Abstract
In early 1996 a series of discoveries begun with NASA’s Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer of a new, up to then unknown astrophysical phenomenon. It turned out that accreting low magnetic-field neutron stars show quasi-periodic oscillations in their X-ray flux at rates of up to more than a kilohertz. These kHz QPO, now reported from eleven different systems, are among the fastest phenomena in the sky and can provide us with new information about the fundamental properties of neutron stars and help testing general relativity in the strong-field regime. If, for example, their frequencies can be identified with the Keplerian frequencies of matter in orbit around a 1.4M⨀ neutron star, then the radius of the star would have to be less than 15 km, which directly constrains the equation of state of bulk nuclear-density matter, and for an only slightly tighter orbit or slightly more massive neutron star the orbital radius would equal the Schwarzschild-geometry general-relativistic marginally stable orbit (12.5 km for a 1.4M⨀ object). So far all models that have been put forward for explaining the new phenomenon have encountered problems. In this paper I review the relatively simple and highly suggestive phenomenology as it has emerged from the data up to now, and discuss some of the proposed models.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alpar, M.A., Shaham, J. 1985, Nature, 316, 239.
Berger, M., Van der Klis, M., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F., Vaughan, B., Kuulkers, E., Augusteijn, T., Zhang, W., Marshall, F.E., Swank, J.H., Lapidus, I., Lochner, J.C., Strohmayer, T.E., 1996, ApJ, 469, L13.
Ford, E., Kaaret, P., Tavani, M., Harmon, B.A., Zhang, S.N., Barret, D., Bloser, P., Grindlay, J., 1996, IAU Circ. 6426
Ford, E., Kaaret, P., Tavani, M., Barret, D., Bloser, P., Grindlay, J., Harmon, B.A., Paciesas, W.S., Zhang, S.N., 1997, ApJ, 475, L123.
Cook, G.B., Shapiro, S.L., Teukolsky, S.A., 1994 ApJ, 424, 823
Hasinger, G., Van der Klis, M. 1989, AXXXXXXXXA, 225, 79.
Jongert, H.C., Van der Klis, M., 1996, AXXXXXXXXA, 310, 474
Kaaret, Ph., Ford, E., Chen, K., 1997, ApJ, in press
Klein, R.L., Jernigan, G.J., Arons, J., Morgan, E.H., Zhang, W., 1996, ApJ, 469, L119. Kluiniak, W., Wagoner, R.V., 1985, ApJ, 297, 548
Kluiniak, W., Michelson, P., Wagoner, R.V., 1990, ApJ358, 538
Lamb, F.K., Shibazaki, N., Alpar, M.A., Shaham, J 1985, Nature, 317, 681.
Méndez, M., Van der Klis, M., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F.K., Vaughan, B.A., Kuulkers, E., Psaltis, D., 1997, ApJ, submitted.
Miller, M.C., Lamb, F.K., 1993, ApJ, 413, L43
Miller, M.C., Lamb, F.K., Psaltis, D., 1996, ApJ, submitted; astro-ph/9609157 23-Sep-96. Morgan, E.H., Smith, D.A., 1996, IAU Circ. 6437.
Patterson, J., 1979, ApJ, 234, 978
Smale, A.P., Zhang, W., White, N.E., 1996, IAU Circ. 6507.
Smale, A.P., Zhang, W., White, N.E., 1997, ApJ, submitted.
Smith, D.A., Morgan, E.H., Bradt, H., 1997, ApJ, in press.
Strohmayer, T., Zhang, W., Swank, J., 1996a, IAU Circ. 6320
Strohmayer, T., Zhang, W., Smale, A., Day, C., Swank, J, Titarchuk, L., Lee, U., 1996b, IAU Circ. 6387
Strohmayer, T., Zhang, W., Smale, A., Day, C., Swank, J., Titarchuk, L., Lee, U., 1996c, ApJ, 469, L9.
Strohmayer, T., Lee, U., Jahoda, K., 1996d, IAU Circ. 6484.
Van Paradijs, J., Zhang, W., Marshall, F., Swank, J.H., Augusteijn, T., Kuulkers, E., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F., Lapidus, I., Lochner, J., Strohmayer, T., Van der Klis, M., Vaughan, B., 1996, IAU Circ. 6336 Psaltis, D., Lamb, F.K., 1997, ApJ, submitted
Van der Klis, M. 1989, NATO ASI C262: Timing Neutron Stars, Ogelman and van den Heuvel (eds.), Kluwer, p. 27.
Van der Klis, M. 1995, in: X-Ray Binaries, Lewin, Van Paradijs and Van den Heuvel (eds.), Cambridge University Press, p. 252.
Van der Klis, M., Jansen, F., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., van den Heuvel, E.P.J., Trümper, J.E., Sztajno, M. 1985, Nature, 316, 225.
Van der Klis, M., Swank, J., Zhang, W., Jahoda, K., Morgan, E., Lewin, W., Vaughan, B., Van Paradijs, J., 1996a, IAU Circ. 6319
Van der Klis, M., Wijnands, R., Chen, W., Lamb, F.K., Psaltis, D., Kuulkers, E., Lewin, W.H.G., Vaughan, B., Van Paradijs, J., Dieters, S., Home, K., 1996b, IAU Circ. 6424 Van der Klis, M., Swank, J H, Zhang, W., Jahoda, K., Morgan, E.H., Lewin, W.H.G.
Vaughan, B., Van Paradijs, J., 1996c, ApJ, 469, Ll.
Van der Klis, M., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F.K., Vaughan, B., Kuulkers, E., Augusteijn, T., 1996d, IAU Circ. 6428
Van der Klis, M., Wijnands, R., Kuulkers, E., Lamb, F.K., Psaltis, D., Dieters, S., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Vaughan, B., 1996e, IAU Circ. 6511.
Van der Klis, M., Homan, J., Wijnands, R., Kuulkers, E., Lamb, F.K., Psaltis, D., Dieters, S., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Vaughan, B., 1997a, IAU Circ. 6565.
Van der Klis, M., Wijnands, R., Chen, Home, K., 1997b, ApJ,in press.
Vaughan, B.A., Van der Klis, M., Van Paradijs, J., Wijnands, R.A.D., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F.K., Psaltis, D., Kuulkers, E., Oosterbroek, T., 1997, ApJ, submitted Wijnands, R.A.D., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F.K., Vaughan, B., Kuulkers, E., Augusteijn, T., 1996, IAU Circ. 6447.
Wijnands, R.A.D., Van der Klis, M., Van Paradijs, J., Lewin, W.H.G., Lamb, F.K., Vaughan, B., Kuulkers, E., 1997, ApJ, in press.
Wijnands, R.A.D., Van der Klis, M., 1997, ApJ, in press.
Zhang, W., Lapidus, I., White, N.E., Titarchuk, L., 1996, ApJ, 469, L17.
Zhang, W., Lapidus, I., Swank, J.H., White, N.E., Titarchuk, L., 1997, IAU Circ. 6541.
Zhang, W., Strohmayer, T.E., Swank, J H., 1997, ApJ, submitted
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this paper
Cite this paper
Van Der Klis, M. (1997). Kilohertz Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries. In: Maoz, D., Sternberg, A., Leibowitz, E.M. (eds) Astronomical Time Series. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 218. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8941-3_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8941-3_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4895-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-8941-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive