X-ray power density spectra of black hole binaries : a new deadtime model for the RXTE PCA

The power density spectrum is an essential tool for determining the frequency content of X-ray radiation from astronomical sources. For neutron star systems, power density spectra reveal coherent oscillations for those sources that are pulsars, while quasi-periodic oscillations over a wide range of frequencies (0.01 to 1300 Hz) are used to identify subclasses and to probe the details of accretion physics. For black hole binaries, the power density spectrum is useful in many important contexts: distinguishing black hole binaries from neutron star binaries, tracking the evolution of X-ray states, and understanding the dynamics of accretion disks, in particular the high-frequency oscillations that appear to be rooted in general relativity for strong gravitational fields. However, measurements of the power density spectrum are modified by the effects of deadtime in X-ray detectors. In this work, we focus on the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) instrument of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), an orbiting observatory that offers fast, microsecond-level time resolution and modest spectral resolution for celestial X-ray sources. We derive a new model for the effect of detector deadtime on measurements of the power density spectrum.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Wei, Dennis

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ronald A. Remillard.

• Physics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36115

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/36115