X-ray spectro-polarimetry analysis of the weakly magnetized neutron star X-ray binary GX 9+1

We present an X-ray spectro-polarimetric study of the weakly magnetized neutron star low-mass X-ray binary utilizing data from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ( alongside simultaneous and observations. located in the Galactic bulge, is a persistently bright atoll source known for its spectral variability along the color--color diagram. Our spectral analysis during the soft state confirms that the emission is dominated by a soft blackbody and thermal Comptonization components, with no evidence of a hard X-ray tail. Moreover, these observations suggest a relatively low-inclination system ($23 with a weak reflection component, consistent with emission from the accretion disk and neutron star boundary layer. Spectro-polarimetric analysis reveals no significant polarization in the 2--8 keV range, with a 3σ level upper limit on the polarization degree of 1.9%. However, marginal evidence of polarization is detected in the 2--3 keV band at the 95.5$%$ confidence level (2σ), suggesting potential contributions from scattering effects in the individual spectral components (disk, reflection, and Comptonization) that may cancel each other out due to the different orientations of their polarization angles. This behavior aligns with other atoll sources observed by which typically exhibit lower and less variable polarization degrees compared to Z--class sources.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-05-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202554083
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

X-ray spectro-polarimetry analysis of the weakly magnetized neutron star X-ray binary GX 9+1

Juri Poutanen, Anna Bobrikova, S. Bianchi, F. Ursini et al.
4 links
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
article

X-ray spectro-polarimetry analysis of the weakly magnetized neutron star X-ray binary GX 9+1

Juri Poutanen, Anna Bobrikova, S. Bianchi, F. Ursini, Fiamma Capitanio, Maxime Parra, A. Tarana, Andrea Gnarini, P. Kaaret, R. Farinelli, P. Soffitta, Sergio Fabiani, M. Cocchi, Mason Ng, G. Matt, C. Ferrigno, Swati Ravi
article en

Abstract

We present an X-ray spectro-polarimetric study of the weakly magnetized neutron star low-mass X-ray binary utilizing data from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ( alongside simultaneous and observations. located in the Galactic bulge, is a persistently bright atoll source known for its spectral variability along the color--color diagram. Our spectral analysis during the soft state confirms that the emission is dominated by a soft blackbody and thermal Comptonization components, with no evidence of a hard X-ray tail. Moreover, these observations suggest a relatively low-inclination system ($23 with a weak reflection component, consistent with emission from the accretion disk and neutron star boundary layer. Spectro-polarimetric analysis reveals no significant polarization in the 2--8 keV range, with a 3σ level upper limit on the polarization degree of 1.9%. However, marginal evidence of polarization is detected in the 2--3 keV band at the 95.5$%$ confidence level (2σ), suggesting potential contributions from scattering effects in the individual spectral components (disk, reflection, and Comptonization) that may cancel each other out due to the different orientations of their polarization angles. This behavior aligns with other atoll sources observed by which typically exhibit lower and less variable polarization degrees compared to Z--class sources.

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Openalex Percentile: Top 92%
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.