Proceedings of the 7th Canadian Conference on Black-holes and Relativistic Astrophysics

(CCGRRA-7), June 5-7, 1997, Calgary, AB, CANADA.

ASYMMETRIC EMISSION MODEL OF THE BE/X-RAY BINARY

EXO 2030+375

N.K. Newlands, and D.A. Leahy1

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
T2N 1N4, CANADA

Abstract. We present a new model for pulsed emission from rotating

neutron stars. This model considers asymmetrically-filled, offset emission
regions extending above the neutron star surface as arising from variable
accretion flow through its magnetosphere. The transient x-ray pulsar EXO
2030+375 exhibits strong luminosity-dependent changes in its pulse profile.
Observations using the EXOSAT and CGRO2 satellites provide a basis for
investigating how pulse formation varies with luminosity. Since the amount
of matter available for loading along the magnetic field lines is variable,
and dependent on both the orbital phase of the neutron star, and the inclination of its rotation plane from the orbital plane, only certain magnetic
field lines will be responsible for particle loading. With these considerations,
the emission regions of a neutron star can be partially-filled, or asymmetric
with respect to the magnetic axis. The boundaries of the emission regions
are based on magnetic field geometry in flat space. Fan-beam emission
is considered from the sides of the emission regions and use the results
of magnetic-radiative transfer calculations by M
esz
aros et al (1985). The
model considers shadowing by the neutron star on the emission regions.
Magnetic dipole geometry in a Schwarzschild metric (gravitational-light
bending of photon paths, and relativistic redshifting) are currently being
incorporated. Preliminary results from the flat space model are presented.

1
2

e-mail:nathaniel.newlands@gmail.com
Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Observations
The transient x-ray pulsar EXO 2030+375 was first discovered by Parmar et al (1989a)
using the EXOSAT Observatory. The variation of observed intensity by factors of
up to 100, together with the extensive 1-20 keV luminosity range of (1.21036 1.01038 ) ergs/s (distance of 5 kpc assumed) for the observations, indicate a highly
variable mass accretion rate in this binary system. The EXOSAT 1-10 keV ME observed
pulse profiles are highly luminosity dependent, showing a variable extent of pulse shape
asymmetry. At high luminosity, the pulse shape was fairly smooth, showing two peaks
in intensity with different maxima, separated by 180 in phase. As the luminosity
decreased, the profile was complicated by the growth of an interpulse, which is the
dominant intensity peak at the lowest observed luminosity of 1.21036 ergs/s. This
feature might be explained by an alteration of the beaming geometry from fan to pencilbeam (perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic axis of the neutron star respectively),
suggesting the presence of a radiative shock, for luminosities greater than 1037 ergs/s.
Recent pulse profile observations of EXO 2030+375 during 12 consecutive outbursts
were made by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), on the Compton
Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) (Paciesas et al , 1994). The 20-50 keV pulse profiles
were quite symmetric, having a maximum luminosity of 2 1036 ergs/s, close to the
minimum observed luminosity of the EXOSAT observations.
1.2. Pulse profile modelling
The observed pulse profiles of accreting x-ray pulsars are determined primarily by scattering and absorption processes within the neutron star magnetosphere, and act as
important probes for the structure of the magnetosphere and its interaction with the
accreting plasma. The luminosity-dependent pulse profiles of EXO 2030+375, can be
used to establish a general geometrical description of the emission region in neutron
stars, and in turn, to develop an understanding of the effect of mass accretion rate on
the emission regions, preferred beaming direction, and an explanation for the asymmetry of emitted x-rays. Previous work by Parmar et al , (1989b) in modelling the pulse
profiles uses an offset dipole magnetic field to explain the observed asymmetry. The
model considers the contribution of both fan-beam and pencil-beam emission, and uses
analytic functions for the local intensity of the x-ray emission. More recently, Leahy et
al , (1995) has applied a model, comprising two emission rings lying on the surface of
the neutron star and accounting for the effect of light-bending due to general relativity,
to 20 x-ray pulsars, including EXO 2030+375. The relation between the luminosity
and the properties of the emission rings were studied, and it was concluded that effects other than changing emission ring size are responsible for the pulse shape change
observed in EXO 2030+375. Application of these different models also suggests that
the actual beam pattern of emission in this x-ray pulsar is more complex than emission
from simplified geometries used in radiative-transfer calculations.

