A physical model for the continuum variability and QPO in accreting black holes

Abstract

The power spectra of black hole binaries have been well studied for decades, giving a detailed phenomenological picture of the variability properties and their correlation with the energy spectrum (spectral state) of the source. Here we take the truncated disc/hot inner flow picture which can describe the spectral changes, and show that propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations in the hot flow can match the broad band power spectral properties seen in black hole binaries, i.e. give approximately band limited noise between a low and high frequency break. The low frequency break marks the viscous timescale at the outer edge of the hot inner flow, which is the inner edge of the truncated disc. The model also predicts the Lense-Thirring precession timescale of the hot flow, as this is set by the surface density of the flow which is self consistently calculated from the propagating fluctuations. We show that this naturally gives the observed relation between the low frequency break and QPO frequency as the outer radius of the flow moves inwards, and that this model predicts many of the observed QPO properties such as correlation of coherence with frequency, and of the recently discovered correlation of frequency with flux on short timescales. We fit this total model of the variability to a sequence of 5 observed power spectra from the bright black hole binary XTE J1550-564 as the source transitioned from a low/hard to very high state. This is the first time that a power spectrum from a black hole binary has been fit with a physical model for the variability. The data are well fit if the inner radius of the flow remains constant, while the outer radius sweeps inwards from ~60-12 Rg. This range of radii agrees with models of the energy spectral evolution, giving the first self consistent description of the evolution of both the spectrum and variability of BHB.

Typo in equation (2) corrected. No further modifications since correct equation used in the analysis

References in corpus (13)

• Modelling the behaviour of accretion flows in X-ray binaries
• Global General Relativistic MHD Simulation of a Tilted Black-Hole Accretion Disk
• X-ray irradiation in XTE J1817-330 and the inner radius of the truncated disc in the hard state
• Spectral and Fourier analyses of X-ray QPO in accreting black holes
• Where is the Radiation Edge in Magnetized Black Hole Accretion discs?
• Identification of black hole power spectral components across all canonical states
• Observational Signatures of Tilted Black Hole Accretion Disks from Simulations
• High-frequency X-ray variability as a mass estimator of stellar and supermassive black holes
• Time-dependent models of two-phase accretion discs around black holes
• GRMHD prediction of coronal variability in accreting black holes
• Quasi-periodic Oscillations in XTE J1550-564: The rms-flux relation
• Medium-resolution spectroscopy of FORJ0332-3557: Probing the interstellar medium and stellar populations of a lensed Lyman-break galaxy at z=3.77
• Damped harmonic oscillator interpretation of the soft-state power spectra of Cyg X-1

Cited by in corpus (167)

