Millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations in accreting X-ray pulsars

Avatar
Poster
Voice is AI-generated
Connected to paperThis paper is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review

Millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations in accreting X-ray pulsars

Authors

Wen Yang, Wei Wang

Abstract

Accreting neutron stars exhibit pulsed X-rays and complex temporal variability across multi-wavelengths and different timescales. This variability could be driven by various physical processes including instability or inhomogeneous motions within the accretion flow, thermonuclear bursts on the neutron star surface. In this review, we present a concise overview of the observational features for millihertz (mHz) quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) at a frequency range of $\sim 1- 1000$ mHz observed in light curves of X-ray pulsars for both low-mass X-ray binaries and high-mass X-ray binaries, based on recent X-ray missions, e.g., NICER, Insight-HXMT and NuSTAR. We further summarize current theoretical interpretations, discuss remaining challenges and propose potential directions for future studies to advance the understanding of the nature and physical origin of these QPOs.

Follow Us on

0 comments

Add comment