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Physical constraints from near-infrared fast photometry of the black hole transient GX 339–4.

Vincentelli, F. M. and Casella, P. and Petrucci, P. and Maccarone, T. and Russell, D. M. and Uttley, P. and Marco, B. De and Fender, R. and Gandhi, P. and Malzac, J. and O’Brien, K. and Tomsick, J. A. (2019) 'Physical constraints from near-infrared fast photometry of the black hole transient GX 339–4.', Astrophysical journal letters., 887 (1). L19.

Abstract

We present results from the first multi-epoch X-ray/IR fast-photometry campaign on the black hole transient GX 339–4, during its 2015 outburst decay. We studied the evolution of the power spectral densities finding strong differences between the two bands. The X-ray power spectral density follows standard patterns of evolution, plausibly reflecting changes in the accretion flow. The IR power spectral density instead evolves very slowly, with a high-frequency break consistent with remaining constant at 0.63 ± 0.03 Hz throughout the campaign. We discuss this result in the context of the currently available models for the IR emission in black hole transients. While all models will need to be tested quantitatively against this unexpected constraint, we show that an IR-emitting relativistic jet that filters out the short-timescale fluctuations injected from the accretion inflow appears as the most plausible scenario.

Item Type:Article
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Status:Peer-reviewed
Publisher Web site:https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ab5860
Publisher statement:© 2019. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Date accepted:14 November 2019
Date deposited:22 January 2020
Date of first online publication:10 December 2019
Date first made open access:22 January 2020

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