Investigating Long-Term Behaviour of X-ray Binaries Using Archival Data

Authors

  • M. M. Kotze South African Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 9, Observatory 7935, South Africa (SA) Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (ACGC), Astronomy Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, SA
  • P. A. Charles Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravity Centre (ACGC), Astronomy Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, SA School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14311/APP.2015.02.0128

Abstract

Long term modulations have been detected in a wide variety of both low and high-mass X-ray binaries. The All Sky Monitor on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer provides the most extensive (~15 years) and sensitive X-ray archive for studying such behaviour. Since those variations were often intermittent and/or aperiodic, we used a time-dependent Dynamic Power Spectrum method to examine how the modulations themselves vary with time in a systematic way. Some were found to be remarkably stable, while others show a range of properties, from even longer variability time-scales to quite chaotic behaviour.

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Published

2015-02-23

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2015): THE GOLDEN AGE OF CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES AND RELATED OBJECTS - II

Section

Articles

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