MeerKAT radio observations of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Cen X-4 at low accretion rates
arXiv:2207.03962 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stac2392
Abstract
Centaurus X-4 (Cen X-4) is a relatively nearby neutron star low-mass X-ray binary that showed outbursts in 1969 and 1979, but has not shown a full outburst since. Due to its proximity and sustained period of quiescence, it is a prime target to study the coupling between accretion and jet ejection in quiescent neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries. Here, we present four MeerKAT radio observations at 1.3 GHz of Cen X-4, combined with NICER and Swift X-ray monitoring. During the first and most sensitive observation, Cen X-4 was in a fully quiescent X-ray state. The three later and shorter observations targeted a brief period of faint X-ray activity in January 2021, which has been referred to as a 'mis-fired' outburst. Cen X-4 is not detected in any of the four MeerKAT observations. We place these radio non-detections on the X-ray -- radio luminosity diagram, improving the constraints on the correlation between the two luminosities from earlier quiescent radio studies. We confirm that Cen X-4 is radio fainter than the transitional milli-second pulsar PSR J1023+0038 at the same X-ray luminosity. We discuss the radio behaviour of accreting neutron stars at low X-ray luminosity more generally and finally comment on future observing campaigns.
arXiv comment12 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
References in corpus (56)
- Astropy: A Community Python Package for Astronomy
- The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package
- On the Absorption of X-rays in the Interstellar Medium
- Atomic Data for Astrophysics. II. New Analytic Fits for Photoionization Cross Sections of Atoms and Ions
- Some Aspects of Measurement Error in Linear Regression of Astronomical Data
- Towards a unified model for black hole X-ray binary jets
- Modelling the behaviour of accretion flows in X-ray binaries
- WSClean: an implementation of a fast, generic wide-field imager for radio astronomy
- An online repository of Swift/XRT light curves of GRBs
- Radio / X-ray correlation in the low/hard state of GX 339--4
- Ubiquitous equatorial accretion disc winds in black hole soft states
- Jets in neutron star X-ray binaries: a comparison with black holes
- Radiatively efficient accreting black holes in the hard state: the case study of H1743-322
- Launching of Conical Winds and Axial Jets from the Disk-Magnetosphere Boundary: Axisymmetric and 3D Simulations
- A radio-emitting outflow in the quiescent state of A0620-00: implications for modelling low-luminosity black hole binaries
- Episodic Accretion on to Strongly Magnetic Stars
- Hysteresis in the Light Curves of Soft X-ray Transients
- "Propeller" Regime of Disk Accretion to Rapidly Rotating Stars
- Black hole-like hysteresis and accretion states in neutron star low mass X-ray binaries
- The radio/X-ray domain of black hole X-ray binaries at the lowest radio luminosities
- Potential Kick Velocity distribution of black hole X-ray binaries and implications for natal kicks
- Regulation of black-hole accretion by a disk wind during a violent outburst of V404 Cygni
- RXTE observations of the first transient Z source XTE J1701-462: shedding new light on mass accretion in luminous neutron star LMXBs
- Disk-jet coupling in the 2017/2018 outburst of the Galactic black hole candidate X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571
- The MAVERIC Survey: Still No Evidence for Accreting Intermediate-mass Black Holes in Globular Clusters
- Strong disc winds traced throughout outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries
- Hard state neutron star and black hole X-ray binaries in the radio:X-ray luminosity plane
- Radio imaging observations of PSR J1023+0038 in an LMXB state
- Disc-jet coupling in an atoll-type neutron star X-ray binary: 4U 1728-34 (GX 354-0)
- Radio detections of the neutron star X-ray binaries 4U 1820-30 and Ser X-1 in soft X-ray states
- Evolution of the radio - X-ray coupling throughout an entire outburst of Aquila X-1
- Stable accretion from a cold disc in highly magnetized neutron stars
- Propeller outflows from an MRI disc
- Disk-jet coupling in low-luminosity accreting neutron stars
- Insight-HXMT discovery of the highest energy CRSF from the first Galactic ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124
- The 2015 Decay of the Black Hole X-ray Binary V404 Cygni: Robust Disk-Jet Coupling and a Sharp Transition into Quiescence
- Simultaneous Chandra and VLA Observations of the Transitional Millisecond Pulsar PSR J1023+0038: Anti-correlated X-ray and Radio Variability
- A new radio census of neutron star X-ray binaries
- A Hard X-Ray Power-Law Spectral Cutoff in Centaurus X-4
- Near-infrared emission lines trace the state-independent accretion disc wind of the black hole transient MAXI J1820+070
- Optical precursors to X-ray binary outbursts
- A persistent ultraviolet outflow from an accreting neutron star binary transient
- Daily, multiwavelength Swift monitoring of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Cen X-4: evidence for accretion and reprocessing during quiescence
- On the nature of the "radio quiet" black hole binaries
- Jet quenching in the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9342058
- Multiwavelength observations of the black hole X-ray binary A0620-00 in quiescence
- The radio-bright accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J17591-2342
- The hybrid radio/X-ray correlation of the black hole transient MAXI J1348-630
- Quasi-simultaneous radio and X-ray observations of Aql X-1: probing low luminosities
- A re-establishing jet during an X-ray re-brightening of the Be/X-ray binary Swift J0243.6+6124
- The Flare-Dominated Accretion Mode of a Radio-Bright Candidate Transitional Millisecond Pulsar
- The MAVERIC Survey: Variable Jet-Accretion Coupling in Luminous Accreting Neutron Stars in Galactic Globular Clusters
- The MAVERIC Survey: Simultaneous Chandra and VLA observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate NGC 6652B
- Simultaneous X-ray and radio observations of the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate CXOU J110926.4-650224. The discovery of a variable radio counterpart
- A misfired outburst in the neutron star X-ray binary Centaurus X-4
- Quasi-Simultaneous Radio/X-ray Observations of the Candidate Transitional Millisecond Pulsar 3FGL J1544.6-1125 During its Low-Luminosity Accretion-Disc State