Lorentz Factors of compact jets in Black hole X-ray binaries

Abstract

Compact, continuously launched jets in black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs) produce radio to optical-infrared synchrotron emission. In most BHXBs, an infrared (IR) excess (above the disc component) is observed when the jet is present in the hard spectral state. We investigate why some BHXBs have prominent IR excesses and some do not, quantified by the amplitude of the IR quenching or recovery over the transition from/to the hard state. We find that the amplitude of the IR excess can be explained by inclination dependent beaming of the jet synchrotron emission, and the projected area of the accretion disc. Furthermore, we see no correlation between the expected and the observed IR excess for Lorentz factor 1, which is strongly supportive of relativistic beaming of the IR emission, confirming that the IR excess is produced by synchrotron emission in a relativistic outflow. Using the amplitude of the jet fade and recovery over state transitions and the known orbital parameters, we constrain for the first time the bulk Lorentz factor range of compact jets in several BHXBs (with all the well-constrained Lorentz factors lying in the range of $\Gamma$ = 1.3 - 3.5). Under the assumption that the Lorentz factor distribution of BHXB jets is a power-law, we find that N($\Gamma$) $\propto {\Gamma }^{-1.88_{-0.34}^{+0.27}}$. We also find that the very high amplitude IR fade/recovery seen repeatedly in the BHXB GX 339-4 favors a low inclination angle ($<15^{\circ }$) of the jet.

arXiv comment23 pages, 10 figures; Accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (121)

