We propose a model of magnetic connection (MC) of a black hole with its surrounding accretion disc based on large-scale magnetic field. The MC gives rise to transport of energy and angular momentum between the black hole and the disc, and the closed field lines pipe the hot matter evaporated from the disc, and shape it in the corona above the disc to form a magnetically induced disc-corona system, in which the corona has the same configuration as the large-scale magnetic field. We numerically solve the dynamic equations in the context of the Kerr metric, in which the large-scale magnetic field is determined by dynamo process and equipartition between magnetic pressure and gas pressure. Thus we can obtain a global solution rather than assuming the distribution of large-scale magnetic field beforehand. The main MC effects lie in three aspects. (1) The rotational energy of a fast-spinning black hole can be extracted, enhancing the dissipation in the accretion disc, (2) the closed field lines provide a natural channel for corona matter escaping from disc and finally falling into black hole, and (3) the scope of the corona can be bounded by the conservation of magnetic flux. We simulate the high-energy spectra of this system by using Monte-Carlo method, and find that the relative hardness of the spectra decreases as accretion rate or black hole spin $a_*$ increases. We fit the typical X-ray spectra of three black-hole binaries (GRO J1655-40, XTE 1118+480 and GX 339-4) in the low/hard or very high state.
A jet acceleration model for extracting energy from disk-corona surrounding a rotating black hole is proposed. In the disk-corona scenario, we obtain the ratio of the power dissipated in the corona to the total for such disk-corona system by solving the disk dynamics equations. The analytical expression of the jet power is derived based on the electronic circuit theory of the magnetosphere. It is shown that jet power increases with the increasing black hole (BH) spin, and concentrates in the inner region of the disk-corona. In addition, we use a sample consisting of 37 radio loud quasars to ex…
This paper is devoted to self-consistent modeling of the magnetically supported accretion disk with optically thick warm corona based on first principles. In our model, we consider the gas heating by magneto-rotational instability (MRI) dynamo. Our goal is to show that the proper calculation of the gas heating by magnetic dynamo can build up the warm, optically thick corona above the accretion disk around black hole of stellar mass. Using vertical model of the disk supported and heated by the magnetic field together with radiative transfer in hydrostatic and radiative equilibrium we developed …
We propose magnetically arrested disks (MADs) in quiescent black-hole (BH) binaries as the origin of the multiwavelength emission, and argue that this class of sources can dominate the cosmic-ray spectrum around the knee. X-ray luminosities of Galactic BH binaries in the quiescent state are far below the Eddington luminosity, and thus, radiatively inefficient accretion flows (RIAFs) are formed in the inner region. Strong thermal and turbulent pressures in RIAFs produce outflows, which can create large-scale poloidal magnetic fields. These fields are carried to the vicinity of the BH by the rap…
A disk-corona model for fitting low/hard (LH) state of associated steady jet of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) is proposed based on the large-scale magnetic field configuration of the coexistence of the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) and Blandford-Payne (BP) processes,where the magnetic field configuration for the BP process is determined by the requirement of energy conversion from Poynting energy flux into kinetic energy flux in the jet. It is found that corona current is crucial to guarantee the consistency of the jet launching from accretion disk. The relative importance of the BZ to BP processe…
In this work, we measure two important phenomenological parameters of corona (and hot accretion flow) in black hole X-ray binaries: the photon index $Γ$ and the electron temperature $\te$. Thanks to the capability of {\it NuSTAR} in hard X-rays, we measure these two parameters over six orders of magnitude in the 0.1-100 keV X-ray luminosity $\lx$, from $\sim 5\times10^{38} \ergs$ down to as low as $\sim 5\times10^{32} \ergs$. We confirm the existence of a "V"-shaped correlation between $Γ$ and $\lx$. Surprisingly, we observe a "$Λ$"-shaped correlation between $\te$ and $\lx$. The "cooler when …