2. THE EMISSION MODEL

When gravitational light-bending is neglected, the general model considers two emission
regions of different size, with one emission region offset from the first. This model has
15 parameters; consisting of 13 which relate directly to the model geometry, the neutron
star surface cyclotron energy, the observed energy, and the normalization d. Figure 1
is a VRML3 visualization of the emission model.
(1)

(2)

(1)

(2)

(2)
FT = FT (Ro, o , d, m , r , 1 , of f , of f , (1)
o , o , L , L , RL , RL , o , )

(1)

Ro - radius of neutron star

o - initial magnetic field polar angle (at surface of neutron star)
d - distance of neutron star from observer
m - angle between rotation and magnetic axes
r - angle between rotation axis and line-of-sight
of f - initial polar angle offset of magnetic axis of second emission region
of f - initial azimuthal coordinate offset for magnetic axis of second emission region
(1)
o - lower integration limit of azimuthal angle for first emission region
(2)
o - lower integration limit of azimuthal angle for second (offset) emission region
(1)
L - extent of first emission region in the azimuthal direction
(2)
L - extent of second emission region in the azimuthal direction
(1)
RL - radial height of first emission region
(2)
RL - radial height of second emission region
o - initial phase angle (radians)
- phase angle

Virtual Reality Modelling Language

Figure 1. VRML visualization of the asymmetric model showing the definitions

of the parameters.

2.1. Local emission intensity

M
esz
aros and Nagel, (1985) have performed numerical calculations of radiation transfer
in magnetized plasmas for slab and cylindrical idealized atmospheres. The cylindrical
geometry is infinite in height, in order to simplify the radiation field to a dependence
on a single spatial dimension. The angle and frequency dependence of emission from
an optically-thick, self-illuminating, planar region of density =0.50 g cm3 , kT=8.0
keV, optical depth y=5104 g cm2 (R=105 cm), and a perpendicular magnetic field was
used in specifying emission from the surface of the accretion columns in the asymmetric
emission model. The local intensity profile was cubic-spline fitted and corrected for
decreasing cyclotron frequency wc from the neutron star surface, according to dipolar
magnetic field geometry. Figure 2 shows the results of the two-dimensional spline
interpolation.

3. FITTING PROCEDURE
For an initial set of the 15 model parameters, numerical calculation of the theoretical flux integrals is performed using an IMSL4 routine for multi-dimensional iterated
integral approximation. A nonlinear least-squares routine based on the LevenbergMarquardt method is used to minimize the difference between the theoretical and observed flux to obtain best-fit parameters of the model for each pulse profile.

4. RESULTS
Preliminary results of the least-squares fitting of the BATSE profiles, and the associated
VRML visualization corresponding to the best-fit parameters, are presented in figures
3 and 4. The best-fit parameters for this profile have an opening angle for the emission
regions of o =8.0 , a magnetic axis offset from the rotational axis by m =30 , observer
(1)
(2)

(2)

angle of r =90 , with partial-filling of (1)

o =215 , L =300 , o =10 , L =100 , and
(1)
(2)
radial heights of RL =2.10Rns , RL =2.30Rns , where Rns is the radius of the neutron
star. It is anticipated that an offset magnetic dipole axis, a second emission region
offset from the magnetic axis, and partial-filling of the emission regions in this model
may be sufficient in reproducing the asymmetry present in the observed pulse profiles.
Additional results of pulse profile fitting are presented in Newlands and Leahy, 1997.

Inter. Math. and Stat. Lib.

Figure 2. Profile of emission intensity, I(0 ,), for local emission angle 0 and
frequency , from the surface of the model emission regions.

Figure 3. Results of least-squares fitting of BATSE pulse profile corresponding to

a luminosity of L = 7.911035 ergs/s, for an observed energy of Eobs = 35 keV, with
surface cyclotron energy Ecyc = 57 keV.

Figure 4. VRML visualization for best-fit parameters of BATSE pulse profile;

L = 7.911035 ergs/s, Eobs = 35 keV, Ecyc = 57 keV.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Doug S. Phillips (University Computing Services, University of Calgary) is thanked for
producing the VRML visualization of the emission model.

REFERENCES
Leahy, D.A., and Li, L., 1995, Mon. Not. R. Aston. Soc., 277, 117784.
M
esz
aros, P., Nagel, W., 1985, Astrophys. J. , 299, 13853.
Newlands, N.K., and Leahy, D.A., 1997, in preparation.
Paciesas, W.S., Finger, M.H., Wilson, R.B., Fishman, G.J., 1994, Bull. American Astron.
Soc., 185, 10209.
Parmar, A.N., White, N.E., Stella, L., Izzo, C., Ferri, P., 1989a, Astrophys. J. , 338, 35972.
Parmar, A.N., White, N.E., Stella, L., 1989b, Astrophys. J. , 338, 37380.