Source GRO J1655-40 Research Articles

Advective accretion flow properties around rotating black holes – application to GRO J1655-40

We examine the properties of the viscous dissipative accretion flow around rotating black holes in presence of mass loss. Considering thin disc approximation, we self-consistently calculate the inflow-outflow solutions and observe that the mass outflow rates decreases with the increase of viscosity parameter ($\alpha$). Further, we carry out the model calculation of Quasi-periodic Oscillation frequency ($\nu_{\rm QPO}$) that is frequently observed in black hole sources and observe that $\nu^{\rm max}_{\rm QPO}$ increases with the increase of black hole spin ($a_k$). Then, we employ our model in order to explain the High Frequency Quasi-periodic Oscillations (HFQPOs) observed in black hole source GRO J1655-40. While doing this, we attempt to constrain the range of $a_k$ based on observed HFQPOs ($\sim$ 300 Hz and $\sim$ 450 Hz) for the black hole source GRO J1655-40.

Estimation of mass outflow rates from dissipative accretion disc around rotating black holes

We study the properties of the dissipative accretion flow around rotating black holes in presence of mass loss. We obtain the complete set of global inflow-outflow solutions in the steady state by solving the underlying conservation equations self-consistently. We observe that global inflow-outflow solutions are not the isolated solution, instead such solutions are possible for wide range of inflow parameters. Accordingly, we identify the boundary of the parameter space for outflows, spanned by the angular momentum ($\lambda_{\rm in}$) and the energy (${\cal E}_{\rm in}$) at the inner sonic point ($x_{\rm in}$), as function of the dissipation parameters and find that parameter space gradually shrinks with the increase of dissipation rates. Further, we examine the properties of the outflow rate $R_{\dot m}$ (defined as the ratio of outflow to inflow mass flux) and ascertain that dissipative processes play the decisive role in determining the outflow rates. We calculate the limits on the maximum outflow rate ($R_{\dot{m}}^{\rm max}$) in terms of viscosity parameter ($\alpha$) as well as black hole spin ($a_k$) and obtain the limiting range as $3\% \le R_{\dot{m}}^{\rm max} \le 19\%$. Moreover, we calculate the viable range of $\alpha$ that admits the coupled inflow-outflow solutions and find that $\alpha \lesssim 0.25$ for $R_{\dot m} \ne 0$. Finally, we discuss the observational implication of our formalism to infer the spin of the black holes. Towards this, considering the highest observed QPO frequency of black hole source GRO J1655-40 ($\sim 450$ Hz), we constrain the spin value of the source as $a_k \ge 0.57$.

Constraining black holes with light boson hair and boson stars using epicyclic frequencies and quasiperiodic oscillations

Light bosonic fields are ubiquitous in extensions of the Standard Model. Even when minimally coupled to gravity, these fields might evade the assumptions of the black-hole no-hair theorems and give rise to spinning black holes which can be drastically different from the Kerr metric. Furthermore, they allow for self-gravitating compact solitons, known as (scalar or Proca) boson stars. The quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in the X-ray flux emitted by accreting compact objects carry information about the strong-field region, thus providing a powerful tool to constrain deviations from Kerr's geometry and to search for exotic compact objects. By using the relativistic precession model as a proxy to interpret the QPOs in terms of geodesic frequencies, we investigate how the QPO frequencies could be used to test the no-hair theorem and the existence of light bosonic fields near accreting compact objects. We show that a detection of two QPO triplets with current sensitivity can already constrain these models, and that the future eXTP mission or a LOFT-like mission can set very stringent constraints on black holes with bosonic hair and on (scalar or Proca) boson stars. The peculiar geodesic structure of compact scalar/Proca boson stars implies that these objects can easily be ruled out as alternative models for X-ray source GRO J1655-40.

Black Hole Binaries in Quiescence

AbstractI discuss some of what is known and unknown about the behavior of black hole binary systems in the quiescent accretion state. Quiescence is important for several reasons: 1) the dominance of the companion star in optical and IR wavelengths allows the binary parameters to be robustly determined — as an example, we argue that the longer proposed distance to the X-ray source GRO J1655-40 is correct; 2) quiescence represents the limiting case of an extremely low accretion rate, in which both accretion and jets can be observed; 3) understanding the evolution and duration of the quiescent state is a key factor in determining the overall demographics of X-ray binaries, which has taken on a new importance in the era of gravitational wave astronomy.