High-sensitivity X-ray polarimetric observations of black hole X-ray binaries, which will soon become available with the launches of space-borne X-ray observatories with sensitive X-ray polarimeters, will be able to put independent constraints on the black hole as well as the accretion flow, and possibly break degeneracies that cannot be resolved by spectral/timing observations alone. In this work we perform a series of general relativistic Monte-Carlo radiative transfer simulations to study the expected polarization properties of X-ray radiation emerging from lamp-post coronae in black hole X…
Context: Accreting black holes (BHs) may be surrounded by a highly magnetized plasma threaded by a poloidal magnetic field. Non-thermal flares and high energy components could originate from a hot, collisionless and nearly force-free corona. The jets we often observe from these systems are believed to be rotation-powered and magnetically-driven. Aims: We study axisymmetric BH magnetospheres where some magnetic field lines anchored in a surrounding disk can connect to the event horizon of a rotating BH. We identify the sites of magnetic reconnection within 30 gravitational radii depending on th…
The spectral and timing properties of an oscillating hot thermal corona are investigated. This oscillation is assumed to be due to a magneto-acoustic wave propagating within the corona and triggered by an external, non specified, excitation. A cylindrical geometry is adopted and, neglecting the rotation, the wave equation is solved in for different boundary conditions. The resulting X-ray luminosity, through thermal comptonization of embedded soft photons, is then computed, first analytically, assuming linear dependence between the local pressure disturbance and the radiative modulation. These…
Recent observations reveal that a cool disk may survive in the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) for some black hole X-ray binaries in the canonical low/hard state. The spectrum is characterized by a power law with a photon index $Γ\sim 1.5-2.1$ in the range of 2-10 keV and a weak disk component with temperature of $\sim 0.2$ keV. In this work, We revisit the formation of such a cool, optically thick, geometrically thin disk in the most inner region of black hole X-ray binaries at the low/hard state within the context of disk accretion fed by condensation of hot corona. By taking into acc…
The universal radio--X-ray correlation (F_R \propto F_X^{b}, b~0.5-0.7) has been found for a sample of black-hole X-ray binaries (BHBs) in their low/hard states, which can roughly be explained by the coupled model of jet and radiatively inefficient advection dominated accretion flow. However, more and more `outliers' were found in last few years, which evidently deviate from the universal radio-X-ray correlation and usually show a much steeper correlation with an index of ~1.4. Based on simple physical assumptions, the radiatively efficient accretion flows are speculated to exist in these `out…
A magnetically-supported disk-corona model for Changing-Look AGN transitions
Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center, Polish Academy of Sciences（尼古拉·哥白尼天文学中心，波兰科学院）；Research Center for Computational Physics and Data Processing, Institute of Physics, Silesian University in Opava（西里西亚奥帕瓦大学物理研究所计算物理与数据处理研究中心）；Center for Theoretical Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院理论物理中心）；Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences（波兰科学院空间研究中心）
A NICER view of the corona through time-dependent Comptonization of the quasi-periodic oscillations in nine black-hole X-ray binaries
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛-史密森天体物理中心）；Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen（格罗宁根大学卡普坦天文研究所）；Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía (CCT La Plata, CONICET（阿根廷射电天文研究所）；CICPBA（拉普拉塔国立大学天文与地球物理科学学院）；UNLP)；Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Galactic black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) provide excellent laboratories to study accretion, as their relatively quick evolution allows us to monitor large changes in the in-flowing and/or out-flowing material over human timescales. However, the details of how the inflow-outflow coupling evolves during a BHXB outburst remain an area of active debate. In this work we attempt to probe the physical changes underlying the system evolution, by performing a systematic analysis of the multi-wavelength data of three BHXB sources: XTE J1752-223, MAXI J1659-152, and XTE J1650-500, during hard and hard-…