• Hot Accretion Flows Around Black Holes
• A review of quasi-periodic oscillations from black hole X-ray binaries: observation and theory
• The corona contracts in a black-hole transient
• Precise mass and spin measurements for a stellar-mass black hole through X-ray timing: the case of GRO J1655-40
• Geometrical constraints on the origin of timing signals from black holes
• Towards precision measurements of accreting black holes using X-ray reflection spectroscopy
• Bardeen-Petterson Alignment, Jets and Magnetic Truncation in GRMHD Simulations of Tilted Thin Accretion Discs
• An exact analytic treatment of propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations in X-ray binaries
• Modelling variability in black hole binaries: linking simulations to observations
• Emergent Mesoscale Phenomena in Magnetized Accretion Disc Turbulence
• Discovery of two simultaneous non-harmonically related Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the 2005 outburst of the black-hole binary GRO J1655-40
• Hot accretion flow in black hole binaries: a link connecting X-rays to the infrared
• Black hole spin measurements through the relativistic precession model: XTE J1550-564
• MAXI J1820+070 with NuSTAR I. An increase in variability frequency but a stable reflection spectrum: coronal properties and implications for the inner disc in black hole binaries
• Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources
• Towards modelling X-ray reverberation in AGN: Piecing together the extended corona
• Testing the No-Hair Theorem with Observations of Black Holes in the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Modelling spectral and timing properties of accreting black holes: the hybrid hot flow paradigm
• A quasi-periodic oscillation in the blazar J1359+4011
• Analysis of NuSTAR and Suzaku observations of Cyg X-1 in the hard state: evidence for a truncated disc geometry
• Long term variability of Cygnus X-1: VI. Energy-resolved X-ray variability 1999-2011
• Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars
• A unified Lense-Thirring precession model for optical and X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole binaries
• Phase-resolved spectroscopy of low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in GRS 1915+105
• Furiously Fast and Red: Sub-second Optical Flaring in V404 Cyg during the 2015 Outburst Peak
• Detection of the first infra-red quasi periodic oscillation in a black hole X-ray binary
• Solutions to the relativistic precession model
• A physical model for the flickering variability in cataclysmic variables
• Reverberation Reveals the Truncated Disc in the Hard State of GX 339-4
• Evolution of the temporal and the spectral properties in 2010 and 2011 outbursts of H 1743-322
• A full spectral-timing model to map the accretion flow in black hole binaries: the low/hard state of MAXI J1820+070
• The effect of frame dragging on the iron K alpha line in X-ray binaries
• Metrics and Motivations for Earth-Space VLBI: Time-Resolving Sgr A* with the Event Horizon Telescope
• On the different flavours of Lense-Thirring precession around accreting stellar mass black holes
• A Physical Model for the Spectral-Timing Properties of Accreting Black Holes
• Accretion in Strong Field Gravity with eXTP
• Accretion Flow Dynamics During 1999 Outburst of XTE J1859+226 - Modeling of Broadband Spectra and Constraining the Source Mass
• AstroSat/LAXPC observation of Cygnus X-1 in the hard state
• Broad-band timing properties of the accreting white dwarf MV Lyrae
• Propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations in X-ray binaries under the influence of viscous diffusion
• Relations between X-ray timing features and spectral parameters of Galactic black hole X-ray binaries
• `Spectro-temporal' characteristics and disk-jet connection of the outbursting black hole source XTE J1859+226
• Modelling the cross-spectral variability of the black hole binary MAXI J1659-152 with propagating accretion rate fluctuations
• Accretion and ejection in black-hole X-ray transients
• Low-frequency QPO from the 11 Hz accreting pulsar in Terzan 5: not frame dragging
• A Physical Model for the X-ray Time Lags of Narrow Line Seyfert Type 1 Active Galactic Nuclei
• An imperfect double: probing the physical origin of the low-frequency QPO and its harmonic in black hole binaries
• Disk Tearing Leads to Low and High Frequency Quasi Periodic Oscillations in a GRMHD Simulation of a Thin Accretion Disk
• Physical origin of the nonphysical spin evolution of MAXI J1820+070
• Modeling the light curves of ultraluminous X-ray sources as precession
• Variability and phase lags of the type-C quasi-periodic oscillation of MAXI J1348-630 with NICER
• Fast transition of type-B QPO in the black hole transient XTE J1817-330
• Low angular momentum relativistic hot accretion flow around Kerr black holes with variable adiabatic index
• Expanding hot flow in the black hole binary SWIFT J1753.5-0127: evidence from optical timing
• Broadband aperiodic variability in X-ray pulsars: accretion rate fluctuations propagating under the influence of viscous diffusion
• Transitions and Origin of the Type-B Quasi-Periodic Oscillation in the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI~ J1348--630
