The Curious Case of Swift J1753.5-0127: A Black Hole Low-mass X-ray Binary Analogue to Z Cam Type Dwarf Novae

Abstract

Swift J1753.5-0127 (J1753) is a candidate black hole low-mass X-ray binary (BH-LMXB) that was discovered in outburst in May 2005. It remained in outburst for $\sim 12$ years, exhibiting a wide range of variability on various timescales, before entering quiescence after two short-lived, low-luminosity "mini-outbursts" in April 2017. The unusually long outburst duration in such a short-period ($P_{\mathrm{orb}}\approx 3.24$ hrs) source, and complex variability observed during this outburst period, challenges the predictions of the widely accepted disc-instability model, which has been shown to broadly reproduce the behaviour of LMXB systems well. The long-term behaviour observed in J1753 is reminiscent of the Z Cam class of dwarf novae, whereby variable mass transfer from the companion star drives unusual outbursts, characterized by stalled decays and abrupt changes in luminosity. Using sophisticated modelling of the multi-wavelength light curves and spectra of J1753, during the $\sim 12$ years the source was active, we investigate the hypothesis that periods of enhanced mass transfer from the companion star may have driven this unusually long outburst. Our modelling suggests that J1753 is in fact a BH-LMXB analogue to Z Cam systems, where the variable mass transfer from the companion star is driven by the changing irradiation properties of the system, affecting both the disc and companion star.

arXiv comment17 pages plus a 5 page appendix, 8 figures in main paper plus an additional figure in the appendix, accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• Thermally-Driven Disc Winds as a Mechanism for X-ray Irradiation Heating in Black Hole X-ray Binaries: The Case Study of GX339-4
• Multi-wavelength Observations of AT2019wey: a New Candidate Black Hole Low-mass X-ray Binary
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• The Fast Evolving, Tremendous and Blue Superoutburst in ASASSN-21au Reveals a Dichotomy in the Outbursts of Long-period AM CVns
• The origin of UV/optical emission in the black hole low-mass X-ray binary Swift J1753.5-0127
• New radial velocity observations of AH Her: evidence for material outside the tidal radius
• Swift J1753.5-0127 : Understanding the accretion geometry through frequency resolved spectroscopy