We report the results of the first state-of-the-art numerical simulations of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) taking place in realistic magnetic field configurations of moderately active M-dwarf stars. Our analysis indicates that a clear, novel, and observable, coronal response is generated due to the collapse of the eruption and its eventual release into the stellar wind. Escaping CME events, weakly suppressed by the large-scale field, induce a flare-like signature in the emission from coronal material at different temperatures due to compression and associated heating. Such flare-like profiles …
The observed tight radio/X-ray correlation in the low spectral state of some black hole X-ray binaries implies the strong coupling of the accretion and jet. The correlation of $L_{\rm R} \propto L_{\rm X}^{\sim 0.5-0.7}$ was well explained by the coupling of a radiatively inefficient accretion flow and a jet. Recently, however, a growing number of sources show more complicated radio/X-ray correlations, e.g., $L_{\rm R} \propto L_{\rm X}^{\sim 1.4}$ for $L_{\rm X}/L_{\rm Edd} \gtrsim 10^{-3}$, which is suggested to be explained by the coupling of a radiatively efficient accretion flow and a jet…
MAXI J1820+070 (optical counterpart ASASSN-18ey) is a black hole candidate discovered through its recent very bright outburst. The low extinction column and long duration at high flux allow detailed measurements of the accretion process to be made. In this work, we compare the evolution of X-ray spectral and timing properties through the initial hard state of the outburst. We show that the inner accretion disc, as measured by relativistic reflection, remains steady throughout this period of the outburst. Nevertheless, subtle spectral variability is observed, which is well explained by a change…
To understand the origin of hard X-ray emissions from black hole X-ray binaries during their low/hard states, we calculate the X-ray spectra of black-hole accretion flow for the following three configurations of hot and cool media: (a) an inner hot flow and a cool outer disk (inner hot flow model), (b) a cool disk sandwiched by disk coronae (disk corona model), and (c) the combination of those two (hybrid model). The basic features we require for successful models are (i) significant hard X-ray emission whose luminosity exceeds that of soft X-rays, (ii) high hard X-ray luminosities in the rang…
We perform two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of reconnection in magnetically dominated electron-positron plasmas subject to strong Compton cooling. We vary the magnetization $σ\gg1$, defined as the ratio of magnetic tension to plasma inertia, and the strength of cooling losses. Magnetic reconnection under such conditions can operate in magnetically dominated coronae around accreting black holes, which produce hard X-rays through Comptonization of seed soft photons. We find that the particle energy spectrum is dominated by a peak at mildly relativistic energies, which results from bu…
In our self-similar, analytical, magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) accretion-ejection solution, the density at the base of the outflow is explicitly dependent on the disk accretion rate - a unique property of this class of solutions. We had earlier found that the ejection index $p >\sim 0.1 (\dot{M}_{acc} \propto r^p ) $ is a key MHD parameter that decides if the flow can cause absorption lines in the high resolution X-ray spectra of black hole binaries. Here we choose 3 dense warm solutions with $p = 0.1, 0.3, 0.45$ and carefully develop a methodology to generate spectra which are convolved with the…
Observations show that there is a positive correlation between Eddington ratio $λ$ and hard X-ray index $Γ$ for $λ\gtrsim 0.01$, and there is an anti-correlation between $λ$ and $Γ$ for $λ\lesssim 0.01$ in black hole X-ray binaries (with $λ=L_{\rm bol}/L_{\rm Edd}$). In this work, we theoretically investigate the correlation between $Γ$ and $λ$ within the framework of disk-corona model. We improve the model by taking into account all cooling processes including synchrotron and self-Compton radiations in the corona, Comptonization of the soft photons from the underlying accretion disk, and the …
Understanding corona and disk evolution in black hole X-ray binaries through a comprehensive study of their broadband variability and QPO characteristics
A mechanism for the transition between low/hard, high/soft, and steep power law (SPL) spectral states in black hole X-ray binaries is proposed. The low/hard state is explained by the development of a magnetically arrested accretion disk attributable to the accumulation of a vertical magnetic field in a central bundle. This disk forms powerful jets and consists of thin spiral accretion streams of a dense optically thick plasma surrounded by hot, magnetized, optically thin corona, which emits most of the energy in hard X-rays. State transition occurs because of the quasi-periodic or random inver…