ON THE PROPERTIES OF THERMAL DISK WINDS IN X-RAY TRANSIENT SOURCES: A CASE STUDY OF GRO J1655–40

We present the results of hydrodynamical simulations of the disk photosphere irradiated by strong X-rays produced in the inner most part of the disk. As expected, the irradiation heats the photosphere and drives a thermal wind. To apply our results to the well-studied X-ray transient source GRO J1655-40, we adopted the observed mass of its black hole, and the observed properties of its X-ray radiation. To compare the results with the observations, we also computed transmitted X-ray spectra based on the wind solution. Our main finding is: the density of the fast moving part of the wind is more than one order of magnitude lower than that inferred from the observations. Consequently, the model fails to predict spectra with line absorption as strong and as blueshifted as those observed. However, despite the thermal wind being weak and Compton thin, the ratio between the mass-loss rate and the mass accretion rate is about seven. This high ratio is insensitive to the accretion luminosity, in the limit of lower luminosities. Most of the mass is lost from the disk between 0.07 and 0.2 of the Compton radius. We discovered that beyond this range the wind solution is self-similar. In particular, soon after it leaves the disk, the wind flows at a constant angle with respect to the disk. Overall, the thermal winds generated in our comprehensive simulations do not match the wind spectra observed in GRO J1655-40. This supports the conclusion of Miller et al. and Kallman et al. that the wind in GRO J1655-40, and possibly other X-ray transients, may be driven by magnetic processes. This in turn implies that the disk wind carries even more material than our simulations predict and as such has a very significant impact on the accretion disk structure and dynamics.

ON THE EVOLUTION OF ACCRETION RATES IN COMPACT OUTBURST SOURCES

Spectra in outburst sources are found to become soft in viscous timescales before going back to hard as in the pre-outburst phase. By using two component accretion disks we show that major characteristics of the spectral evolution can be reproduced. We find that the outburst is possibly caused by a sudden rise in viscosity which gradually converts the sub-Keplerian flow into a Keplerian flow. The decline of the viscosity reduces the Keplerian accretion rate, and the system goes back to hard states. We discuss the genesis of the characteristic shape of the hardness-intensity diagram and reproduce this for the well-known outburst source GRO J1655-40.

The High‐Energy Emission of GRO J1655−40 As Revealed withINTEGRALSpectroscopy of the 2005 Outburst

We present broadband (3-500 keV) INTEGRAL X-ray spectra and X-ray/optical light curves of the luminous black hole X-ray transient and relativistic jet source GRO J1655-40. Our analysis covers four Target of Opportunity observations of the outburst that started in 2005 February. We find that the high-energy emission of GRO J1655-40 can be modeled well with an unbroken power law (with photon indices Gamma of 1.72+/-0.03 and 2.21+/-0.04 for the first and second observations). These correspond to hard and thermal-dominant states, respectively. In contrast to many other black hole spectra, high-energy complexity in the form of a break or cutoff is not required for the hard state, contrary to previous expectations. We show for the first time that Comptonization by nonthermal electrons is the dominant process behind the high-energy emission in the hard state. We discuss our results in terms of models for broadband emission and accretion flows in stellar-mass black holes.

The radio flaring behaviour of GRO J1655--40: an analogy with extragalactic radio sources?

At radio frequencies, the current evidence for the microquasar-quasar connection is based on imaging observations showing that relativistic outflows/jets are found in both classes of objects. Some microquasars also display superluminal motion, further strengthening the view that microquasars are in fact Galactic miniatures of quasars. Here we demonstrate that this connection can be extended to incorporate timing and spectral observations. Our argument is based on the striking similarity found in the radio flaring behaviour of the Galactic superluminal source GRO J1655-40 and of the extragalactic sources, such as the blazar 3C 273. We find that the variability of GRO J1655-40 can be explained within the framework of the successful generalised shock model for compact radio sources in which the radio emission arises from shocked plasma in relativistic jets. Specifically, the multifrequency flare amplitudes, time delays and radio polarization position angle measurements are consistent with the predictions of the growth stage of this model.

