Dual-Corona Comptonization model for the Type-B Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in GX 339-4

Abstract

Characterising the fast variability in black-hole low-mass X-ray binaries (BHXBs) can help us understand the geometrical and physical nature of the innermost regions of these sources. Particularly, type-B quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), observed in BHXBs during the soft-intermediate state (SIMS) of an outburst, are believed to be connected to the ejection of a relativistic jet. The X-ray spectrum of a source in the SIMS is characterised by a dominant soft blackbody-like component - associated with the accretion disc - and a hard component - associated with a Comptonizing region or corona. Strong type-B QPOs were observed by NICER and AstroSat in GX 339$-$4 during its 2021 outburst. We find that the fractional rms spectrum of the QPO remains constant at $\sim$1 per cent for energies below $\sim$1.8 keV and then increases with increasing energy up to $\sim$17 per cent at 20$-$30 keV. We also find that the lag spectrum is "U-shaped", decreasing from $\sim$1.2 rad at 0.7 keV to 0 rad at $\sim$3.5 keV, and increasing again at higher energies up to $\sim$0.6 rad at 20$-$30 keV. Using a recently developed time-dependent Comptonization model, we fit simultaneously the fractional rms and lag spectra of the QPO and the time-averaged energy spectrum of GX 339$-$4 to constrain the physical parameters of the region responsible for the variability we observe. We suggest that the radiative properties of the type-B QPOs observed in GX 339$-$4 can be explained by two physically-connected Comptonizing regions that interact with the accretion disc via a feedback loop of X-ray photons.

13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Cited by in corpus (13)

• 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
• The hard to soft transition of GX 339-4 as seen by Insight-HXMT
• Chasing the break: Tracing the full evolution of a black hole X-ray binary jet with multi-wavelength spectral modeling
• Investigating the impact of vertically extended coronae on X-ray reverberation mapping
• Fast transitions of X-ray variability in the black hole transient GX 339--4: comparison with MAXI J1820+070 and MAXI J1348-630
• Timing Analysis of a New Black Hole Candidate MAXI J1803-298 with Insight-HXMT and NICER
• The X-ray corona in the black-hole binary GRO J1655--40 from the properties of non-harmonically related quasi-periodic oscillations
• A journey from the hard to the soft state: How do QPOs evolve in the 2021 outburst of GX 339-4?
• Evolution of QPOs in GX 339-4 and EXO 1846-031 with Insight-HXMT and NICER
• Searching for quantum-gravity footprint around stellar-mass black holes
• Black-hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 shows simultaneous Type-B and Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations across the hard-intermediate and soft-intermediate states
• Broad-band noises in GX 339-4 during the 2021 outburst observed with Insight-HXMT and NICER
• Accretion Geometry of Black Hole X-ray Binaries: Insights from X-ray Observations