We perform the first systematic search of all NICER archival observations of black hole (and candidate) low-mass X-ray binaries for signatures of reverberation. Reverberation lags result from the light travel time difference between the direct coronal emission and the reflected disk component, and therefore their properties are a useful probe of the disk-corona geometry. We detect new signatures of reverberation lags in 8 sources, increasing the total sample from 3 to 11, and study the evolution of reverberation lag properties as the sources evolve in outbursts. We find that in all of the 9 so…
High resolution X-ray spectra of black hole X-ray binaries (BHBs) show blueshifted absorption lines from disk winds which seem to be equatorial. Winds occur in the Softer (disk-dominated) states of the outburst and are less prominent or absent in the Harder (power-law dominated) states. We use self-similar magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) accretion-ejection models to explain the disk winds in BHBs. In our models, the density at the base of the outflow from the accretion disk is not a free parameter, but is determined by solving the full set of dynamical MHD equations. Thus the physical properties of…
Central supermassive black holes of active galactic nuclei host hot plasma with a temperature of $10^9$ K, namely coronae. Like the Sun, black hole coronae are theoretically believed to be heated by their magnetic activity, which have never been observed yet. Here we report the detection of coronal radio synchrotron emission from two nearby Seyfert galaxies using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, and Australia Telescope Compact Array. The coronal magnetic field of both systems is estimated to be $\sim10$ Gauss on scales of $\sim40$ Schwarzsc…
Magnetic, radiation pressure, and thermal driving are the three mechanisms capable of launching accretion disk winds. In X-ray binaries, radiation pressure is often not significant, as in many systems the luminosity is too low for driving due to continuum transitions yet too high for driving due to line transitions. This leaves thermal and magnetic driving as the contender launching mechanisms in these systems. Using Athena++, we perform axisymmetric ideal MHD simulations that include radiative heating and cooling processes appropriate for Compton heated winds to show that the inclusion of mag…
This paper summarises our current understanding of the spectral continuum components observed in black hole X-ray binaries. The consequences for theoretical models are discussed with an emphasis on the constraints set by observations on the nature of the X-ray corona in different spectral states.
$\textit{BMAD}$-Circumbinary Magnetically Arrested Disks around Stellar or Black Hole Binaries: Hot Accretion Flows, Disk Properties, and Angular Momentum Transfer
Black hole low-mass X-ray binaries show a variety of variability features, which manifest themselves as narrow peak-like structures superposed on broad noise components in power density spectra in the hard X-ray emission. In this work we study variability properties of the band-limited noise component during the low-hard state for a sample of black hole X-ray binaries. We investigate the characteristic frequency and amplitude of the band-limited noise component and study covariance spectra. For observations that show a noise component with a characteristic frequency above one Hz in the hard en…
Most astrophysical accretion disks are likely to be warped. In X-ray binaries the spin evolution of an accreting neutron star is critically dependent on the interaction between the neutron star magnetic field and the accretion disk. There have been extensive investigations on the accretion torque exerted by a coplanar disk that is magnetically threaded by the magnetic field lines from the neutron stars, but relevant works on warped/tilted accretion disks are still lacking. In this paper we develop a simplified two-component model, in which the disk is comprised of an inner coplanar part and an…
We present an accretion cycle which can explain state transitions and other observed phenomena in black hole X-ray binaries. This model is based on the process of disc tearing, where individual rings of gas break off the disc and precess effectively independently. This occurs when the Lense-Thirring effect is stronger than the local disc viscosity. We discuss implications of this model for quasi-periodic oscillations and the disc-jet-corona coupling. We also speculate on applying this model to active galactic nuclei and other accreting systems.
