13 pages, 9 figures, to be published in the proceedings of High Time Resolution Astrophysics IV - The Era of Extremely Large Telescopes, held on May 5-7, 2010, Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece
The X-ray emission from accreting black-holes and neutron stars features strong variability on sub-second time scales, with very complex and broad phenomenology. From high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations to rapidly changing X-ray burst oscillations to millisecond pulsations, these are weak signals immersed in strong noise and their study is pushing instrument capabilities to their limit. The scientific significance of fast time variability studies are both astronomical (properties of accretion flows, nature and evolution of sources) and physical (effects of General Relativity, equation of state of degenerate matter). I first review the main observational properties, then discuss the future prospects and observational needs.
Currently available information on fast variability of the X-ray emission from accreting collapsed objects constitutes a complex phenomenology which is difficult to interpret. We review the current observational standpoint for black-hole binaries and survey models that have been proposed to interpret it. Despite the complex structure of the accretion flow, key observational diagnostics have been identified which can provide direct access to the dynamics of matter motions in the close vicinity of black holes and thus to the some of fundamental properties of curved spacetimes, where strong-field…
The properties of the aperiodic variability in X-ray binaries with black holes are considered. The power spectra of the luminosity variability for a flat accretion disk that is an emission source with a power-law energy spectrum have been modeled. At low frequencies the derived power spectrum has the form of a power law with a slope $ρ\approx-1$ and a cutoff at a frequency approximately equal to the fluctuations characteristic frequency at the disk inner edge; at higher frequencies the power spectrum has a complex form. The high-frequency variability is suppressed due to the arrival time delay…
The X-ray luminosity functions of galaxies have become a useful tool for population studies of X-ray binaries in them. The availability of long term light-curves of X-ray binaries with the All Sky X-ray Monitors opens up the possibility of constructing X-ray luminosity functions, by also including the intensity variation effects of the galactic X-ray binaries. We have constructed multiple realizations of the X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) of Milky Way, using the long term light-curves of sources obtained in the 2-10 keV energy band with the RXTE-ASM. The observed spread seen in the value of…
We present a systematic analysis of the effects of orbital inclination angle on the non-linear variability properties of type-B and type-C QPOs from black hole binaries. We use the bicoherence, a measure of phase coupling at different Fourier frequencies for our analysis. We find that there is a likely inclination dependent change in the non-linear properties of type-C QPOs as the source transitions from a hard intermediate state to a soft intermediate state. High inclination (edge-on) sources show a change from a `web' to a `cross' pattern, while the low inclination (face-on) sources show a c…
Black hole binary systems can emit very bright and rapidly varying X-ray signals when material from the companion accretes onto the black hole, liberating huge amounts of gravitational potential energy. Central to this process of accretion is turbulence. In the propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations model, turbulence is generated throughout the inner accretion flow, causing fluctuations in the accretion rate. Fluctuations from the outer regions propagate towards the black hole, modulating the fluctuations generated in the inner regions. Here, I present the theoretical motivation behind t…
Strongly magnetized, accreting neutron stars show periodic and aperiodic variability over a wide range of time scales. By obtaining spectral and timing information on these different time scales, we can have a closer look into the physics of accretion close to the neutron star and the properties of the accreted material. One of the most prominent time scales is the strong pulsation, i.e., the rotation period of the neutron star itself. Over one rotation, our view of the accretion column and the X-ray producing region changes significantly. This allows us to sample different physical conditions…
The "broad iron spectral features" are often seen in X-ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and black-hole binaries (BHB). These features may be explained either by the "relativistic disc reflection" scenario or the "partial covering" scenario: It is hardly possible to determine which model is valid from time-averaged spectral analysis. Thus, X-ray spectral variability has been investigated to constrain spectral models. To that end, it is crucial to study iron structure of BHBs in detail at short time-scales, which is, for the first time, made possible with the Parallel-sum clocking (P-…
We present photometric observations of the field around the optical counterparts of high-mass X-ray binaries. Our aim is to study the long-term photometric variability in correlation with their X-ray activity and derive a set of secondary standard stars that can be used for time series analysis. We find that the donors in Be/X-ray binaries exhibit larger amplitude changes in the magnitudes and colours than those hosting a supergiant companion. The amplitude of variability increases with wavelength in Be/X-ray binaries and remains fairly constant in supergiant systems. When time scales of years…