The emission regions in X-ray binaries: dipping as a diagnostic

X-ray dipping in the black hole binary Cygnus X-1, the Galactic jet source GRO J1655-40 and in low mass X-ray binaries is discussed. It is shown that spectral analysis strongly constrains emission models. Measurement of dip ingress/egress times allows the sizes of extended emission regions to be determined, notably for the Accretion Disk Corona which is responsible for Comptonization in X-ray binaries. In LMXB, the radius of the ADC is shown to be between ∼ 1 × 10 9 and ∼ 5 × 10 10 cm, an appreciable fraction of the accretion disk radius. This is inconsistent with Comptonization models requiring a localized Comptonizing region, for example, in the immediate neighbourhood of the neutron star. Results from a survey of LMXB using ASCA and BeppoSAX reveal an approximate equality between the height of the blackbody emission region on the neutron star and the height of the inner radiatively-supported disk, suggesting either that there is a direct causal link, such as a radial accretion flow between the inner disk edge and the star, or an indirect link, as in the case of accretion flow creep on the surface of the neutron star as suggested by Inogamov & Sunyaev. Finally, the survey shows that the blackbody cannot originate on the accretion disk as the required inner radii in many sources are substantially less than the neutron star radius.

Discovery of a red- and blueshifted iron disc line in the Galactic jet source GRO J1655-40

We report the discovery of emission features in the X-ray spectrum of GRO J1655–40 obtained with RXTE during the observation of 1997 February 26. We have fitted the features first by two Gaussian lines which in four spectra analysed have average energies of 5.85±0.08 and 7.32±0.13 keV, strongly suggestive that these are the red- and blueshifted wings of an iron disc line. These energies imply a velocity of ∼0.33c. The blue wing is less bright than in the calculated profiles of disc lines near a black hole subject to Doppler boosting; however, known Fe absorption lines in GRO J1655–40 at energies between ∼7 and 8 keV can reduce the apparent brightness of the blue wing. Secondly, we have fitted the spectra using the disc line model of Laor based on a full relativistic treatment plus an absorption line, and show that good fits are obtained. This gives a rest-frame energy of the disc line between 6.4 and 6.8 keV, indicating that the line is iron Kα emission probably of significantly ionized material. The Laor model shows that the line originates in a region of the accretion disc extending from ∼10 Schwarzschild radii from the black hole outwards. The line is direct evidence for the black hole nature of the compact object, and is the first discovery of a highly red- and blueshifted iron disc line in a Galactic source.

Different types of X-ray bursts during high state of the superluminal source GRS 1915+105

We have observed the galactic superluminal X-ray transient source GRS 1915+105 in its high state from June 12 to August 10, 1997 with the pointed proportional counters (PPCs) of Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment on board IRS-P3 satellite. The observed light curves have revealed the presence of four types of intense X-ray bursts: regular persistent bursts with two distinct time scales, quasi-regular bursts and irregular bursts. These bursts have unique characteristics of slow exponential rise and fast linear decay and are different from the classical bursts seen in Low Mass X-ray Binaries. GRS 1915+105 is the only black hole source in which such X-ray bursts are observed. During this period, the total 2–18 keV flux changed by a factor of 3 and quiescent time hardness ratio remained in the region 0.9-1.4. We discuss our results in the light of recent results from RXTE/PCA of other galactic superluminal source GRO J1655-40 during its high state and speculate why such bursts have not been observed so far from GRO J1655-40.

“Canonical” Black Hole States in the Superluminal Source GRO J1655−40

We analyze Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE/PCA) observations of the black hole candidate and Galactic superluminal source GRO J1655-40 during its recent outburst. We show that during its decay to quiescence, GRO J1655-40 goes through the high, intermediate, and low state (and that at the beginning of its decay it might have even shown signatures of a very high state), just like other black hole candidates. This is the first time that such a transition is observed in a Galactic superluminal source. We discuss what are the implications of these results on the hypothesis that the spin of the black hole in superluminal sources is much higher than in other black hole candidates.

