A NICER Discovery of a Low-Frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillation in the Soft-Intermediate State of MAXI J1535-571

Abstract

We present the discovery of a low-frequency $\approx 5.7$ Hz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) feature in observations of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 in its soft-intermediate state, obtained in September-October 2017 by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER). The feature is relatively broad (compared to other low-frequency QPOs; quality factor $Q\approx 2$) and weak (1.9% rms in 3-10 keV), and is accompanied by a weak harmonic and low-amplitude broadband noise. These characteristics identify it as a weak Type A/B QPO, similar to ones previously identified in the soft-intermediate state of the transient black hole X-ray binary XTE J1550-564. The lag-energy spectrum of the QPO shows increasing soft lags towards lower energies, approaching 50 ms at 1 keV (with respect to a 3-10 keV continuum). This large phase shift has similar amplitude but opposite sign to that seen in Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data for a Type B QPO from the transient black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4. Previous phase-resolved spectroscopy analysis of the Type B QPO in GX 339-4 pointed towards a precessing jet-like corona illuminating the accretion disk as the origin of the QPO signal. We suggest that this QPO in MAXI J1535-571 may have the same origin, with the different lag sign depending on the scale height of the emitting region and the observer inclination angle.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in ApJ Letters

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Cited by in corpus (31)

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• Accretion Geometry in the Hard State of the Black-Hole X-Ray Binary MAXI J1820+070
• The NICER "Reverberation Machine": A Systematic Study of Time Lags in Black Hole X-Ray Binaries
• NICER observations reveal that the X-ray transient MAXI J1348-630 is a Black Hole X-ray binary
• A full spectral-timing model to map the accretion flow in black hole binaries: the low/hard state of MAXI J1820+070
• Rapid compact jet quenching in the Galactic black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571
• The comptonizing medium of the black-hole X-ray binary MAXI~J1535$-$571 through type-C quasi-periodic oscillations
• A NICER look at the state transitions of the black hole candidate MAXI J1535-571 during its reflares
• Transitions and Origin of the Type-B Quasi-Periodic Oscillation in the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI~ J1348--630
• A systematic study of the phase difference between QPO harmonics in black hole X-ray binaries
• A spectrally stratified hot accretion flow in the hard state of MAXI J1820+070
• A NICER look at the jet-like corona of MAXI J1535-571 through type-B quasi-periodic oscillations
• X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations in Lense-Thirring precession model -- II. variability of relativistic iron K$\alpha$ line
• Broadband Spectral and Timing Properties of MAXI J1348-630 using AstroSat and NICER Observations
• Long term variability of Cygnus X-1. VIII. A spectral-timing look at low energies with NICER
• AstroSat view of the newly discovered X-ray transient MAXI~J1803--298 in the Hard-intermediate state
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• Analysis of the reflection spectra of MAXI J1535-571 in the hard and intermediate states
• Spectro-temporal studies of rapid transition of the quasi periodic oscillations in the black hole source H1743-322
• Wavelet analysis of the transient QPOs in MAXI J1535$-$571 with Insight-HXMT
• Testing the dynamic origin of Quasi-periodic Oscillations in MAXI J1535-571 and H 1743-322
• Phase resolved spectrum of the Crab pulsar from NICER
• NICER observations of the Crab pulsar glitch of 2017 November
• AstroSat Observation of Non-Resonant Type-C QPOs in MAXI J1535-571
• The inner flow geometry in MAXI J1820+070 during hard and hard-intermediate states
• Infrared interferometry to spatially and spectrally resolve jets in X-ray binaries
• MAXI J1535-571 2017 outburst Seen by INTEGRAL/SPI and Investigating the Origin of Its Hard Tail
• Phase resolved deadtime of the Crab pulsar using IXPE data
• Observational Biases and Improved Modelling of Off-axis Relativistic Jets