Here we study the rapid X-ray variability (using XMM-Newton observations) of three neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries (1RXS J180408.9-342058, EXO 1745-248, and IGR J18245-2452) during their recently proposed very hard spectral state (Parikh et al. 2017). All our systems exhibit a strong to very strong noise component in their power density spectra (rms amplitudes ranging from 34% to 102%) with very low characteristic frequencies (as low as 0.01 Hz). These properties are more extreme than what is commonly observed in the canonical hard state of neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries observed at…
Massive black-hole (MBH) binaries, which are expected to form following the merger of their parent galaxies, produce gravitational waves which will be detectable by Pulsar Timing Arrays at nanohertz frequencies (year periods). While no confirmed, compact MBH binary systems have been seen in electromagnetic observations, a large number of candidates have recently been identified in optical surveys of AGN variability. Using a combination of cosmological, hydrodynamic simulations; comprehensive, semi-analytic binary merger models; and analytic AGN spectra and variability prescriptions; we calcula…
In this paper we propose and examine a physical mechanism which can lead to the generation of noise in the mass accretion rate of low mass X-ray binaries on time-scales comparable to the orbital period of the system. We consider modulations of mass captured by the compact object from the companion star's stellar wind in binaries with late type giants, systems which usually have long orbital periods. We show that a hydrodynamical interaction of the wind matter within a binary system even without eccentricity results in variability of the mass accretion rate with characteristic time-scales close…
Binary systems with a neutron-star primary accreting from a companion star display variability in the X-ray band on time scales ranging from years to milliseconds. With frequencies of up to ~1300 Hz, the kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) represent the fastest variability observed from any astronomical object. The sub-millisecond time scale of this variability implies that the kHz QPOs are produced in the accretion flow very close to the surface of the neutron star, providing a unique view of the dynamics of matter under the influence of some of the strongest gravitational fields…
While jets appear as a fundamental result of accretion processes onto compact objects in X-ray binaries, there is as yet no standard model for their underlying physics. The origin of the observed disk-jet coupling also remains largely unknown. X-ray variability studies have revealed complex variability in the accretion flow onto stellar-mass black holes and neutron stars, on timescales as short as milliseconds. The detection of correlated broad-band rapid time variability in the jet emission would provide valuable information on how the variability is transferred along the jet and on the times…
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…
We present the results of our monitoring program to study the long-term variability of the Halpha line in high-mass X-ray binaries. We have carried out the most complete optical spectroscopic study of the global properties of high-mass X-ray binaries so far with the analysis of more than 1100 spectra of 20 sources. Our aim is to characterise the optical variability timescales and study the interaction between the neutron star and the accreting material. Our results can be summarised as follows: i) we find that Be/X-ray binaries with narrow orbits are more variable than systems with long orbita…
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…
XMM-Newton X-ray spectra of the hard state Black Hole X-Ray Binaries (BHXRBs) SWIFT J1753.5-0127 and GX 339-4 show evidence for accretion disc blackbody emission, in addition to hard power-laws. The soft and hard band Power-Spectral Densities (PSDs) of these sources demonstrate variability over a wide range of time-scales. However, on time-scales of tens of seconds, corresponding to the putative low-frequency Lorentzian in the PSD, there is additional power in the soft band. To interpret this behaviour, we introduce a new spectral analysis technique, the `covariance spectrum', to disentangle t…
Classical Be stars, regardless of spectral subtype, display multiperiodic light modulations in the frequency range 0.1-12 d$^{-1}$, when observed with high-cadence and long duration. This behaviour is attributed to non-radial pulsations and/or rotation of the Be star. The main goal of this work is to investigate the fast photometric variability of the optical counterparts to Be/X-ray binaries and compare the general patterns of such variability with the Galactic population of classical Be stars. We analyzed 21 sources with TESS. High-cadence photometry with two ground-based telescopes was also…
Gamma-ray binaries emit most of their radiated power beyond ~10 MeV. The non-thermal emission is thought to arise from the interaction of the relativistic wind of a rotation-powered pulsar with the stellar wind of its massive (O or Be) companion star. A powerful pulsar creates an extended cavity, filled with relativistic electrons, in the radiatively-driven wind of the massive star. As a result, the observed P Cyg profiles of UV resonant lines from the stellar wind should be different from those of single massive stars. We propose to use UV emission lines to detect and constrain the colliding …
Many early-type stars are in binary systems. A number of them shows radio emissivity with periodic variability. This variability is associated with non-thermal synchrotron radiation emitted by relativistic electrons. The strong shocks necessary to accelerate the electrons up to high energies are produced by the collision of the radiatively-driven stellar winds. A study of the non-thermal emission is necessary in order to investigate O-star colliding wind binaries. Here preliminary results of our modeling of the colliding winds in Cyg OB2 No.9 are presented.
