst of coherent radio emission from a known radio-quiet, thermally emitting neutron star 2XMM J104608.7−594306 in the Carina Nebula. The burst has a distinctive sharp rise followed by a decay made up of multiple components, which is unlike anything seen from other radio-emitting neutron stars. It suggests an episodic event from the neutron star surface, akin to transient radio emission seen from magnetars. The radio burst confirms that the X-ray source is a neutron star and suggests a new link between these apparently radio-quiet X-ray-emitting sources and other transient or persistent radio-emitting neutron stars. It also suggests that a common physical mechanism for emission might operate over a range of magnetic field strengths and neutron star ages. We propose that 2XMM J104608.7−594306 straddles the boundary between young, energetic neutron stars and their evolved radio-emitting cousins and may bridge these two populations. The detection of such a radio burst also shows that other radio-quiet neutron stars may also emit such sporadic radio emission that has been missed by previous radio surveys and highlights the need for regular monitoring of this unique subpopulation of neutron stars.

Abstract:

We present the discovery and localization of a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source from the MeerTRAP project, a commensal fast radio transient search programme using the MeerKAT telescope. FRB 20240619D was first discovered on 2024 June 19 with three bursts being detected within 2 min in the MeerKAT L band (856–1712 MHz). We conducted follow-up observations of FRB 20240619D with MeerKAT using the Ultra-High Frequency (UHF; MHz), L-band and S-band (1968–2843 MHz) receivers one week after its discovery, and recorded a total of 249 bursts. The MeerKAT-detected bursts exhibit band-limited emission with an average fractional bandwidth of 0.31, 0.34, and 0.48 in the UHF, L-band, and S-band, respectively. We find our observations are complete down to a fluence limit of Jy ms, above which the cumulative burst rate follows a power law with and in the UHF and L band, respectively. The near-simultaneous L-band, UHF, and S-band observations reveal a frequency dependent burst rate with more bursts being detected in the L band than in the UHF and S band, suggesting a spectral turnover in the burst energy distribution of FRB 20240619D. Our polarimetric analysis demonstrates that most of the bursts have linear polarization fractions and circular polarization fractions. We find no optical counterpart of FRB 20240619D in the MeerLICHT optical observations simultaneous to the radio observations and set a fluence upper limit in MeerLICHT’s q band of 0.76 Jy ms and an optical-to-radio fluence ratio limit of 0.034 for a 15 s exposure.

Abstract:

High angular resolution radio observations of relativistic jets are necessary to understand the causal connection between accretion and jet ejection in low-mass X-ray binaries. Images from these observations can be difficult to reconstruct due to the rapid intra-observational motion and variability of transient jets. We have developed a time-dependent visibility model fitting and self-calibration procedure and applied it to a single 4 hr VLBA observation of the low-mass X-ray binary Swift J1727.8−1613 during the bright flaring period of its 2023 outburst. This allowed us to detect and model a slightly resolved self-absorbed compact core, as well as three downstream transient jet knots. We were able to precisely measure the proper motion and flux density variability of these three jet knots, as well as (for the first time) their intra-observational expansion. Using simultaneous multifrequency data, we were also able to measure the spectral index of the furthest downstream jet knot, and the core, as well as the frequency-dependent core shift between 2.3 and 8.3 GHz. Using these measurements, we inferred the ejection dates of the three jet knots, including one to within ±40 minutes, which is one of the most precise ever measured. The ejection of the transient jet knots coincided with a bright X-ray flare and a drastic change in the X-ray spectral and timing properties as seen by HXMT, which is the clearest association ever seen between the launching of transient relativistic jets in an X-ray binary and a sudden change in the X-ray properties of the accretion inflow.