Swift Observations of MAXI J1659-152: A Compact Binary with a Black Hole Accretor

Abstract

We report on the detection and follow-up high cadence monitoring observations of MAXI J1659-152, a bright Galactic X-ray binary transient with a likely black-hole accretor, by Swift over a 27 day period after its initial outburst detection. MAXI J1659-152 was discovered almost simultaneously by Swift and MAXI on 2010 Sept 25, and was monitored intensively from the early stages of the outburst through the rise to a brightness of ~0.5 Crab by the Swift XRT, UVOT, and BAT. We present temporal and spectral analysis of the Swift observations. The broadband light-curves show variability characteristic of black-hole candidate transients. We present the evolution of thermal and non-thermal components of the 0.5-150 keV combined X-ray spectra during the outburst. MAXI J1659-152 displays accretion state changes typically associated with black-hole binaries, transitioning from its initial detection in the Hard State, to the Steep Power-Law State, followed by a slow evolution towards the Thermal State, signified by an increasingly dominant thermal component associated with the accretion disk, although this state change did not complete before Swift observations ended. We observe an anti-correlation between the increasing temperature and decreasing radius of the inner edge of the accretion disk, suggesting that the inner edge of the accretion disk in-falls towards the black-hole as the disk temperature increases. We observed significant evolution in the absorption column during the initial rise of the outburst, with the absorption almost doubling, suggestive of the presence of an evolving wind from the accretion disk. We detect quasi- periodic oscillations that evolve with the outburst, as well as irregular shaped dips that recur with a period of 2.42\pm0.09 hours, strongly suggesting an orbital period that would make MAXI J1659-152 the shortest period black-hole binary yet known.

Accepted for publication in ApJ. 9 pages, 7 figures

References in corpus (7)

• X-ray Properties of Black-Hole Binaries
• The magnetic nature of disk accretion onto black holes
• A Prominent Accretion Disk in the Low-Hard State of the Black Hole Candidate SWIFT J1753.5-0127
• Accurate early positions for Swift GRBS: enhancing X-ray positions with UVOT astrometry
• Swift J1753.5-0127: The Black Hole Candidate with the shortest orbital period
• On Relativistic Disk Spectroscopy in Compact Objects with X-ray CCD Cameras
• The identification of MAXI J1659-152 as a black hole candidate

Cited by in corpus (24)

• The Swift/BAT Hard X-ray Transient Monitor
• WATCHDOG: A Comprehensive All-Sky Database of Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• The X-ray Spectral Evolution of Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binaries Toward Quiescence
• MAXI J1659-152: The shortest orbital period black-hole transient in outburst
• The black hole candidate XTE J1752-223 towards and in quiescence: optical and simultaneous X-ray - radio observations
• Evidence for quiescent synchrotron emission in the black hole X-ray transient Swift J1357.2-0933
• The black hole candidate MAXIJ1659-152 in and towards quiescence in X-ray and radio
• Estimation of Mass of the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1659-152 using TCAF and POS Models
• The X-ray properties of the black hole transient MAXI J1659-152 in quiescence
• Combined Spectral and Timing Analysis of the Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1659-152 Discovered by MAXI and Swift
• Broadband monitoring tracing the evolution of the jet and disk in the black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1659-152
• Dynamical confirmation of a stellar-mass black hole in the transient X-ray dipping binary MAXI J1305-704
• VLBI observations of the shortest orbital period black hole binary, MAXI J1659-152
• Delimiting the black hole mass in the X-ray transient MAXI J1659-152 with H$\alpha$ spectroscopy
• Peculiar X-ray transient SRGA J043520.9+552226/AT2019wey discovered with SRG/ART-XC
• Energy dependent power spectral states and origin of aperiodic variability in black hole binaries
• Swift XRT Timing Observations of the Black-Hole Binary SWIFTJ1753.5-0127: Disk-Diluted Fluctuations in the Outburst Peak
• The long-term optical evolution of the black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152
• Optical emission of the black hole X-ray transient MAXI J1659-152 during quiescence
• Are spectral and timing correlations similar in different spectral states in black hole X-ray binaries?
• A retrograde spin of the black hole in MAXI J1659--152
• The 100-month Swift catalogue of supergiant fast X-ray transients II. SFXT diagnostics from outburst properties
• Swift X-ray Telescope study of the Black Hole Binary MAXI J1659-152: Variability from a two component accretion flow
• Estimating the spin of the black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152 with the X-ray continuum-fitting method