Below an accretion rate of approximately a few per cent of the Eddington accretion rate, X-ray binary systems are not usually found in the soft spectral state. However, at accretion rates a factor of a few lower still, in the hard state, there is another spectral transition which is well observed but not well understood. Below ~0.5-1 per cent of the Eddington accretion rate (m_crit), the spectral index hardens with increasing accretion rate, but above m_crit, although still in the hard state, the spectral index softens with increasing accretion rate. Here we use a combination of X-ray spectral…
We have systematically studied a large sample of the neutron star low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) monitored by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (50 sources; 10000+ observations). We find that the hysteresis patterns between Compton dominated and thermal dominated states, typically observed in black hole LMXBs, are also common in neutron star systems. These patterns, which also sample intermediate states, are found when looking at the evolution of both X-ray colour and fast variability of ten systems accreting below ~ 30 % of the Eddington Luminosity. We show that hysteresis does not require lar…
A linear relation between absolute rms variability and flux in X-ray observations of compact accreting sources has recently been identified. Such a relation suggests that X-ray lightcurves are non-linear and composed of a lognormal distribution of fluxes. Here, a first investigation of the optical rms vs. flux behavior in X-ray binaries is presented. Fast timing data on three binaries in the X-ray low/hard state are examined. These are XTE J1118+480, GX 339-4 and SWIFT J1753.5-0127 -- all show aperiodic (non-reprocessed) optical fluctuation components. Optical rms amplitude is found to increas…
Observations of black hole binaries (BHBs) have established a rich phenomenology of X-ray states. The soft states range from the low variability, accretion disc dominated thermal state (TD) to the higher variability, non-thermal steep power law state (SPL). The disc component in all states is typically modeled with standard thin disc accretion theory. However, this theory is inconsistent with optical/UV spectral, variability, and gravitational microlensing observations of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), the supermassive analogs of BHBs. An inhomogeneous disc (ID) model with large (~0.4 dex) tem…
We use the XMM-Newton EPIC-pn instrument in timing mode to extend spectral time-lag studies of hard state black hole X-ray binaries into the soft X-ray band. We show that variations of the disc blackbody emission substantially lead variations in the power-law emission, by tenths of a second on variability time-scales of seconds or longer. The large lags cannot be explained by Compton scattering but are consistent with time-delays due to viscous propagation of mass accretion fluctuations in the disc. However, on time-scales less than a second the disc lags the power-law variations by a few ms, …
Many statistical properties of X-ray aperiodic variability from accreting compact objects can be explained by the propagating fluctuations model applied to the accretion disc. The mass accretion rate fluctuations originate from variability of viscosity, which arises at every radius and causes local fluctuations of the density. The fluctuations diffuse through the disc and result in local variability of the mass accretion rate, which modulates the X-ray flux from the inner disc in the case of black holes, or from the surface in the case of neutron stars. A key role in the theoretical explanatio…
Black hole X-ray binaries display significant stochastic variability on short time-scales (0.01-100 seconds), with a complex pattern of lags in correlated variability seen in different energy bands. This behaviour is generally interpreted in a model where slow fluctuations stirred up at large radii propagate down through the accretion flow, modulating faster fluctuations generated at smaller radii. Coupling this scenario with radially-stratified emission opens the way to measure the propagation time-scale from data, allowing direct tests of the accretion flow structure. We previously developed…
Flickering, and more specifically aperiodic broad-band variability, is an important phenomenon used in understanding the geometry and dynamics of accretion flows. Although the inner regions of accretion flows are known to generate variability on relatively fast timescales, the broad-band variability generated in the outer regions have mostly remained elusive due to their long intrinsic variability timescales. Ultra-compact AM CVn systems are relatively small when compared to other accreting binaries and are well suited to search and characterise low frequency variability. Here we present the f…
University of Arkansas（阿肯色大学）；University of Kentucky（肯塔基大学）；Institute of Astronomy（天文研究所）；Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院卡弗里天体物理学与空间研究研究所）；Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University（韦恩州立大学物理与天文学系）；Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre（罗马第三大学数学与物理系）
We present an investigation of long-term modulation in the X-ray light curves of five little-studied candidate high-mass X-ray binaries using the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. IGR J14488-5942 and AX J1700.2-4220 show strong modulation at periods of 49.6 and 44 days, respectively, which are interpreted as orbital periods of Be star systems. For IGR J14488-5942, observations with Swift X-ray Telescope show a hint of pulsations at 33.4 s. For AX J1700.2-4220, 54 s pulsations were previously found with XMM. Swift J1816.7-1613 exhibits complicated behavior. The strongest peak in the power spectrum i…