• MAXI J1820+070 X-ray spectral-timing reveals the nature of the accretion flow in black hole binaries
• The biphase explained: understanding the asymmetries in coupled Fourier components of astronomical timeseries
• Fast variability as a probe of the smallest regions around accreting black holes
• Modelling aperiodic X-ray variability in black hole binaries as propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations: a short review
• Black hole spin: theory and observation
• Cross-spectral modelling of the black hole X-ray binary XTEJ1550-564: challenges to the propagating fluctuations paradigm
• A unified accretion disc model for supermassive black holes in galaxy formation simulations: method and implementation
• Energetic and Broad Band Spectral Distribution of Emission from Astronomical Jets
• A stochastic propagation model to the energy dependent rapid temporal behaviour of Cygnus X-1 as observed by AstroSat in the hard state
• Modelling the Energy Dependence of Black Hole Binary Flows
• Interference as an origin of the peaked noise in accreting X-ray binaries
• Constraining the mass of the black hole GX 339-4 using spectro-temporal analysis of multiple outbursts
• Testing evolution of LFQPOs with mass accretion rate in GRS 1915+105 with Insight-HXMT
• Extreme variability in an active galactic nucleus: Gaia16aax
• Stabilization of radiation pressure dominated accretion disks by viscous fluctuations
• Ultraluminous X-ray sources with flat-topped noise and QPO
• Spectral and Timing Properties of the Galactic X-ray transient Swift~J1658.2--4242 using Astrosat Observations
• Evolution of the hot flow of MAXI J1543-564
• Effect of geometrically thin discs on precessing, thick flows: Relevance to type-C QPOs
• The variable radio counterpart of Swift J1858.6-0814
• Unveiling the temporal properties of MAXI J1820+070 through AstroSat observations
• Complete Multiwavelength Evolution of Galactic Black Hole Transients During Outburst Decay II: Compact Jets and X-ray Variability Properties
• Broadband Spectral and Timing Properties of MAXI J1348-630 using AstroSat and NICER Observations
• Spectral and Timing Studies of Cyg X-1 in the Low/Hard State with Suzaku
• Jets and the Accretion Flow in Low Luminosity Black Holes
• Spectral and Timing Properties of IGR J17091-3624 in the Rising Hard State During its 2016 Outburst
• Looking for the underlying cause of black hole X-ray variability in GRMHD simulations
• Accretion geometry of the black hole binary MAXI J1820+070 probed by frequency-resolved spectroscopy
• Millihertz Quasi-periodic Oscillations in 4U 1636-536: Putting Possible Constraints on the Neutron Star Size
• X-ray Probes of Black Hole Accretion Disks for Testing the No-Hair Theorem
• Detection of Very Low-Frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in the 2015 Outburst of V404 Cygni
• Spectral Energy Distributions of Candidate Periodically-Variable Quasars: Testing the Binary Black Hole Hypothesis
• Evidence for Disk Truncation at Low Accretion States of the Black Hole Binary MAXI J1820+070 Observed by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton
• A global study of Type B quasi-periodic oscillation in black hole X-ray binaries
• Correlating spectral and timing properties in the evolving jet of the micro blazar MAXI J1836-194
• ASAS J071404+7004.3 -- a close, bright nova-like cataclysmic variable with gusty winds
• A possible signature of Lense-Thirring precession in dipping and eclipsing neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries
• Characterizing Intermittency of 4-Hz Quasi-periodic Oscillation in XTE J1550-564 using Hilbert-Huang Transform
• Fast transitions of X-ray variability in the black hole transient GX 339--4: comparison with MAXI J1820+070 and MAXI J1348-630
• State transitions of GX 339-4 during its outburst rising phase
• Reprocessing model for the optical quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole binaries
• Timing Analysis of a New Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1803-298 with Insight-HXMT and NICER
• Re-awakening of GRS 1716--249 after 23 years, observed by {\it Swift}/XRT and {\it NuSTAR}
• Quasi-periodic oscillations in GX 339-4 during the 2021 Outburst observed with Insight-HXMT
• Geometrical beaming of stellar mass ULXs
• Spectral and timing evolution of MAXI J1631-479 during the 2018-19 outburst with NICER
• Searching for energy-resolved quasi-periodic oscillations in AGN
• Spectral evolution of the X-ray nova XTE J1859+226 during its outburst observed by BeppoSAX and RXTE
• On the geometric nature of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries
• A broadband spectral-timing study of QPOs in the bright black hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8-1613
• 2016 outburst of H~1743--322: \textit{XMM-Newton} and \textit{NuSTAR} view
• Investigating the Theory of Propagating Fluctuations with Numerical Models of Stochastic Accretion Discs
• Determination of QPO properties in the presence of strong broad-band noise: a case study on the data of MAXI J1820+070
• A geometric origin for quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole X-ray binaries
• Discovery of Persistent Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Accreting White Dwarfs: A New Link to X-ray Binaries
