Coupling between the accreting corona and the relativistic jet in the micro quasar GRS 1915+105

Abstract

GRS 1915+105 was the first stellar-mass black-hole in our Galaxy to display a superluminal radio jet, similar to those observed in active galactic nuclei with a supermassive black hole at the centre. It has been proposed that the radio emission in GRS 1915+105 is fed by instabilities in the accretion disc by which the inner parts of the accretion flow is ejected in the jet. Here we show that there is a significant correlation between: (i) the radio flux, coming from the jet, and the flux of the iron emission line, coming from the disc and, (ii) the temperature of the corona that produces the high-energy part of the X-ray spectrum via inverse Compton scattering and the amplitude of a high-frequency variability component coming from the innermost part of the accretion flow. At the same time, the radio flux and the flux of the iron line are strongly anti-correlated with the temperature of the X-ray corona and the amplitude of the high-frequency variability component. These correlations persist over ~10 years, despite the highly variable X-ray and radio properties of the source in that period. Our findings provide, for the first time, incontrovertible evidence that the energy that powers this black-hole system can be directed either to the X-ray corona or the jet. When this energy is used to power the corona, raising its temperature, there is less energy left to fuel the jet and the radio flux drops, and vice versa. These facts, plus the modelling of the variability in this source show conclusively that in GRS 1915+105 the X-ray corona morphs into the jet.

54 pages, 10 figures, To appear in Nature Astronomy. Notice that this is the original submission (very first submission on May 18, 2020!); due to embargo conditions we cannot post the final, accepted, version until 6 months after publication. Final version available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01617-y (please, contact the corresponding author for any further clarification)

References in corpus (11)

• The role of the reflection fraction in constraining black hole spin
• The corona contracts in a black-hole transient
• A Parallax Distance to the Microquasar GRS 1915+105 and a Revised Estimate of its Black Hole Mass
• Geometrical constraints on the origin of timing signals from black holes
• Inclination dependence of QPO phase lags in black hole X-ray binaries
• The Comptonising medium of the neutron star in 4U 1636-53 through its lower kilohertz Quasi-Periodic Oscillations
• Disk, Corona, Jet Connection in the Intermediate State of MAXI J1820+070 Revealed by NICER Spectral-Timing Analysis
• A variable corona for GRS 1915+105
• Studying the X-ray hysteresis in GX 339-4: the disc and iron line over one decade
• A quantitative explanation of the type-B QPOs in GX 339-4
• Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays

Cited by in corpus (24)

• vKompth: A variable Comptonisation model for low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in black-hole X-ray binaries
• The evolving properties of the corona of GRS 1915+105: A spectral-timing perspective through variable-Comptonisation modelling
• The comptonizing medium of the black-hole X-ray binary MAXI~J1535$-$571 through type-C quasi-periodic oscillations
• A variable corona during the transition from type-C to type-B quasi-periodic oscillations in the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• A NICER look at the jet-like corona of MAXI J1535-571 through type-B quasi-periodic oscillations
• A Phase-resolved View of the Low-frequency Quasiperiodic Oscillations from the Black Hole Binary MAXI J1820+070
• Bulk Motions in the Black Hole Jet Sheath as a Candidate for the Comptonizing Corona
• Fast transitions of X-ray variability in the black hole transient GX 339--4: comparison with MAXI J1820+070 and MAXI J1348-630
• The accretion/ejection link in the neutron star X-ray binary 4U 1820-30 I: A boundary layer-jet coupling?
• Wavelet analysis of the transient QPOs in MAXI J1535$-$571 with Insight-HXMT
• Time-dependent visibility modelling of a relativistic jet in the X-ray binary MAXI J1803-298
• The evolution of the high-frequency variability in the black hole candidate GRS 1915+105 as seen by RXTE
• A broadband spectral-timing study of QPOs in the bright black hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8-1613
• Truncated accretion discs in black hole X-ray binaries: dynamics and variability signatures
• A possible overall scenario for the outburst evolution of MAXI J1820+070 revealed by Insight-HXMT
• An Insight-HXMT view of the mHz quasi-regular modulation phenomenon in the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630-47
• High energy Millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations in 1A 0535+262 with Insight-HXMT challenge current models
• Timing analysis of the black-hole candidate Swift J1727.8-1613: detection of a dip-like feature in the high-energy cross spectrum
• Evolution of the Comptonizing medium of the black-hole candidate Swift J1727.8$-$1613 along the hard to hard-intermediate state transition using NICER
• Evolution of the Accretion Disk and Corona During the Outburst of the Neutron Star Transient MAXI J1807+132
• The role of outflows in black-hole X-ray binaries
• Discovery of a new flaring class in GRS 1915+105 using AstroSat
• On the infrared coincidence: what is the jet contribution to the X-ray power law in GX 339-4?
• The X-ray coronae in NuSTAR bright active galactic nuclei