Variable features in black hole X-ray Binaries (BH-XRBs) are observed in different energy ranges and time scales. The physical origin of different spectral states in BH-XRBs and their relations with the underlying accretion disc are still elusive. To investigate the intermediate state of BH-XRBs during outburst, we simulate a truncated accretion disc around a Kerr black hole using a general relativistic magneto-hydrodynamical (GRMHD) framework under axisymmetry with adaptively refined mesh. Additionally, we have also carried out radiative transfer calculations for understanding the implication…
The discovery of source states in the X-ray emission of black-hole binaries and neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries constituted a major step forward in the understanding of the physics of accretion onto compact objects. While there are numerous studies on the correlated timing and spectral variability of these systems, very little work has been done on high-mass X-ray binaries, the third major type of X-ray binaries. The main goal of this work is to investigate whether Be accreting X-ray pulsars display source states and characterise those states through their spectral and timing properties. …
In this paper we address the general applicability of the method pioneered by \citet{Zhang2012} in which the motion of the compact object can be tracked using wind X-ray absorption lines. We present the velocity measurements of the thermal wind lines observed in the X-ray spectrum of a few low-mass X-ray binaries: GX 13+1, H 1743$-$322, GRO J1655$-$40 and GRS 1915+105. We find that the variability in the velocity of the wind lines in about all of the sources is larger than conceivable radial velocity variations of the compact object. GX 13+1 provides a potential exception, although it would re…
The spectra of black hole binaries in the low/hard state are complex, with evidence for multiple different Comptonisation regions contributing to the hard X-rays in addition to a cool disc component. We show this explicitly for some of the best RXTE data from Cyg X-1, where the spectrum strongly requires (at least) two different Comptonisation components in order to fit the continuum above 3 keV, where the disc does not contribute. However, it is difficult to constrain the shapes of these Comptonisation components uniquely using spectral data alone. Instead, we show that additional information…
Understanding corona and disk evolution in black hole X-ray binaries through a comprehensive study of their broadband variability and QPO characteristics
We perform magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accreting, equal-mass binary black holes in full general relativity focusing on the effect of spin and minidisks on the accretion rate and Poynting luminosity variability. We report on the structure of the minidisks and periodicities in the mass of the minidisks, mass accretion rates, and Poynting luminosity. The accretion rate exhibits a quasi-periodic behavior related to the orbital frequency of the binary in all systems that we study, but the amplitude of this modulation is dependent on the existence of persistent minidisks. In particular, syste…
We found the black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152 showed distinct power spectra, i.e., a power-law noise (PLN) vs. band-limited noise (BLN) plus quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), below and above about 2 keV respectively, in the observations with the Swift and the RXTE during the 2010 outburst, indicating a high energy cut-off of the PLN and a low energy cut-off of the BLN and the QPOs around 2 keV. The emergence of the PLN and the fading of the BLN and the QPOs initially took place from below 2 keV when the source entered the hard intermediate state and finally settled in the soft state three…
We simulate the spectral behaviour of the non-transient gamma-ray binaries using archival observations as a reference. With this we test the CTA capability to measure the sources' spectral parameters and detect variability on various time scales. We review the known properties of gamma-ray binaries and the theoretical models that have been used to describe their spectral and timing characteristics. We show that CTA is capable of studying these sources on time scales comparable to their characteristic variability time scales. For most of the binaries, the unprecedented sensitivity of CTA will a…
We analysed the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) data from a sample of bright accreting neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). With the aim of studying the quasi-periodic variability as a function of the accretion regime, we carried out a systematic search of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the X-ray time series of these systems, using the integrated fractional variability as a tracker for the accretion states. We found that the three QPO types originally identified in the '80s for the brightest LMXBs, the so-called Z-sources, i.e., horizontal, normal and flaring branch…
We have developed a stellar wind model for OB supergiants to investigate the effects of accretion from a clumpy wind on the luminosity and variability properties of High Mass X-ray Binaries. Assuming that the clumps are confined by ram pressure of the ambient gas and exploring different distributions for their mass and radii, we computed the expected X-ray light curves in the framework of the Bondi-Hoyle accretion theory, modified to take into account the presence of clumps. The resulting variability properties are found to depend not only on the assumed orbital parameters but also on the wind…
We investigate the long-term variability of the K$α$ line of iron in the spectra of two Ultra Compact X-ray Sources (UCXBs) with C/O-rich donors. We revisit archival observations by five different X-ray telescopes, over a ~twenty year period. Adopting physically motivated models for the spectral continuum, we probe the long-term evolution of the source emission in a self-consistent manner enabling physical interpretation of potential variability in the primary X-ray emission continuum and/or any emission lines from reflection off the accretion disk. We find that the spectral shape and flux of …