• Super-spinning compact objects and models of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations observed in Galactic microquasars. II. Forced resonances
• Reversibility of time series: revealing the hidden messages in X-ray binaries and cataclysmic variables
• An Insight-HXMT view of the mHz quasi-regular modulation phenomenon in the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630-47
• High energy Millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations in 1A 0535+262 with Insight-HXMT challenge current models
• Disc-corona interaction in the heartbeat state of GRS 1915+105
• Measuring Black Hole Spins through X-ray Reflection Spectroscopy and the Relativistic Precession Model: the case of XTE J1859+226
• Identifying a new intermediate-polar using XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL
• Timing analysis of the black-hole candidate Swift J1727.8-1613: detection of a dip-like feature in the high-energy cross spectrum
• Correlating nonlinear properties with spectral states of RXTE data: Possible observational evidences for four different accretion modes around compact objects
• On the harmonics of the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation in GRS 1915+105
• Evolution of Accretion Modes between Spectral States Inferred from Spectral and Timing Analysis of Cygnus X-1 with Insight-HXMT observations
• On the modulation of low frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in black-hole transients
• Are spectral and timing correlations similar in different spectral states in black hole X-ray binaries?
• Mass and spin measurements for the neutron star 4U1608-52 through the relativistic precession model
• A High-Frequency Doppler Feature in the Power Spectra of Simulated GRMHD Black Hole Accretion Disks
• Detection of low-frequency breaks in power density spectrum of GX 339-4 in faint low/hard state observations using AstroSat data
• Extending the theory of propagating fluctuations: the first fully relativistic treatment and analytical Fourier-Green's functions
• The mass, luminosity and mass-loss rate of the donor of the V1487 Aql/GRS 1915+105 binary system
• The spectral-timing analysis of Cygnus X-1 with Insight-HXMT
• The NuSTAR View of a QPO Evolution of GRS 1915+105
• Phase-Resolved Timing Analysis of GRS 1915+105 in Its ρ State
• An X-ray high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation in NGC 1365
• The X-ray view of black-hole candidate Swift J1842.5-1124 during its 2008 outburst
• The origin of long soft lags and the nature of the hard-intermediate state in black hole binaries
• Examining AGN UV/Optical Variability Beyond the Simple Damped Random Walk. II. Insights from 22 Years Observations of SDSS, PS1 and ZTF
• Swift X-ray Telescope study of the Black Hole Binary MAXI J1659-152: Variability from a two component accretion flow
• The cross-correlation analysis in Z source GX 349+2
• Evolution of the Accretion Disk and Corona During the Outburst of the Neutron Star Transient MAXI J1807+132
• The turbulent variability of accretion discs observed at high energies
• Probing black-hole accretion through time variability
• Revisiting the galactic X-ray binary MAXI J1631-479: Implications for high inclination and a massive black hole
• Modeling the response of a standard accretion disc to stochastic viscous fluctuations
• Timing Analysis of V404 Cyg during Its Brightest Outburst with INTEGRAL/SPI
• Intermittent QPO properties of MAXI J1820+070 revealed by Insight-HXMT
• Neutron Star Radius-to-mass Ratio from Partial Accretion Disc Occultation as Measured through Fe K$\alpha$ Line Profiles
• A Hidden Pulse: Uncovering a New Timing Signal in Cygnus X-1 with AstroSat
• Reverberation lags viewed in hard X-rays from an accreting stellar-mass black hole
• Outer disc edge: properties of low frequency aperiodic variability in ultracompact interacting binaries
• Dimming GRS 1915+105 observed with NICER and Insight--HXMT
• Tilted Accretion Disks
• Variable QPO lags and reduced coherence between the disc and corona in MAXI J1820+070
• Broad-band noises in GX 339-4 during the 2021 outburst observed with Insight-HXMT and NICER
• Modeling fast X-ray variability around an accreting black hole
• Detection of the thermonuclear X-ray bursts and dips from the X-ray binary 4U 1323-62 with AstroSat/LAXPC
• The mHz quasi-regular modulations of 4U 1630--47 during its 1998 outburst
• Oscillation properties of relativistic tori in the vicinity of a distorted deformed compact object
• Magnetic precession as a model for QPOs in PULXs: flat-top noise ULXs are different
• Misalignment of the Lense-Thirring precession by an accretion torque
• Untangling the Complex Nature of AGN Variability with Fairall 9
• Polarization Signatures of Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Simulated Tilted, Truncated Disks
• Accretion Geometry of Black Hole X-ray Binaries: Insights from X-ray Observations
• X-ray time lag evaluation of MAXI J1820+070 with a differential cross-correlation analysis
• Mapping the X-ray corona evolution of IRAS 13224-3809 with the power spectral density
• Lense-Thirring precession of neutron-star accretion flows: Relativistic versus classical precession
• Unprecedentedly bright X-ray flaring in Cygnus X-1 observed by INTEGRAL
• Prompt and Afterglow Constraints on the Central Engine of GRB 240825A