The effects of thermodynamic stability on wind properties in different low mass black hole binary states

Abstract

We present a systematic theory-motivated study of the thermodynamic stability condition as an explanation for the observed accretion disk wind signatures in different states of low mass black hole binaries (BHB). The variability in observed ions is conventionally explained either by variations in the driving mechanisms or the changes in the ionizing flux or due to density effects, whilst thermodynamic stability considerations have been largely ignored. It would appear that the observability of particular ions in different BHB states can be accounted for through simple thermodynamic considerations in the static limit. Our calculations predict that in the disk dominated soft thermal and intermediate states, the wind should be thermodynamically stable and hence observable. On the other hand, in the powerlaw dominated spectrally hard state the wind is found to be thermodynamically unstable for a certain range of 3.55 <= log ξ<= 4.20. In the spectrally hard state, a large number of the He-like and H-like ions (including e.g. Fe XXV, Ar XVIII and S XV) have peak ion fractions in the unstable ionization parameter (ξ) range, making these ions undetectable. Our theoretical predictions have clear corroboration in the literature reporting differences in wind ion observability as the BHBs transition through the accretion states Lee et al. 2002; Miller et al. 2008; Neilsen & Lee 2009; Blum et al. 2010; Ponti et al. 2012; Neilsen & Homan 2012). While this effect may not be the only one responsible for the observed gradient in the wind properties as a function of the accretion state in BHBs, it is clear that its inclusion in the calculations is crucial to understanding the link between the environment of the compact object and its accretion processes.

10 pages, 6 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (8)

• X-ray Properties of Black-Hole Binaries
• A 15.65 solar mass black hole in an eclipsing binary in the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 33
• The Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRO J1655-40
• Spectrum Synthesis Modeling of the X-ray Spectrum of GRO J1655-40 Taken During the 2005 Outburst
• Chandra X-ray spectroscopy of the focused wind in the Cygnus X-1 system. I. The non-dip spectrum in the low/hard state
• The Disk-Wind-Jet Connection in the Black Hole H 1743-322
• The Ionized Absorber and Nuclear Environment of IRAS 13349+2438: Multi-wavelength insights from coordinated Chandra HETGS, HST STIS, HET, and Spitzer IRS
• Dielectronic recombination and stability of warm gas in AGN

Cited by in corpus (38)

• Accretion disc atmospheres and winds in low-mass X-ray binaries
• Strong disc winds traced throughout outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries
• The Disk Wind in the Rapidly Spinning Stellar-Mass Black Hole 4U 1630-472 Observed with NuSTAR
• Hard-state accretion disk winds from black holes: the revealing case of MAXI J1820+070
• Thermal Winds in Stellar Mass Black Hole and Neutron Star Binary Systems
• Absorption lines from magnetically-driven winds in X-ray binaries
• XMM-Newton observations reveal the disappearance of the wind in 4U 1630-47
• Coronae and Winds from Irradiated Disks in X-ray binaries
• The low-luminosity accretion disc wind of the black hole transient V4641 Sagittarii
• A NICER View of a Highly-Absorbed Flare in GRS 1915+105
• The Ultra-Fast Outflow of the Quasar PG 1211+143 as Viewed by Time-Averaged Chandra Grating Spectroscopy
• The Disk Wind in the Neutron Star Low-mass X-Ray Binary GX 13+1
• What powers the wind from the black hole accretion disc in GRO J1655-40?
• The impact of thermal winds on the outburst lightcurves of black hole X-ray binaries
• Photoionization instability of the Fe K absorbing plasma in the neutron star transient AX J1745.6-2901
• Thermally-Driven Disc Winds as a Mechanism for X-ray Irradiation Heating in Black Hole X-ray Binaries: The Case Study of GX339-4
• A Comprehensive Chandra Study of the Disk Wind in the Black Hole Candidate 4U 1630-472
• Chandra high-resolution spectra of 4U~1630-47: the disappearance of the wind
• The current state of disk wind observations in BHLMXBs through X-ray absorption lines in the iron band
• Simultaneous X-ray and optical spectroscopy of V404 Cygni supports the multi-phase nature of X-ray binary accretion disc winds
• Suzaku Observation of the Black Hole Binary 4U 1630--47 in the Very High State
• Outflows and spectral evolution in the eclipsing AMXP SWIFT J1749.4-2807 with NICER, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR
• Winds and Disk Turbulence Exert Equal Torques on Thick Magnetically Arrested Disks
• The origin of optical emission lines in the soft state of X-ray binary outbursts: the case of MAXI J1820+070
• Black holes: Timing and spectral properties and evolution
• Absorption lines from magnetically driven winds in X-ray binaries II: high resolution observational signatures expected from future X-ray observatories
• Simultaneous detection of an intrinsic absorber and a compact jet emission in the X-ray binary IGR J17091-3624 during a hard accretion state
• Application of the Thermal Wind Model to Absorption Features in the Black Hole X-ray Binary H 1743-322
• Impact of the disk magnetization on MHD disk wind signature
• Magneto centrifugal winds from accretion discs around black hole binaries
• The disk wind in GRS 1915+105 as seen by Insight-HXMT
• Variable ionized disk wind in MAXI J1803-298 revealed by NICER
• Evolution of the disc atmosphere in the X-ray binary MXB 1659-298, during its 2015-2017 outburst
• Evidence of mutually exclusive outflow forms from a black hole X-ray binary
• Accretion disc winds in X-ray binaries
• 20 years of disk winds in 4U 1630-47 -- I. Long-term behavior and influence of hard X-rays
• Nucleosynthesis in advective disc and outflow: possible explanation for overabundances in winds from X-ray binaries
• Expected disk wind properties evolution along an X-ray Binary outburst