New Insights into Atoll X-Ray Binaries: Fourier Resolved Spectroscopy of 4U 1728-34

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Scientific paper

Rapid variability and the spectral energy distribution are both powerful probes of the accretion-flow physics of neutron star X-ray binaries. Significant progress has been made over the last decade with the wealth of data provided by the current suite of orbiting high-energy observatories. Notably, in the temporal domain the power density spectra (PDS) exhibit a variety of features ranging from narrow quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) to broad noise components. Progress in the spectral domain has also been significant leading to refined understanding of the separate physical components of the binary systems; in particular, an accretion disk and boundary layer and line-emitting regions. However, more powerful methods of study though are ones which can simultaneously probe temporal and spectral characteristics. In this context, we describe the method of Fourier-resolved spectroscopy, and its application to the Atoll source 4U 1728-34. We identify the variability characteristics of the sources in its island and banana states, as well as over a range of about a factor of 20 in the (low-frequency) QPO frequency. Some notable results are: (i) The rms variability of the X-ray signal above 8 Hz is not large enough to get good S/N in the upper banana state, despite overall count rates of > 1600 cts/s. (ii) In the island state a hard spectral component consistent with Compton reflection, which is not discernable in the frequency averaged spectra appears in the Fourier-resolved spectra. (iii) Thermal Comptonization models generally provide reasonable fits to the data, except for the upper banana state. We offer interpretation of our results and comment on the prospects for future applications of our method.

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