THE 2015 DECAY OF THE BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARY V404 CYGNI: ROBUST DISK-JET COUPLING AND A SHARP TRANSITION INTO QUIESCENCE

R. M Plotkin; J. C. A Miller-Jones; E Gallo; P. G Jonker; J Homan; J. A Tomsick; P Kaaret; D. M Russell; S Heinz; E. J Hodges-Kluck; S Markoff; G. R Sivakoff; D Altamirano; J Neilsen

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/834/2/104

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THE 2015 DECAY OF THE BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARY V404 CYGNI: ROBUST DISK-JET COUPLING AND A SHARP TRANSITION INTO QUIESCENCE

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THE 2015 DECAY OF THE BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARY V404 CYGNI: ROBUST DISK-JET COUPLING AND A SHARP TRANSITION INTO QUIESCENCE

R. M Plotkin, J. C. A Miller-Jones, E Gallo, P. G Jonker, J Homan, J. A Tomsick, P Kaaret, D. M Russell, S Heinz, E. J Hodges-Kluck, …

The Astrophysical journal, Vol.834(2), p.104

01/05/2017

DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/834/2/104

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Abstract

ABSTRACT We present simultaneous X-ray and radio observations of the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cygni at the end of its 2015 outburst. From 2015 July 11-August 5, we monitored V404 Cygni with Chandra, Swift, and NuSTAR in the X-ray, and with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Very Long Baseline Array in the radio, spanning a range of luminosities that were poorly covered during its previous outburst in 1989 (our 2015 campaign covers ). During our 2015 campaign, the X-ray spectrum evolved rapidly from a hard photon index of (at ) to a softer (at ). We argue that V404 Cygni reaching marks the beginning of the quiescent spectral state, which occurs at a factor of 3-4 higher X-ray luminosity than the average pre-outburst luminosity of . V404 Cygni falls along the same radio/X-ray luminosity correlation that it followed during its previous outburst in 1989, implying a robust disk-jet coupling. We exclude the possibility that a synchrotron-cooled jet dominates the X-ray emission in quiescence, leaving synchrotron self-Compton from either a hot accretion flow or from a radiatively cooled jet as the most likely sources of X-ray radiation, and/or particle acceleration along the jet becoming less efficient in quiescence. Finally, we present the first indications of correlated radio and X-ray variability on minute timescales in quiescence, tentatively measuring the radio emission to lag the X-ray by minute, suggestive of X-ray variations propagating down a jet with a length of <3.0 au.

accretion, accretion disks

stars: black holes

stars: individual (V404 Cygni)

X-rays: binaries

Details

Title: Subtitle: THE 2015 DECAY OF THE BLACK HOLE X-RAY BINARY V404 CYGNI: ROBUST DISK-JET COUPLING AND A SHARP TRANSITION INTO QUIESCENCE
Creators: R. M Plotkin - Curtin University
J. C. A Miller-Jones - International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
E Gallo - University of Michigan
P. G Jonker - Space Research Organisation Netherlands
J Homan - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
J. A Tomsick - University of California, Berkeley
P Kaaret - University of Iowa
D. M Russell - New York University Abu Dhabi
S Heinz - University of Wisconsin–Madison
E. J Hodges-Kluck - University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
S Markoff - University of Amsterdam
G. R Sivakoff - University of Alberta
D Altamirano - University of Southampton
J Neilsen - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The Astrophysical journal, Vol.834(2), p.104
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/834/2/104
ISSN: 0004-637X
eISSN: 1538-4357
Publisher: Institute of Physics (IOP)
Number of pages: 19
Language: English
Date published: 01/05/2017
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984199923602771

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