The geometry of the accretion flow around stellar mass and supermassive black holes depends on the accretion rate. Broad iron emission lines originating from the irradiation of cool matter can indicate that there is an inner disk below a hot coronal flow.These emission lines have been detected in X-ray binaries. Observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory, XMM Newton and Suzaku have confirmed the presence of these emission lines also in a large fraction of Seyfert-1 active galactic nuclei (AGN). We investigate the accretion flow geometry for which broad iron emission lines can arise in har…
We use a simple one-dimensional parameterisation of timing properties to show that hard and hard-intermediate state transient black hole X-ray binaries with the same power-spectral shape have systematically harder X-ray power-law emission in higher-inclination systems. We also show that the power-spectral shape and amplitude of the broadband noise (with low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations, QPOs, removed) is independent of inclination, confirming that it is well-correlated with the intrinsic structure of the emitting regions and that the "type C" QPO, which is inclination-dependent, has a…
It was suggested that the large scale magnetic field can be dragged inwards efficiently by the corona above the disc, i.e., the so called "coronal mechanism" (Beckwith, Hawley, \& Krolik 2009), which provides a way to solve the difficulty of field advection in a geometrically thin accretion disc. In this case, the magnetic pressure should be lower than the gas pressure in the corona. We estimate the maximal power of the jets accelerated by the magnetic field advected by the corona. The Blandford-Payne (BP) jet power is found always to be higher than the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) jet power, except …
The corona is a key component of most luminous accreting black holes, carrying 5 - 30 % of the power and in non-jetted Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), creating all the X-ray emission above $\simeq 1-2$ keV. Its emission illuminates the inner accretion disc, creating the atomic line-rich reflection spectrum used to diagnose and map the accretion flow and measure black hole spin. The corona is likely powered magnetically by the strong differential rotation of the accretion disc and it may be intimately related to relativistic jets. Recent work shows that many black hole coronae may be dominated by…
Magnetically-arrested disks (MADs) appear when accretion flows are supplied with a sufficient amount of magnetic flux. In this work, we use results of magnetohydrodynamic simulations to set the configuration of the magnetic field and investigate the dynamics and radiative properties of the resulting accretion flow (i.e., without that of the jet) of MAD. The method developed here is applied to both the MAD and the standard and normal evolution (SANE) accretion flow with or without large scale magnetic fields. For the radiative processes, we include synchrotron, bremsstrahlung and Compton scatte…
Merger of a white dwarf binary creates a differentially rotating object which is expected to generate strong magnetic fields. Kinetic energy stored in differential rotation is partially dissipated in the magnetically dominated corona, which forms a hot variable outflow with ejection velocity comparable to $10^9$ cm s$^{-1}$. The outflow should carry significant mass and energy for hours to days, creating an expanding fireball with the following features. (i) The fireball is initially opaque and its internal energy is dominated by the trapped thermal radiation. The stored heat is partially conv…
State transitions in black hole X-ray binaries are likely caused by gas evaporation from a thin accretion disk into a hot corona. We present a height-integrated version of this process which is suitable for analytical and numerical studies. With radius $r$ scaled to Schwarzschild units and coronal mass accretion rate $\dot{m}_c$ to Eddington units, the results of the model are independent of black hole mass. State transitions should thus be similar in X-ray binaries and AGN. The corona solution consists of two power-law segments separated at a break radius $r_b \sim10^3 \,(α/0.3)^{-2}$, where …
Most Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have erratic light curves, which demand that the GRB central engine launches an episodic outflow. Recent Fermi observations of some GRBs indicate a lack of the thermal photosphere component as predicted by the baryonic fireball model, which suggests a magnetic origin of GRBs. In view that powerful episodic jets have been observed along with continuous jets in other astrophysical black hole systems, here we propose an intrinsically episodic, magnetically-dominated jet model for GRB central engine. Accumulation and eruption of free magnetic energy in the corona of a …
Three-dimensional numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations are performed to investigate how a magnetically confined mountain on an accreting neutron star relaxes resistively. No evidence is found for non-ideal MHD instabilities on a short time-scale, such as the resistive ballooning mode or the tearing mode. Instead, the mountain relaxes gradually as matter is transported across magnetic surfaces on the diffusion time-scale, which evaluates to $τ_\mathrm{I} \sim 10^5 - 10^8$ yr (depending on the conductivity of the neutron star crust) for an accreted mass of $M_a = 1.2 \times 10^{-4} M_…
