1,376 research outputs found
On the Origin of Radio Emission in the X-ray States of XTE J1650-500 during the 2001-2002 Outburst
We report on simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of the black hole
candidate XTE J1650-500 during the course of its 2001-2002 outburst. The
scheduling of the observations allowed us to sample the properties of XTE
J1650-50 in different X-ray spectral states, namely the hard state, the steep
power-law state and the thermal dominant state, according to the recent
spectral classification of McClintock & Remillard. The hard state is consistent
with a compact jet dominating the spectral energy distribution at radio
frequencies; however, the current data suggest that its contribution as direct
synchrotron emission at higher energies may not be significant. In that case,
XTE J1650-50 may be dominated by Compton processes (either inverse
Comptonization of thermal disk photons and/or SSC from the base of the compact
jet) in the X-ray regime. We, surprisingly, detect a faint level of radio
emission in the thermal dominant state that may be consistent with the emission
of previously ejected material interacting with the interstellar medium,
similar (but on a smaller angular scale) to what was observed in XTE J1550-564
by Corbel and co-workers. Based on the properties of radio emission in the
steep power-law state of XTE J1650-50, and taking into account the behavior of
other black hole candidates (namely GX 339-4, XTE J1550-564, and XTE J1859+226)
while in the intermediate and steep power-law states, we are able to present a
general pattern of behavior for the origin of radio emission in these two
states that could be important for understanding the accretion-ejection
coupling very close to the black hole event horizon.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 33 pages, 10
figure
The variable radio counterpart and possible large-scale jet of the new Z-source XTE J1701-462
We report radio observations, made with the Australia Telescope Compact
Array, of the X-ray transient XTE J1701-462. This system has been classified as
a new `Z' source, displaying characteristic patterns of behaviour probably
associated with accretion onto a low magnetic field neutron star at close to
the Eddington limit. The radio counterpart is highly variable, and was detected
in six of sixteen observations over the period 2006 January -- April. The
coupling of radio emission to X-ray state, despite limited sampling, appears to
be similar to that of other `Z' sources, in that there is no radio emission on
the flaring branch. The mean radio and X-ray luminosities are consistent with
the other Z sources for a distance of 5--15 kpc. The radio spectrum is
unusually flat, or even inverted, in contrast to the related sources, Sco X-1
and Cir X-1, which usually display an optically thin radio spectrum. Deep
wide-field observations indicate an extended structure three arcminutes to the
south which is aligned with the X-ray binary. This seems to represent a
significant overdensity of radio sources for the field and so, although a
background source remains a strong possibility, we consider it plausible that
this is a large-scale jet associated with XTE J1701-462.Comment: Accepted for publication as a Letter in MNRA
Modeling the X-ray Contribution of X-ray Binary Jets
Astrophysical jets exist in both XRBs and AGN, and seem to share common
features, particularly in the radio. While AGN jets are known to emit X-rays,
the situation for XRB jets is not so clear. Radio jets have been resolved in
several XRBs in the low/hard state, establishing that some form of outflow is
routinely present in this state. Interestingly, the flat-to-inverted radio
synchrotron emission associated with these outflows strongly correlates with
the X-ray emission in several sources, suggesting that the jet plasma plays a
role at higher frequencies. In this same state, there is increasing evidence
for a turnover in the IR/optical where the flat-to-inverted spectrum seems to
connect to an optically thin component extending into the X-rays. We discuss
how jet synchrotron emission is likely to contribute to the X-rays, in addition
to inverse Compton up-scattering, providing a natural explanation for these
correlations and the turnover in the IR/optical band. We present model
parameters for fits to several sources, and address some common misconceptions
about the jet model.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Table, conference proceedings for "The Physics of
Relativistic Jets in the Chandra and XMM Era, Bologna, 2002", Eds. G.
Brunetti, D. E. Harris, R. M. Sambruna & G. Sett
Near-infrared synchrotron emission from the compact jet of GX339-4
We have compiled contemporaneous broadband observations of the black hole
candidate X-ray binary GX 339-4 when in the low/hard X-ray state in 1981 and
1997. The data clearly reveal the presence of two spectral components, with
thermal and non-thermal spectra, overlapping in the optical -- near-infrared
bands. The non-thermal component lies on an extrapolation of the radio spectrum
of the source, and we interpret it as optically thin synchrotron emission from
the powerful, compact jet in the system. Detection of this break from
self-absorbed to optically thin synchrotron emission from the jet allows us to
place a firm lower limit on the ratio of jet (synchrotron) to X-ray
luminosities of %. We further note that extrapolation of the optically
thin synchrotron component from the near-infrared to higher frequencies
coincides with the observed X-ray spectrum, supporting models in which the
X-rays could originate via optically thin synchrotron emission from the jet
(possibly instead of Comptonisation).Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Lette
Spectral evolution of the microquasar XTE J1550-564 over its entire 2000 outburst
We report on RXTE observations of the microquasar XTE J1550-564 during a ~70
day outburst in April-June 2000. We study the evolution of the PCA+HEXTE
spectra over the outburst. The source transited from an initial Low Hard State
(LS), to an Intermediate State (IS), and then back to the LS. The source shows
an hysteresis effect similar to what is observed in other sources, favoring a
common origin for the state transitions in soft X-ray transients. The first
transition occurs at a ~ constant 2-200 keV flux, which probably indicates a
change in the relative importance of the emitting media. The second transition
is more likely driven by a drop in the mass accretion rate.
