Peak luminosity correlated low-frequency oscillations in black holes

Abstract

Based on Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observational data, we study the timing and spectral properties of some peculiar low-frequency (LF) quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), which have been found at the peak luminosity of the outburst of some transient black hole (BH) binaries: the 2005 outburst of GRO J1655–40, the 2003 outburst of H1743–322 and the 1998 outburst of XTE J1550–564. Appearing in the ultraluminous state, these QPOs from different sources show some common properties. The amplitude is very weak (less than 1 per cent) and the quality factor is larger than 6. Moreover, these QPOs (about several Hz) sometimes show up simultaneously with another QPO (about 10 Hz), but their frequencies are not harmonically related. We also find that the frequencies of these QPOs are inversely correlated with the mass of the BH, which implies that these QPOs might be correlated with the innermost stable circular orbit. The QPO frequency is also negative correlated with the inner disc radius among BHs. However, its frequency is too low to ascribe it to the Keperlian orbit frequency. Moreover, we discuss the physical origin of these QPOs and we suggest that they are not produced by the viscous variability of the inner disc either.