A Wildly Flickering Jet in the Black Hole X-Ray Binary MAXI J1535-571

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Volume Title

A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

Date

2018-11-10

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Mcode

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en

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Astrophysical Journal, Volume 867, issue 2

Abstract

We report on the results of optical, near-infrared (NIR), and mid-infrared observations of the black hole X-ray binary candidate (BHB) MAXI J1535-571 during its 2017/2018 outburst. During the first part of the outburst (MJD 58004-58012), the source shows an optical-NIR spectrum that is consistent with an optically thin synchrotron power law from a jet. After MJD 58015, however, the source faded considerably, the drop in flux being much more evident at lower frequencies. Before the fading, we measure a dereddened flux density of 100 mJy in the mid-infrared, making MAXI J1535-571 one of the brightest mid-infrared BHBs known so far. A significant softening of the X-ray spectrum is evident contemporaneous with the infrared fade. We interpret it as being due to the suppression of the jet emission, similar to the accretion-ejection coupling seen in other BHBs. However, MAXI J1535-571 did not transition smoothly to the soft state, instead showing X-ray hardness deviations associated with infrared flaring. We also present the first mid-IR variability study of a BHB on minute timescales, with a fractional rms variability of the light curves of ∼15%-22%, which is similar to that expected from the internal shock jet model, and much higher than the optical fractional rms (≲7%). These results represent an excellent case of multiwavelength jet spectral timing and demonstrate how rich, multiwavelength time-resolved data of X-ray binaries over accretion state transitions can help in refining models of the disk-jet connection and jet launching in these systems.

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Keywords

accretion, accretion disks, black hole physics, ISM: jets and outflows, X-rays: binaries

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Citation

Cristina Baglio, M, Russell, D M, Casella, P, Al Noori, H, Al Yazeedi, A, Belloni, T, Buckley, D A H, Cadolle Bel, M, Ceccobello, C, Corbel, S, Coti Zelati, F, Díaz Trigo, M, Fender, R P, Gallo, E, Gandhi, P, Homan, J, Koljonen, K I I, Lewis, F, Maccarone, T J, Malzac, J, Markoff, S, Miller-Jones, J C A, O'Brien, K, Russell, T D, Saikia, P, Shahbaz, T, Sivakoff, G R, Soria, R, Testa, V, Tetarenko, A J, Van Den Ancker, M E & Vincentelli, F M 2018, ' A Wildly Flickering Jet in the Black Hole X-Ray Binary MAXI J1535-571 ', The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 867, no. 2, 114 . https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aae532