E. Jourdain

INTEGRAL observations of the cosmic X-ray background in the 5-100 keV range via occultation by the Earth

Aims. We study the spectrum of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) in energy range ∼5−100 keV. Methods. Early in 2006 the INTEGRAL observatory performed a series of four 30 ks observations with the Earth disk crossing the field of view of the instruments. The modulation of the aperture flux due to occultation of extragalactic objects by the Earth disk was used to obtain the spectrum of the Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB). Various sources of contamination were evaluated, including compact sources, Galactic Ridge emission, CXB reflection by the Earth atmosphere, cosmic ray induced emission by the Earth atmosphere and the Earth auroral emission. Results. The spectrum of the cosmic X-ray background in the energy band 5−100 keV is obtained. The shape of the spectrum is consistent with that obtained previously by the HEAO-1 observatory, while the normalization is ∼10% higher. This difference in normalization can (at least partly) be traced to the different assumptions on the absolute flux from the Crab Nebulae. The increase relative to the earlier adopted value of the absolute flux of the CXB near the energy of maximum luminosity (20−50 keV) has direct implications for the energy release of supermassive black holes in the Universe and their growth at the epoch of the CXB origin.

The Emission of Cygnus X-1: Observations with INTEGRAL SPI from 20 keV to 2 MeV

We report on Cyg X-1 observations performed by the SPI telescope on board the INTEGRAL mission and distributed over more than 6 years. We investigate the variability of the intensity and spectral shape of this peculiar source in the hard X-ray domain, and more particularly up to the MeV region. We first study the total averaged spectrum which presents the best signal-to-noise ratio (4 Ms of data). Then, we refine our results by building mean spectra by periods and gathering those of similar hardness. Several spectral shapes are observed with important changes in the curvature between 20 and 200 keV, even at the same luminosity level. In all cases, the emission decreases sharply above 700 keV, with flux values above 1 MeV (or upper limits) well below the recently reported polarized flux, while compatible with the MeV emission detected some years ago by the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory/COMPTEL. Finally, we take advantage of the spectroscopic capability of the instrument to seek for spectral features in the 500 keV region with negative results for any significant annihilation emission on 2 ks and day timescales, as well as in the total data set.

3-200 keV spectral states and variability of the INTEGRAL black hole binary IGR J17464-3213

On March 2003, IBIS, the gamma-ray imager on board the INTEGRAL satellite, detected an outburst from a new source, IGR J17464-3213, that turned out to be a HEAO 1 transient, H1743-322. In this paper we report on the high-energy behavior of this black hole candidate (BHC) studied with the three main instruments on board INTEGRAL. The data, collected with unprecedented sensitivity in the hard X-ray range, show a quite hard Comptonized emission from 3 up to 150 keV during the rising part of the source outburst, with no thermal emission detectable. A few days later, a prominent soft-disk multicolor component appears, with the hard tail luminosity almost unchanged: ~5 × 10-9 ergs cm-2 s-1. Two months later, during a second monitoring campaign near the end of the outburst, the observed disk component was unchanged. Conversely, the Comptonized emission from the central hot part of the disk reduced by a factor of ~10. We present here its long-term behavior in different energy ranges and the combined JEM-X, SPI, and IBIS wideband spectral evolution of this source.

DIFFUSE EMISSION MEASUREMENT WITH THE SPECTROMETER ON INTEGRAL AS AN INDIRECT PROBE OF COSMIC-RAY ELECTRONS AND POSITRONS

Significant advances have been made in the understanding of the diffuse Galactic hard X-ray continuum emission using data from the INTEGRAL observatory. The diffuse hard power-law component seen with the SPectrometer on INTEGRAL (SPI) has been identified with inverse-Compton emission from relativistic (GeV) electrons on the cosmic microwave background and Galactic interstellar radiation field. In the present analysis, SPI data from 2003 to 2009, with a total exposure time of ~108 s, are used to derive the Galactic ridge hard X-ray spatial distribution and spectrum between 20 keV and 2.4 MeV. Both are consistent with predictions from the GALPROP code. The good agreement between measured and predicted emission from keV to GeV energies suggests that the correct production mechanisms have been identified. We discuss the potential of the SPI data to provide an indirect probe of the interstellar cosmic-ray electron distribution, in particular for energies below a few GeV.

State transition and flaring activity of IGR J17464-3213/H1743-322 with INTEGRAL SPI

IGR J17464-3213, already known as the HEAO 1 transient source H1743-322, has been detected during a state transition by INTEGRAL SPI. We describe the spectral evolution and flaring activity of IGR J17464-3213/H1743-322 from 2003 March 21 to 2003 April 22. During the first part, the source followed a continuous spectral softening, with the peak of the spectral energy distribution shifting from 100 keV down to ~a few keV. However, the thermal disk and the hard X-ray components had a similar intensity, indicating that the source was in an intermediate state throughout our observations and evolving toward the soft state. In the second part of our observations, the RXTE ASM and INTEGRAL SPI light curves showed a strong flaring activity. Two flare events lasting about 1 day each have been detected with SPI and are probably due to instabilities in the accretion disk associated with the state transition. During these flares, the low (1.5-12 keV) and high (20-200 keV) energy fluxes monitored with the RXTE ASM and INTEGRAL SPI are correlated, and the spectral shape (above 20 keV) remains unchanged while the luminosity increases by a factor greater than 2.