• emcee: The MCMC Hammer
• Towards a unified model for black hole X-ray binary jets
• A fundamental plane of black hole activity
• A Scheme to Unify Low-Power Accreting Black Holes - Jet-Dominated Accretion Flows and the Radio/X-Ray Correlation
• Lense-Thirring Precession and QPOs in Low Mass X-Ray Binaries
• Polarimetric Observations of 15 Active Galactic Nuclei at High Frequencies: Jet Kinematics from Bimonthly Monitoring with the Very Long Baseline Array
• A universal radio/X-ray correlation in low/hard state black hole binaries
• Radio / X-ray correlation in the low/hard state of GX 339--4
• Sub-milliarcsecond Imaging of Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei III. Kinematics of Parsec-Scale Radio Jets
• Multi-Epoch VLBA Observations of EGRET-Detected Quasars and BL Lac Objects: Superluminal Motion of Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars
• Formation of Precessing Jets by Tilted Black-hole Discs in 3D General Relativistic MHD Simulations
• WATCHDOG: A Comprehensive All-Sky Database of Galactic Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• Data analysis recipes: Using Markov Chain Monte Carlo
• GX 339-4: the distance, state transitions, hysteresis and spectral correlations
• Near-infrared synchrotron emission from the compact jet of GX339-4
• Mass Measurements of Black Holes in X-Ray Transients: Is There a Mass Gap?
• Dynamical Evidence for a Black Hole in GX 339-4
• Global optical/infrared - X-ray correlations in X-ray binaries: quantifying disc and jet contributions
• Precessing warped accretion discs in X-ray binaries
• Optical and Infrared Photometry of the Micro-Quasar GRO J1655-40 in Quiescence
• Inferring the eccentricity distribution
• An Improved Dynamical Model for the Microquasar XTE J1550-564
• Multi-wavelength observations of the 2002 outburst of GX 339-4: two patterns of X-ray-optical/near-infrared behavior
• The Distance, Inclination, and Spin of the Black Hole Microquasar H1743-322
• The Distance and Interstellar Sight Line to GX339-4
• A variable mid-infrared synchrotron break associated with the compact jet in GX 339-4
• On the Misalignment of Jets in Microquasars
• The radio/X-ray domain of black hole X-ray binaries at the lowest radio luminosities
• Disc-jet coupling in the 2009 outburst of the black hole candidate H1743-322
• Evidence for Black Hole Spin in GX 339-4: XMM-Newton EPIC-pn and RXTE Spectroscopy of the Very High State
• The X-ray transient XTE J1118+480: Multiwavelength observations of a low-state mini-outburst
• The quiescent light curve and evolutionary state of GRO J1655-40
• Fast infrared variability from a relativistic jet in GX 339-4
• On the peak radio and X-ray emission from neutron star and black hole candidate X-ray transients
• Complete and Simultaneous Spectral Observations of the Black-Hole X-ray Nova XTE J1118+480
• Orbital Parameters for the Soft X-ray Transient 4U 1543-47: Evidence for a Black Hole
• The remarkable rapid X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, and IR variability in the black hole XTE J1118+480
• Jet spectral breaks in black hole X-ray binaries
• Dust SEDs in the era of Herschel and Planck: a Hierarchical Bayesian fitting technique
• The infrared/X-ray correlation of GX 339-4: Probing hard X-ray emission in accreting black holes
• A transient large-scale relativistic radio jet from GX 339-4
• A rapidly-changing jet orientation in the stellar-mass black hole V404 Cygni
• Multiwavelength observations revealing the evolution of the outburst of the black hole XTE J1118+480
• The Evolving Accretion Disc in the Black Hole X-ray Transient XTE J1859+226
• Simultaneous multiwavelength observations of the Low/Hard State of the X-ray transient source SWIFT J1753.5-0127
• The mass function of GX 339-4 from spectroscopic observations of its donor star
• Formation of the compact jets in the black hole GX 339-4
• The accretion-ejection coupling in the black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1836-194
• Initial low/hard state, multiple jet ejections and X-ray/radio correlations during the outburst of XTE J1859+226
• Complete Multiwavelength Evolution of Galactic Black Hole Transients During Outburst Decay I: Conditions for "Compact" Jet Formation
• Opening angles, Lorentz factors and confinement of X-ray binary jets
• The Halo Black-Hole X-ray Transient XTE J1118+480
• Evidence for a compact jet dominating the broadband spectrum of the black hole accretor XTE J1550-564
• A Black Hole Nova Obscured by an Inner Disk Torus
• The Optical and Ultraviolet Spectral Energy Distributions of Short Period Black Hole X-ray Transients in Outburst
• Black Hole Spin-Orbit Misalignment in Galactic X-ray Binaries
• Detection of superhumps in XTE J1118+480 approaching quiescence
• Evidence for quiescent synchrotron emission in the black hole X-ray transient Swift J1357.2-0933
• Swift J1753.5-0127: The Black Hole Candidate with the shortest orbital period
• A Multi-epoch VLBI Survey of the Kinematics of Caltech-Jodrell Bank Flat-Spectrum Sources, Part II: Analysis of the Kinematics
• Reflection Spectra of the Black Hole Binary Candidate MAXI J1535-571 in the Hard State Observed by NuSTAR
• An evolving compact jet in the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1836-194
• Spectral analysis of the XMM-Newton data of GX 339-4 in the low/hard state: disc truncation and reflection
• Optical and Near Infrared Monitoring of the Black-Hole X-ray Binary GX 339-4 During 2002-2010
• Multiwavelength Observations of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1550-564 during the 2000 Outburst
• The 2002 Outburst of the Black-Hole X-ray Binary 4U 1543-47: Optical and Infrared Light Curves
• Uses and limitations of relativistic jet proper motions: lessons from galactic microquasars
• Limits on spin determination from disc spectral fitting in GX 339-4
• Tracing the jet contribution to the mid-IR over the 2005 outburst of GRO J1655-40 via broadband spectral modeling
• Evolution of X-Ray Properties of MAXI J1535-571: Analysis with the TCAF Solution
• MMT Observations of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1118+480 near and in Quiescence
• The X-ray transient XTE J1859+226 in Outburst & Quiescence
• Radio monitoring of the hard state jets in the 2011 outburst of MAXI J1836-194
• X-Ray and Near-Infrared Observations of GX 339-4 in the Low/Hard State with Suzaku and IRSF
• The Mass of the Black Hole in LMC X-3
• The Fundamental Plane of Black Hole Activity in the Optical Band
• XMM-Newton observations of the black hole X-ray transient XTE J1650-500 in quiescence
• Swift J1357.2-0933: a massive black hole in the Galactic thick disc
• An accurate position for the black hole candidate XTE J1752-223: re-interpretation of the VLBI data
• Radio Frequency Timing Analysis of the Compact Jet in the Black Hole X-ray Binary Cygnus X-1
• Spectroscopic evidence for a low-mass black hole in SWIFT J1753.5-0127
• Overview of an Extensive Multi-wavelength Study of GX 339-4 during the 2010 Outburst
• A connection between plasma conditions near black hole event horizons and outflow properties
• Discovery and Monitoring of a new Black Hole Candidate XTE J1752-223 with RXTE: RMS spectrum evolution, BH mass and the source distance
• Evidence for a black-hole in the X-ray transient XTE J1859+226
• Optical Spectroscopy of GX339-4 during the High-Soft and Low-Hard States II: Line Ionisation and Emission Region
• 15-GHz radio emission from nearby low-luminosity active galactic nuclei
• Constraints on relativistic beaming from estimators of the unbeamed flux
• Further Evidence for Variable Synchrotron Emission in XTE J1118+480 in Outburst
• On the different flavours of Lense-Thirring precession around accreting stellar mass black holes
• Parallel tracks in infrared versus X-ray emission in black hole X-ray transient outbursts: a hysteresis effect?
• An optically-thick disk wind in GRO J1655-40?
• Radio-loudness in black hole transients: evidence for an inclination effect
• The face-on disk of MAXI J1836-194
• Is the black hole in GX 339-4 really spinning rapidly?
• Broadband monitoring tracing the evolution of the jet and disk in the black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1659-152
• Doppler and modulation tomography of XTE J1118+480 in quiescence
• X-ray, Optical and Infrared Observations of GX 339-4 During Its 2011 Decay
• SWIFT J1910.2-0546: A possible black hole binary with a retrograde spin or truncated disk
• Discovery of a broad iron line in the black-hole candidate Swift J1753.5-0127, and the disk emission in the low/hard state revisited
• Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the black hole GX 339-4: I. A focus on the continuum in the low/hard and high/soft states
• A spectral and timing study of MAXI J1535-571, based on Swift/XRT, XMM-Newton and NICER observations obtained in fall 2017
• A low-luminosity soft state in the short period black hole X-ray binary Swift J1753.5-0127
• Multiwavelength Observations of Swift J1753.5-0127
• Characterization of the Infrared/X-ray sub-second variability for the black-hole transient GX 339-4
• A tool to separate optical/infrared disc and jet emission in X-ray transient outbursts: the colour-magnitude diagrams of XTE J1550-564
• Colours of black holes: infrared flares from the hot accretion disc in XTE J1550-564
• A late jet rebrightening revealed from multi-wavelength monitoring of the black hole candidate XTE J1752-223
• Multi-Wavelength Coverage of State Transitions in the New Black Hole X-Ray Binary Swift J1910.2-0546
• Wind, jet, hybrid corona and hard X-ray flares: multiwavelength evolution of GRO J1655-40 during the 2005 outburst rise
• No evidence for a low-mass black hole in Swift J1753.5-0127
• Lorentz factor distribution of blazars from the optical Fundamental plane of black hole activity
• On the Optical -- X-ray correlation from outburst to quiescence in Low Mass X-ray Binaries: the representative cases of V404 Cyg and Cen X-4
• Optical/near-infrared observations of the black hole candidate XTE J1720-318: from high-soft to low-hard state
• Multiwavelength observations of the black hole transient XTE J1752-223 during its 2010 outburst decay
• The Accreting Black Hole Swift J1753.5-0127 from Radio to Hard X-Ray
• Mapping Lyman Continuum escape in Tololo 1247-232
• Optical and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Black Hole Swift J1753.5-0127
• Disentangling the NIR/optical emission of the black hole XTE J1650-500 during outburst
• The Curious Case of Swift J1753.5-0127: A Black Hole Low-mass X-ray Binary Analogue to Z Cam Type Dwarf Novae
• Infrared study of H1743-322 in outburst: a radio-quiet and NIR-dim microquasar

