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4 August 2024

The IXPE View of Neutron Star Low-Mass X-ray Binaries

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1
Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy
2
INAF Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
3
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland
4
INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Cagliari, via della Scienza 5, I-09047 Selargius, Italy
This article belongs to the Special Issue X-Ray Polarimetry: A New Era Begins with the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer

Abstract

Low-mass X-ray binaries hosting weakly magnetized neutron stars (NS-LMXBs) are among the brightest sources in the X-ray sky. Since 2021, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) has provided new measurements of the X-ray polarization of these sources. IXPE observations have revealed that most NS-LMXBs are significantly polarized in the X-rays, providing unprecedented insight into the geometry of their accretion flow. In this review paper, we summarize the first results obtained by IXPE on NS-LMXBs, the emerging trends within each class of sources (atoll/Z), and possible physical interpretations.

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