The 1996 outburst of GRO J1655-40: the challenge of interpreting the multiwavelength spectra

We report on the results of a multiwavelength campaign to observe the soft X-ray transient (SXT) and superluminal jet source GRO J1655-40 in outburst using HST,RXTE and CGRO together with ground-based facilities. This outburst was qualitatively quite different from other SXT outbursts and from previous outbursts of this source. The onset of hard X-ray activity occurred very slowly, over several months, and was delayed relative to the soft X-ray rise. During this period, the optical fluxes declined steadily. This apparent anticorrelation is not consistent with the standard disc instability model of SXT outbursts, nor is it expected if the optical output is dominated by reprocessed X-rays, as in persistent low-mass X-ray binaries. Based on the strength of the 2175-Å interstellar absorption feature we constrain the reddening to be E(B − V) = 1.2 ± 0.1, a result which is consistent with the known properties of the source and with the strength of interstellar absorption lines. Using this result we find that our dereddened spectra are dominated by a component peaking in the optical, with the expected ν1/3 disc spectrum seen only in the ultraviolet. We consider possible interpretations of this spectrum in terms of thermal emission from the outer accretion disc and/or secondary star, both with and without X-ray irradiation, and also as non-thermal optical synchrotron emission from a compact self-absorbed central source. In addition to the prominent He ii 4686-Å line, we see Bowen fluorescence lines of N iii and O iii, and possible P Cygni profiles in the ultraviolet resonance lines, which can be interpreted in terms of an accretion disc wind. The X-ray spectra broadly resemble the high-soft state commonly seen in black hole candidates, but evolve through two substates. Taken as a whole, the outburst data set cannot readily be interpreted by any standard model for SXT outbursts. We suggest that many of the characteristics could be interpreted in the context of a model combining X-ray irradiation with the limit-cycle disc instability, but with the added ingredient of a very large disc in this long-period system.

Detection of Absorption‐Line Features in the X‐Ray Spectra of the Galactic Superluminal Source GRO J1655−40

We report the detection of iron K-absorption lines in the energy spectra of the superluminal jet source GRO J1655-40. We observed the source with ASCA on four occasions from 1994 through 1996. Significant absorption-line features were found at 6.63 ± 0.07 keV when the X-ray intensity was low (0.27-0.57 crab) and at 6.95 ± 0.10 keV when the intensity was high (2.2 crab). The former are interpreted as resonance absorption lines from helium-like iron and the latter are those from hydrogen-like iron, respectively. This gives direct evidence for the presence of highly ionized plasma in a nonspherical configuration in the vicinity of the black hole. The change of the ionization state of iron suggests that the plasma is photoionized by X-ray irradiation. The observed equivalent width (about 60 eV for the helium-like Kα line) and the ionization parameter ξ (~103) constrain the size of the plasma to ~1010 cm. The similarity of these properties to those of the other superluminal source GRS 1915+105 may imply some connection between the presence of such highly ionized plasma and the formation of relativistic jets.

Advection‐dominated Flows around Black Holes and the X‐Ray Delay in the Outburst of GRO J1655−40

We show that the time delay between the optical and X-ray outbursts of the black hole soft X-ray transient source GRO J1655-40, observed in 1996 April, suggests that the accretion flow in this object must consist of two components: a cold outer accretion disk and an extremely hot inner advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). In quiescence, the model predicts a spectrum that is in good agreement with observations, with most of the observed radiation coming from the ADAF. By fitting the observed spectrum, we estimate the mass accretion rate of the quiescent system and the transition radius between the disk and the ADAF. We present a detailed numerical simulation of a dwarf nova-type instability in the outer disk. The resulting heat front reaches the ADAF cavity promptly; however, it must then propagate inward slowly on a viscous timescale, thereby delaying the onset of the X-ray flux. The model reproduces the observed optical and X-ray light curves of the 1996 April outburst, as well as the 6 day X-ray delay. Further, the model gives an independent estimate of the quiescent mass accretion rate that is in very good agreement with the rate estimated from fitting the quiescent spectrum. We show that a pure thin disk model without an ADAF zone requires significant tuning to explain the X-ray delay; moreover, such a model does not explain the quiescent X-ray emission of GRO J1655-40.

