Implications of the high-state iron-line feature and soft X-ray emission of Hercules X-1

Details Implications of the high-state iron-line feature and soft X-ray emission of Hercules X-1 Implications of the high-state iron-line feature and soft X-ray emission of Hercules X-1

Aug 1980

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1980apj...239..999b&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1, vol. 239, Aug. 1, 1980, p. 999-1009.

Other

12

Binary Stars, Iron, Neutron Stars, Stellar Radiation, X Ray Sources, Abundance, Magnetohydrodynamic Waves, Metallic Stars, Photoionization, Stellar Envelopes, Stellar Luminosity

Scientific paper

The interpretation that the soft X-ray emission of Her X-1 is due to reprocessing of the primary hard X-rays intercepted by a plasma layer in the Alfven surface imposes quite a stringent - but not an unreasonable - constraint on its parameters. By using the Alfven shell parameters constrained by this interpretation, the degree of ionization of the Alfven shell is calculated. Because the flux of hard X-ray from the neutron star is greatly attenuated inside the Alfven shell, except for a skin depth from its inner surface, the degree of ionization is determined by photoionization due to soft X-rays produced within the Alfven shell. On one hand, the large soft X-ray luminosity, which is about the same as the hard X-ray luminosity, indicates that a substantial fraction of primary hard X-rays is absorbed by the Alfven shell. On the other hand, the fact that the hard X-ray spectrum of Her X-1 observed during the high state shows neither a significant absorption feature down to about 3 keV nor an iron K-absorption dip tells us that the hard X-rays observed at the earth are mostly not reprocessed. This apparent conflict is resolved if the Alfven shell is clumpy (i.e., made of streams or blobs). The observed iron-line feature around 6.5 keV (E.W. about 300 keV) is explained by fluorescent iron K photons produced as a by-product of reprocessing of the hard X-rays by the Alfven shell; for this a large enhancement of the iron abundance with respect to the solar value is not required.

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