Free–Free Gaunt Factors for Atmospheres of Accreting Pulsars Observable with X-Ray Space Missions

Abstract

Free–free Gaunt factors for X-ray absorption by hot plasma in the presence of a strong magnetic field are reported. Modified formulae are used for application to the nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium conditions found in accreting pulsar atmospheres. Given upcoming global X-ray polarimetric space missions, these can be used for the construction of an absorption matrix in discrete-ordinate polarized radiative transfer.

Keywords

• Plasma astrophysics