Disc and wind in black hole X-ray binary MAXIJ1820+070 observed through polarized light during its 2018 outburst

Abstract

We describe the first complete polarimetric dataset of the entire outburst of a low-mass black hole X-ray binary system and discuss the constraints for geometry and radiative mechanisms it imposes. During the decaying hard state, when the optical flux is dominated by the non-thermal component, the observed polarization is consistent with the interstellar values in all filters. During the soft state, the intrinsic polarization of the source is small, $\sim 0.15$ per cent in $B$ and $V$ filters, and is likely produced in the irradiated disc. A much higher polarization, reaching $\sim 0.5$ per cent in $V$ and $R$ filters, at position angle of $\sim 25^{\circ }$ observed in the rising hard state coincides in time with the detection of winds in the system. This angle coincides with the position angle of the jet. The detected optical polarization is best explained by scattering of the non-thermal (hot flow or jet base) radiation in an equatorial wind.

arXiv comment5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Accepted to MNRAS Letters

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Measuring fundamental jet properties with multi-wavelength fast timing of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• The Varying Kinematics of Multiple Ejecta from the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI J1820+070
• Black hole spin-orbit misalignment in the X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• X-ray polarization from accretion disk winds
• Accretion geometry of the black hole binary MAXI J1820+070 probed by frequency-resolved spectroscopy
• Detection of X-ray polarized emission and accretion-disk winds with IXPE and NICER in the black-hole X-ray binary 4U 1630-47
• Characterization of High-polarization Stars and Blazars with DIPOL-1 at Sierra Nevada Observatory
• Peering into the tilted heart of Cyg X-1 with high-precision optical polarimetry
• Optical polarization signatures of black hole X-ray binaries
• Properties of 2017-18 'failed' Outburst of GX 339-4
• Optical polarimetry of the accreting black hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 over the state transition and radio ejections