Lorentz Factors of Compact Jets in Black Hole X-Ray Binaries

Saikia, Payaswini; Russell, D. M.; Bramich, D. M.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Baglio, Maria Cristina; Degenaar, N.

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab4a09

Cited by 35 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 140 publications

(162 reference statements)

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“…The parameter space that we consider here for the optical depth and jet width is determined from the range of values of the parameters that produce good fits to the time lag-photon index correlation in GX 339-4 (Kylafis et al 2008), namely 2 ≤ τ ≤ 5 and 100 r g ≤ R 0 ≤ 500 r g . For γ 0 , we consider the results from Saikia et al (2019), who used the near infrared excess observed in BHBs to constrain the Lorentz factor in the jet in the range 1.3−3.5.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays

Reig

Kylafis

2021

A&A

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Context. The models that seek to explain the reflection spectrum in black hole binaries usually invoke a point-like primary source of hard X-rays. This source illuminates the accretion disk and gives rise to the discrete (lines) and continuum-reflected components. Aims. The main goal of this work is to investigate whether the extended, mildly relativistic jet that is present in black hole binaries in the hard and hard-intermediate states is the hard X-ray source that illuminates the accretion disk. Methods. We use a Monte Carlo code that simulates the process of inverse Compton scattering in a mildly relativistic jet rather than in a “corona” of some sort. Blackbody photons from the thin accretion disk are injected at the base of the jet and interact with the energetic electrons that move outward with a bulk velocity that is a significant fraction of the speed of light. Results. Despite the fact that the jet moves away from the disk at a mildly relativistic speed, we find that approximately 15−20% of the input soft photons are scattered, after Comptonization, back toward the accretion disk. The vast majority of the Comptonized, back-scattered photons escape very close to the black hole (h ≲ 6 rg, where rg is the gravitational radius), but a non-negligible amount escape at a wide range of heights. At high heights, h ∼ 500−2000 rg, the distribution falls off rapidly. The high-height cutoff strongly depends on the width of the jet at its base and is almost insensitive to the optical depth. The disk illumination spectrum is softer than the direct jet spectrum of the radiation that escapes in directions that do not encounter the disk. Conclusions. We conclude that an extended jet is an excellent candidate source of hard photons in reflection models.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays

Reig

Kylafis

2021

A&A

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“…There are indications that matter in compact jets could be accelerated up to bulk Lorentz factors j ࣠ 3.5 (e.g. Ribó, Dhawan & Mirabel 2004;Russell et al 2015;Péault et al 2019;Saikia et al 2019;Tetarenko et al 2019). No radio emission is usually detected during the soft state, as compact jets are strongly quenched (Fender et al 1999;Corbel et al 2000), by at least 3.5 orders of magnitude (Russell et al 2019a;Maccarone et al 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The black hole transient MAXI J1348–630: evolution of the compact and transient jets during its 2019/2020 outburst

Carotenuto

Corbel

Tremou

et al. 2021

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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We present the radio and X-ray monitoring campaign of the 2019/2020 outburst of MAXI J1348–630, a new black hole X-ray binary (XRB) discovered in 2019 January. We observed MAXI J1348–630 for ∼14 months in the radio band with MeerKAT and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), and in the X-rays with MAXI and Swift/XRT. Throughout the outburst we detected and tracked the evolution of the compact and transient jets. Following the main outburst, the system underwent at least 4 hard-state-only re-flares, during which compact jets were again detected. For the major outburst, we observed the rise, quenching, and re-activation of the compact jets, as well as two single-sided discrete ejecta, launched ∼2 months apart and travelling away from the black hole. These ejecta displayed the highest proper motion (≳100 mas day−1) ever measured for an accreting black hole binary. From the jet motion, we constrain the ejecta inclination and speed to be ≤46○ and ≥0.69 c, and the opening angle and transverse expansion speed of the first component to be ≤6○ and ≤0.05 c. We also infer that the first ejection happened at the hard-to-soft state transition, before a strong radio flare, while the second ejection was launched during a short excursion from the soft to the intermediate state. After traveling with constant speed, the first component underwent a strong deceleration, which was covered with unprecedented detail and suggested that MAXI J1348–630 could be located inside a low-density cavity in the interstellar medium, as already proposed for XTE J1550–564 and H1743–322.

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“…The IR excess usually fades during the hard to HIMS transition (e.g. Coriat et al Bel et al 2011;Saikia et al 2019), with additional brief IR flares only seen close to the hard-HIMS transition if the source does not make a smooth transition (Baglio et al 2018). During the SIMS and soft state the IR emission is quenched as the jet spectrum evolves (e.g.…”

Section: A Brief and Unexpected Ir Flare In The Simsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The orbital period is determined to be 26.79377 ± 0.00007 h, and the inclination angle is estimated as 20.7 • ± 1.5 • (Orosz 2003). Russell et al (2006) compiled from the literature a central BH mass of 9.4 ± 1.0 M and a companion mass of 2.45 ± 0.15 M for this system (see also Saikia et al 2019). Its 2002 outburst was monitored regularly with the X-ray satellite Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE, Park et al 2004;Kalemci et al 2005Kalemci et al , 2013Reig et al 2006;Gierliński & Newton 2006;Gliozzi et al 2010;Koen 2013;Morningstar & Miller 2014;Dinçer et al 2014;Lipunova & Malanchev 2017;Vahdat Motlagh, Kalemci & Maccarone 2019) and with ground-based optical and IR (Buxton & Bailyn 2004) and radio (Park et al 2004;Kalemci et al 2005) facilities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The appearance of a compact jet in the soft–intermediate state of 4U 1543−47

Russell¹,

Casella

Kalemci

et al. 2020

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Recent advancements in the understanding of jet–disc coupling in black hole candidate X-ray binaries (BHXBs) have provided close links between radio jet emission and X-ray spectral and variability behaviour. In ‘soft’ X-ray states the jets are suppressed, but the current picture lacks an understanding of the X-ray features associated with the quenching or recovering of these jets. Here we show that a brief, ∼4 day infrared (IR) brightening during a predominantly soft X-ray state of the BHXB 4U 1543–47 is contemporaneous with a strong X-ray Type B quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO), a slight spectral hardening and an increase in the rms variability, indicating an excursion to the soft–intermediate state (SIMS). This IR ‘flare’ has a spectral index consistent with optically thin synchrotron emission and most likely originates from the steady, compact jet. This core jet emitting in the IR is usually only associated with the hard state, and its appearance during the SIMS places the ‘jet line’ between the SIMS and the soft state in the hardness–intensity diagram for this source. IR emission is produced in a small region of the jets close to where they are launched (∼0.1 light-seconds), and the timescale of the IR flare in 4U 1543–47 is far too long to be caused by a single, discrete ejection. We also present a summary of the evolution of the jet and X-ray spectral/variability properties throughout the whole outburst, constraining the jet contribution to the X-ray flux during the decay.

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Lorentz Factors of Compact Jets in Black Hole X-Ray Binaries

Cited by 35 publications

References 140 publications

Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays

Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays

The black hole transient MAXI J1348–630: evolution of the compact and transient jets during its 2019/2020 outburst

The appearance of a compact jet in the soft–intermediate state of 4U 1543−47

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