Polarimetry in the Hard X-Ray Domain with INTEGRAL SPI

We present recent improvements in polarization analysis with the INTEGRAL SPI data. The SPI detector plane consists of 19 independent Ge crystals and can operate as a polarimeter. The anisotropy characteristics of Compton diffusions can provide information on the polarization parameters of the incident flux. By including the physics of the polarized Compton process in the instrument simulation, we are able to determine the instrument response for a linearly polarized emission at any position angle. We compare the observed data with the simulation sets by a minimum χ2 technique to determine the polarization parameters of the source (angle and fraction). We have tested our analysis procedure with Crab Nebula observations and find a position angle similar to those previously reported in the literature, with a comfortable significance. Since the instrument response depends on the incident angle, each exposure in the SPI data requires its own set of simulations, calculated for 18 polarization angles (from 0° to 170° in steps of 10°) and unpolarized emission. The analysis of a large number of observations for a given source, required to obtain statistically significant results, represents a large amount of computing time, but it is the only way to access this complementary information in the hard X-ray regime. Indeed, major scientific advances are expected from such studies since the observational results will help to discriminate between the different models proposed for the high energy emission of compact objects like X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei or gamma-ray bursts.

SIGMA/GRANAT Discovery of GRS 1739–278, A Hard X-Ray Transient in the Galactic Bulge

While the SIGMA telescope performed its twelfth observing campaign on the Galactic center region, a new hard X-ray transient source was discovered. The source, named GRS 1739-278, was bright during the whole campaign with a hard spectrum. Thanks to the accurate position provided by the coded-mask imaging technique, the GRS 1739-278 counterparts at other wavelengths have been promptly identified. The collected observations and similarities of the source behaviors with those of Nova Muscae 1991 suggest that GRS 1739-278 may contain a black hole located in the Galactic bulge. The fact that the hard X-ray peak luminosity of GRS 1739-278 is similar to that of GRS 1730-312 (another hard X-ray transient observed by SIGMA in the bulge) leads us to consider the hard X-ray transient peak luminosity as a possible distance indicator.

THE INTEGRAL/SPI VIEW OF A0535+26 DURING THE GIANT OUTBURST OF 2011 FEBRUARY

A0535+26 is a slowly rotating pulsar accreting from the wind of a massive Be star and exhibits two cyclotron absorption lines in its X-ray spectrum, at about 45 and 100 keV, respectively. Unlike similar sources, no significant variations of the energy of its cyclotron lines with flux have been observed to date. The bright outburst of 2011 February thus offers a unique occasion to probe this peculiar behavior at flux levels not yet observed with present-day instruments. Here we report on the spectral and timing analysis of the data from the spectrometer SPI on board INTEGRAL collected during the outburst. At the peak of the outburst the estimated luminosity is ~4.9 × 1037 erg s−1. The fundamental cyclotron feature is detected at all flux levels, and its centroid energy is positively correlated with the flux of the source, confirming that A0535+26 is accreting at a sub-critical regime. The correlation seems to fall off at ~1037 erg s−1, suggesting a transition from a Coulomb-stopping regime to a gas-mediated shock regime. From the timing analysis we found that the pulsar was spinning up during most of the outburst and that the spin-up rate correlates with the flux of the source, although the correlation is steeper than the one expected from the standard disk accretion theory. Finally, we show that the pulse profile of the source changes dramatically as the flux increases. At high luminosity the profile is highly asymmetric, implying an asymmetry in the geometry of the accretion flow.

On the hard X-ray variability of Centaurus A

The radio galaxy Centaurus A has been observed by the imaging telescope SIGMA on board the GRANAT satellite on three occasions during a 1 yr period. Hard X-ray emission was detected each time at a position compatible with the position of the galaxy and from no other source in the region. A comparison between the observations indicates a flux increase by a factor of 3 over a 1 yr time scale but even more interesting is a similar decrease which was observed in just 4 days; this is the first report of short-time scale variability at hard X-ray frequencies; it agrees well with soft X-ray measurements. If due to a flaring component, we estimate the duration of a typical event to be 8-10 days (rise and decay time) with a frequency of ∼45 events per year

Gravitational effects on the high energy emission of accreting black holes

Context. We extend the investigation of general relativistic effects on the observed X-ray continuum of Kerr black holes in the context of the light bending model (Miniutti & Fabian 2004). Aims. Assuming a ring-like illuminating source, co-rotating with the underlying accretion disk, we study the shape and normalisation of the primary and disc reflected continuum as well as the dependence of the observed spectrum on the line of sight for various source heights and radii. Methods. These calculations are performed using Monte-Carlo methods to compute the angle dependent reflection spectrum from the disc. The effects of general relativity are illustrated by a comparison with Newtonian and Special Relativity calculations. Results. Relativistic distortions can strongly affect the shape of the reflected spectrum. Light bending can dramatically increase the observable reflected flux and reduce the primary emission. In addition, multiple reflections due to the reflected photons deflected toward the disc can alter significantly the shape of the spectrum above 10 keV. We explore the predicted variations of the observed reflected and primary fluxes with the height and radius of the source. Large variations of the ring radius at constant height can lead to an (unobserved) anti-correlation between primary and reflected flux. In another side, the variability behaviour of several sources can be reproduced if the ring source radius is small (<5 r g ), and its height varies by a large factor. In particular, a non-linear flux-flux relation, similar to that observed in several sources, can be produced. We compare our model with the flux-flux plot of NGC 4051, and find an agreement for low inclination angles (<20°), ring source radius ≤3 r g and a height varying between 0.5 to 10 r g . Regarding the angular distribution of the radiation, we find some important qualitative differences with respect to the Newtonian case. The reflected flux at larger inclination is relatively stronger than in the Newtonian model, the reflection fraction increasing with inclination.