Cited by in corpus (25)

• The black hole transient MAXI J1348-630: evolution of the compact and transient jets during its 2019/2020 outburst
• Constraints on the symmetry energy and its associated parameters from nuclei to neutron stars
• Measuring fundamental jet properties with multi-wavelength fast timing of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• Rapid compact jet quenching in the Galactic black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571
• The appearance of a compact jet in the soft-intermediate state of 4U 1543-47
• Chasing the break: Tracing the full evolution of a black hole X-ray binary jet with multi-wavelength spectral modeling
• Delimiting the black hole mass in the X-ray transient MAXI J1659-152 with H$\alpha$ spectroscopy
• Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays
• Probing jet launching in neutron star X-ray binaries: the variable and polarized jet of SAX J1808.4-3658
• Thermonuclear explosions on neutron stars reveal the speed of their jets
• On the nature of the soft gamma-ray emission in the hard state of the black hole transient GRS 1716-249
• Interface instabilities in hydrodynamic relativistic jets
• Testing jet geometries and disk-jet coupling in the neutron star LMXB 4U 0614+091 with the internal shocks model
• Seven reflares, a mini-outburst and an outburst : High amplitude optical variations in the black hole X-ray binary Swift J1910.2-0546
• A Flat-Spectrum Radio Transient at 122 Mpc consistent with an Emerging Pulsar Wind Nebula
• Eclipses of jets and discs of X-ray binaries as a powerful tool for understanding jet physics and binary parameters
• Clockwise evolution in the hardness-intensity diagram of the black hole X-ray binary Swift J1910.2-0546
• Infrared interferometry to spatially and spectrally resolve jets in X-ray binaries
• Probing the detectability of electromagnetic signatures from Galactic isolated black holes
• Fast neutron star cooling in light of the PREX-2 experiment
• Tension between implications from PREX-2 data and gravitational tidal response on dense matter equation of state
• Tracking optical variability and outflows across the accretion states of the black hole transient MAXI J1820+070
• On the infrared coincidence: what is the jet contribution to the X-ray power law in GX 339-4?
• Unveiling the biconical geometry of the outflow in the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1
• A multi-wavelength study of GRS 1716-249 in outburst : constraints on its system parameters