The Transient Nature of GRO J1655−40 and Its Evolutionary State

We consider the evolutionary state of the black hole X-ray source GRO J1655-40 in the context of its transient nature. Recent optical observations show that the donor in GRO J1655-40 is an intermediate-mass star (2.3 M☉) crossing the Hertzsprung gap. Usually in such systems the donor's radius expansion drives a near-Eddington or super-Eddington mass transfer rate that would sustain a persistently bright accretion disk. We show that GRO J1655-40 is close to a narrow parameter range where disk instabilities can occur. This range corresponds to a short-lived evolutionary stage in which the secondary's radius expansion stalls (or reverses), with a correspondingly lower mass transfer rate. If GRO J1655-40 belongs to this class of transients, the predicted accretion rates imply large populations of luminous persistent and transient sources, which are not seen in X-rays. The transient nature of the related system GRS 1915+105 may reflect spectral variations in a bolometrically persistent source rather than a genuine luminosity increase.

Broadband High‐Energy Observations of the Superluminal Jet Source GRO J1655−40 during an Outburst

The X-ray/radio transient superluminal jet source GRO J1655-40 was recently suggested to contain a black hole from optical observations. Because it is a relatively close-by system (d ~ 3.2 kpc), it can likely provide us with rich information about the physics operating in both Galactic and extragalactic jet sources. We present the first simultaneous broadband high-energy observations of GRO J1655-40 during the 1995 July-August outburst by three instruments: ASCA, WATCH/Granat, and BATSE/CGRO, in the energy band from 1 keV to 2 MeV. Our observations strengthen the interpretation that GRO J1655-40 contains a black hole. We detected a two-component energy spectrum, commonly seen from other Galactic black hole binaries, but never detected from a neutron star system. Combining our results with the mass limits derived from optical radial velocity and orbital period measurements, we further constrain the mass of the central object to be between 3.3 and 5.8 M☉, above the well-established mass upper limit of 3.2 M☉ for a neutron star (the optical mass function for GRO J1655-40 is 3.16 ± 0.2 M☉). This system is therefore the first Galactic superluminal jet source for which there is strong evidence that the system contains a stellar mass black hole. The inclination angle of the binary system is constrained to be between 76° and 87°, consistent with estimates obtained from optical light curves and radio jet kinematics.

Search For Rapid X-ray Variability from the Black Hole Candidate GRO J1655−40

We have examined 15 days of CGRO/BATSE data, obtained during the first outburst of the black hole candidate source GRO J1655-40, to search for rapid variability of its X-ray flux. We find no evidence for significant variability of GRO J1655-40 during our observations, with a 2 σ upper limit to the fractional rms amplitude in the frequency range 0.03-0.488 Hz of 6.6%. We cannot, on the basis of our observations, determine the source state (low, high, or very high state) of GRO J1655-40.

The Radio Outburst from GRO J1655-40

Strong variable radio emission from the bright transient X-ray source GRO J1655-40 (X-ray Nova Scorpii 1994) has been detected at 843 MHz with the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST). As the hard X-ray intensity from the 1994 August outburst declined the radio output increased rapidly, reaching a peak of nearly 8 Jy some 12 days after the first X-ray peak. VLBI images obtained at this time showed two main components separating with an apparent transverse velocity > c. The evolution of the radio spectrum suggests that the time delay between X-ray and radio emissions is due, at least in part, to opacity effects associated with this expansion.

Relativistic motion in a nearby bright X-ray source

The recent discovery of radio components apparently moving away from a Galactic source of transient X-ray emission faster than the speed of light (superluminal motion) has identified a low-energy Galactic counterpart to quasars. Here we report high-resolution radio observations of a second Galactic superluminal radio source GRO J1655-40, which was detected as an X-ray transient on 27 July 1994. Our radio images reveal two components moving away from each other at an angular speed of 65 ± 5 mas d -1 , corresponding to superluminal motion at the estimated distance of 3–5 kpc. The 12-day delay between the X-ray and radio outbursts suggests that the ejection of material at relativistic speeds occurs during a stable phase of accretion onto a black hole, which follows an unstable phase with a high accretion rate.