94 research outputs found
Modeling the hard states of XTE J1550--564 during its 2000 outburst
We study hard states of the black-hole binary XTE J1550--564 during its 2000
outburst. In order to explain those states at their highest luminosities,
of the Eddington luminosity, , we propose a specific hot
accretion flow model. We point out that the highest values of the hard-state
are substantially above the an advection-dominated accretion flow
(ADAF) can produce, , which is only -- even for as high as 0.3. On the other hand, we
successfully explain the hard states with -- using the luminous
hot accretion flow (LHAF) model. As is also roughly the highest
luminosity an LHAF can produce, such an agreement between the predicted and
observed highest luminosities provides by itself strong support for this model.
Then, we study multi-waveband spectral variability during the 2000 outburst. In
addition to the primary maxima in the optical light curves, secondary maxima
were detected after the transition from the very high state to the hard state.
We show that the secondary maxima are well modeled by synchrotron emission from
a jet formed during the state transition. We argue that the absence of the
corresponding secondary peak in the X-ray light curve indicates that the X-ray
jet emission, regardless of its radiative process, synchrotron or its
Comptonization, is not important in the hard state compared to the emission
from the accretion flow.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures; the final version to appear in Ap
Modeling the Broadband Spectral Energy Distribution of the Microquasars XTE J1550-564 and H 1743-322
We report results from a systematic study of the spectral energy distribution
(SED) and spectral evolution of XTE J1550--564 and H 1743--322 in outburst. The
jets of both sources have been directly imaged at both radio and X-ray
frequencies, which makes it possible to constrain the spectrum of the radiating
electrons in the jets. We modelled the observed SEDs of the jet `blobs' with
synchrotron emission alone and with synchrotron emission plus inverse Compton
scattering. The results favor a pure synchrotron origin of the observed jet
emission. Moreover, we found evidence that the shape of the electron spectral
distribution is similar for all jet `blobs' seen. Assuming that this is the
case for the jet as a whole, we then applied the synchrotron model to the radio
spectrum of the total emission and extrapolated the results to higher
frequencies. In spite of significant degeneracy in the fits, it seems clear
that, while the synchrotron radiation from the jets can account for nearly 100%
of the measured radio fluxes, it contributes little to the observed X-ray
emission, when the source is relatively bright. In this case, the X-ray
emission is most likely dominated by emission from the accretion flows. When
the source becomes fainter, however, the jet emission becomes more important,
even dominant, at X-ray energies. We also examined the spectral properties of
the sources during outbursts and the correlation between the observed radio and
X-ray variabilities. The implication of the results is discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, MNRAS, accepted; the paper has been much
expanded (e.g., arguments strengthened, another source H 1743-322 added) and
rewritten (e.g., title changed, abstract revised); the main conclusions
remain unchange
X-ray Flares from Markarian 501
Motivated by the recent finding of hierarchical X-ray flaring phenomenon in
Mrk 421, we conducted a systematic search for X-ray flares from Mrk 501,
another well-known TeV blazar, by making use of the rich {\em RXTE} archival
database. We detected flares over a wide range of timescales, from months down
to minutes, as in the case of Mrk 421. However, the flares do not seem to occur
nearly as frequently in Mrk 501 as in Mrk 421 on any of the timescales. The
flaring hierarchy also seems apparent in Mrk 501, suggesting that it might be
common among TeV blazars. The results seem to imply a scale-invariant physical
origin of the flares (large or small). The X-ray spectrum of the source shows a
general trend of hardening toward the peak of long-duration flares, with
indication of spectral hysteresis, which is often seen in TeV blazars. However,
the data are not of sufficient quality to allow us to draw definitive
conclusions about spectral variability associated with more rapid but weaker
flares. We critically examine a reported sub-hour X-ray flare from Mrk 501, in
light of intense background flaring activity at the time of the observation,
and concluded that the flare is likely an artifact. On the other hand, we did
identify a rapid X-ray flare that appears to be real. It lasted only for about
15 minutes, during which the flux of the source varied by about 30%.
Sub-structures are apparent in its profile, implying variabilities on even
shorter timescales. Such rapid variabilities of Mrk 501 place severe
constraints on the physical properties of the flaring region in the jet, which
have serious implications on the emission models proposed for TeV blazars.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
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