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Investigating Pulse Morphology in GX 1+4

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Michelle C. Storey ,
J. G. Greenhill  and
T. Kotani
Michelle C. Storey
Affiliation:
Special Research Centre for Theoretical Astrophysics, School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; m.storey@physics.usyd.edu.au
J. G. Greenhill
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia; John.Greenhill@utas.edu.au
T. Kotani
Affiliation:
Cosmic Radiation Laboratory, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-01, Japan
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Abstract

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Observational and theoretical evidence points to the existence of an unusually high magnetic field on GX 1+4. The pulsar is thus an ideal laboratory for studying two-photon cyclotron emission, an important source of photons of frequency significantly less than the cyclotron frequency in X-ray pulsars. Low-frequency approximations to the two-photon cyclotron emission transition probabilities are derived. These are used to calculate the theoretical opening angle of the double-humped pulse shape predicted by the two-photon cyclotron emission model. The theoretical pulse shape, incorporating the effects of gravitational light bending, is compared with observations of GX 1+4. Observed light curves have opening angles consistent with the theoretically predicted maximum value.

Keywords

radiation mechanism: non-thermalpulsars: individual(GX 1+4)X-rays: stars
Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , 1998 , pp. 217 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1998

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