We present a study of correlations between X-ray spectral and timing properties observed from a number of Galactic Black Hole (BH) binaries during hard-soft state spectral evolution. We analyze 17 transition episodes from 8 BH sources observed with RXTE. Our scaling technique for BH mass determination uses a correlation between spectral index and quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) frequency. In addition, we use a correlation between index and the normalization of the disk "seed" component to cross-check the BH mass determination and estimate the distance to the source. While the index-QPO correl…
Using archival RXTE data, we show that the ultracompact X-ray binary in NGC 1851 exhibits large amplitude X-ray flux varations of more than a factor of 10 on timescales of days to weeks and undergoes sustained periods of months where the time-averaged luminosty varies by factors of two. Variations of this magnitude and timescale have not been reported previously in other ultracompact X-ray binaries. Mass transfer in ultracompact binaries is thought to be driven by gravitational radiation and the predicted transfer rates are so high that the disks of ultracompact binaries with orbits as short a…
Black hole accretion flows show rapid X-ray variability. The Power Spectral Density (PSD) of this is typically fit by a phenomenological model of multiple Lorentzians for both the broad band noise and Quasi-Periodic Oscillations (QPOs). Our previous paper (Ingram & Done 2011) developed the first physical model for the PSD and fit this to observational data. This was based on the same truncated disc/hot inner flow geometry which can explain the correlated properties of the energy spectra. This assumes that the broad band noise is from propagating fluctuations in mass accretion rate within the h…
We demonstrate a new method of variability classification using observations of black hole X-ray binaries. Using `power colours' -- ratios of integrated power in different Fourier frequency bands -- we can clearly differentiate different canonical black hole states as the objects evolve during outburst. We analyse (~ 2400) Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of 12 transient low mass black hole X-ray binaries and find that the path taken around the power colour-colour diagram as the sources evolve is highly consistent from object to object. We discuss how the consistency observed in the po…
We study the outbursts of the black hole X-ray binaries MAXI J1659-152, SWIFT J1753.5--0127 and GX 339-4 with the Swift X-ray Telescope. The bandpass of the X-ray Telescope has access to emission from both components of the accretion flow: the accretion disk and the corona/hot flow. This allows a correlated spectral and variability study, with variability from both components of the accretion flow. We present for the first time, a combined study of the evolution of spectral parameters (disk temperature and radius) and timing parameters (frequency and strength) of all power spectral components …
The optical and UV emission from sub-parsec massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) in active galactic nuclei (AGN) is believed to vary periodically, on timescales comparable to the binary's orbital time. If driven by accretion rate fluctuations, the variability could be isotropic. If dominated by relativistic Doppler modulation, the variability should instead be anisotropic, resembling a rotating forward-beamed lighthouse. We consider the infrared (IR) reverberation of either type of periodic emission by pc-scale circumbinary dust tori. We predict the phase and amplitude of IR variability as a fu…
In high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), an accreting compact object orbits a high mass star which loses mass through a dense and inhomogeneous wind. Using the compact object as an X-ray backlight, the time variability of the absorbing column density in the wind can be exploited in order to shed light on the micro-structure of the wind and obtain unbiased stellar mass loss rates for high mass stars. We explore the impact of clumpiness on the variability of the column density with a simplified wind model. In particular, we focus on the standard deviation of the column density and the characteristic…
We have obtained three epochs of Chandra ACIS-I observations (totaling $\sim$184 ks) of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC~300 to study the logN-logS distributions of its X-ray point source population down to $\sim$2$\times$10$^{-15}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ in the 0.35-8 keV band (equivalent to $\sim$10$^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$). The individual epoch logN-logS distributions are best described as the sum of a background AGN component, a simple power law, and a broken power law, with the shape of the logN-logS distributions sometimes varying between observations. The simple power law and AGN components pro…
With the availability of the large database of black-hole transients from the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer, the observed phenomenology has become very complex. The original classification of the properties of these systems in a series of static states sorted by mass accretion rate proved not to be able to encompass the new picture. I outline here a summary of the current situation and show that a coherent picture emerges when simple properties such as X-ray spectral hardness and fractional variability are considered. In particular, fast transition in the properties of the fast time variability …
The nature and geometry of the accretion flow in the low/hard state of black hole binaries is currently controversial. While most properties are generally explained in the truncated disc/hot inner flow model, the detection of a broad residual around the iron line argues for strong relativistic effects from an untruncated disc. Since spectral fitting alone is somewhat degenerate, we combine it with the additional information in the fast X-ray variability and perform a full spectral-timing analysis for NICER and NuSTAR data on a bright low/hard state of MAXI J1820+070. We model the variability w…