In both LS, the spectra are characterized by the presence of a strong
power-law tail (Compton corona) with a variable high energy cut-off. During the
IS, the spectra show the presence of a ~0.8 keV thermal component (accretion
disk). We discuss the apparently independent evolution of the two media, and
show that right after the X-ray maximum on MJD 51662, the decrease of the
source luminosity is due to a decrease of the power-law luminosity, at a
constant disk luminosity. This, together with the detection of radio emission
(with a spectrum typical of optically thin synchrotron emission), may suggest
that the corona is ejected and further detected as a discrete radio ejection.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 9 pages, 4 figures, abstract
abridge
Revisiting the radio/X-ray flux correlation in the black hole V404 Cyg: from outburst to quiescence
We report results of Chandra X-ray and VLA radio observations of the Galactic
accreting black hole V404 Cyg (GS 2023+338) in its quiescent state. V404 Cyg is
detected at its faintest level of radio and X-ray emission with a 0.5-10 keV
unabsorbed luminosity of 8.3 x 10^32 (d/3.5 kpc)^2 erg/s. The X-ray spectrum
fit with an absorbed power-law model yields a photon index of 2.17 +/- 0.13.
Contrary to previous findings, this clearly indicates that V404 Cyg undergoes -
like most black holes in quiescence - a softening of its X-ray spectrum at very
low luminosity compared to the standard hard state. The quiescent radio
emission is consistent with the presence of self-absorbed compact jets. We have
also reanalyzed archival data from the decay of the 1989 outburst of V404 Cyg
in order to quantify more precisely the correlation between radio and X-ray
emission in the hard state of V404 Cyg. We show that this correlation extends
over five decades in X-ray flux and holds down to the quiescent state of V404
Cyg. The index of this correlation (~0.5) may suggest that synchrotron
self-Compton emission is the dominant physical process at high energy in V404
Cyg. However, this index is also consistent with scale invariant jet models
coupled to an inefficiently radiating accretion disc. We discuss the properties
of the quiescent state of black holes and highlight the fact that some of their
properties are different from the standard hard state.Comment: 7 pages, Accepted for publication in MNRA
Is the `IR Coincidence' Just That?
(Abridged) Motch (1985) suggested that in the hard state of GX 339-4 the soft
X-ray power-law extrapolated backward in energy agrees with the IR flux. Corbel
& Fender (2002) showed that the hard state radio power-law extrapolated forward
in energy meets the extrapolated X-ray power-law at an IR break, which was
explicitly observed twice in GX 339-4. This `IR coincidence' has been cited as
further evidence that a jet might make a significant contribution to the X-rays
in hard state systems. We explore this hypothesis with a series of simultaneous
radio/X-ray observations of GX 339-4, taken during its 1997, 1999, and 2002
hard states. We fit these spectra, in detector space, with a simple, but
remarkably successful, doubly broken power-law that requires an IR spectral
break. For these observations, the break position and the integrated radio/IR
flux have stronger dependences upon the X-rays than the simplest jet
predictions. If one allows for a softening of the X-ray power law with
increasing flux, then the jet model agrees with the correlation. We also find
evidence that the radio/X-ray fcorrelation previously observed in GX 339-4
shows a `parallel track' for the 2002 hard state. The slope of the 2002
correlation is consistent with prior observations; however, the radio amplitude
is reduced. We then examine the correlation in Cyg X-1 through the use of radio
data, obtained with the Ryle radio telescope, and RXTE data, from the ASM and
pointed observations. We again find evidence of `parallel tracks', and here
they are associated with `failed transitions' to the soft state. We also find
that for Cyg X-1 the radio flux is more fundamentally correlated with the hard
X-ray flux.Comment: To Appear in the July 2005 Astrophysical Journal; 9 Pages, uses
emulateapj.st
Radio / X-ray correlation in the low/hard state of GX 339--4
We present the results of a long-term study of the black hole candidate GX
339-4 using simultaneous radio (from the Australia Telescope Compact Array) and
X-ray (from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer and BeppoSAX) observations
performed between 1997 and 2000. We find strong evidence for a correlation
between these two emission regimes that extends over more than three decades in
X-ray flux, down to the quiescence level of GX 339-4. This is the strongest
evidence to date for such strong coupling between radio and X-ray emission. We
discuss these results in light of a jet model that can explain the radio/X-ray
correlation. This could indicate that a significant fraction of the X-ray flux
that is observed in the low-hard state of black hole candidates may be due to
optically thin synchrotron emission from the compact jet.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 200
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