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

Abstract

We analyze a Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) observation of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 during a transition from type-C to type-B quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). We find that below ~2 keV, for the type-B QPOs the rms amplitude is lower and the magnitude of the phase lags is larger than for the type-C QPOs. Above that energy, the rms and phase-lag spectra of the type-B and type-C QPOs are consistent with being the same. We perform a joint fit of the time-averaged spectra of the source, and the rms and phase-lag spectra of the QPOs with the time-dependent Comptonization model vkompth to study the geometry of the corona during the transition. We find that the data can be well-fitted with a model consisting of a small and a large corona that are physically connected. The sizes of the small and large coronae increase gradually during the type-C QPO phase whereas they decrease abruptly at the transition to type-B QPO. At the same time, the inner radius of the disc moves inward at the QPO transition. Combined with simultaneous radio observations showing that discrete jet ejections happen around the time of the QPO transition, we propose that a corona that expands horizontally during the type-C QPO phase, from ~10^{4} km (~800 Rg) to ~10^{5} km (~8000 Rg) overlying the accretion disc, transforms into a vertical jet-like corona extending over ~10^{4} km (~800 Rg) during the type-B QPO phase.

22 pages, 16 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (62)

• Modelling the behaviour of accretion flows in X-ray binaries
• The All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) Light Curve Server v1.0
• X-ray reverberation around accreting black holes
• The role of the reflection fraction in constraining black hole spin
• Cygnus X-1 contains a 21-solar mass black hole -- implications for massive star winds
• The corona contracts in a black-hole transient
• A Long, Hard Look at the Low-Hard State in Accreting Black Holes
• A quasi-periodic modulation of the iron line centroid energy in the black hole binary H 1743-322
• Geometrical constraints on the origin of timing signals from black holes
• Polarized x-rays constrain the disk-jet geometry in the black hole x-ray binary Cygnus X-1
• X-ray irradiation in XTE J1817-330 and the inner radius of the truncated disc in the hard state
• An extremely powerful long-lived superluminal ejection from the black hole MAXI J1820+070
• A radio parallax to the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• Discovery of oscillations above 200 keV in a black hole X-ray binary with Insight-HXMT
• Inclination dependence of QPO phase lags in black hole X-ray binaries
• A public relativistic transfer function model for X-ray reverberation mapping of accreting black holes
• The binary mass ratio in the black hole transient MAXI J1820+070
• 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
• Coupling between the accreting corona and the relativistic jet in the micro quasar GRS 1915+105
• Spectral and Fourier analyses of X-ray QPO in accreting black holes
• vKompth: A variable Comptonisation model for low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in black-hole X-ray binaries
• Insight-HXMT observations of jet-like corona in a black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• A two-component Comptonisation model for the type-B QPO in MAXI J1348-630
• High Density Reflection Spectroscopy I. A case study of GX~339-4
• Reflection Spectra of the Black Hole Binary Candidate MAXI J1535-571 in the Hard State Observed by NuSTAR
• X-ray and Optical Monitoring of State Transitions in MAXI J1820+070
• Self-Consistent Black Hole Accretion Spectral Models and the Forgotten Role of Coronal Comptonization of Reflection Emission
• Accretion Geometry in the Hard State of the Black-Hole X-Ray Binary MAXI J1820+070
• The Soft State of the Black Hole Transient Source MAXI J1820+070: Emission from the Edge of the Plunge Region?
• Relativistic X-ray jets from the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070
• Time lags of the type-B QPO in MAXI J1348-630
• The Varying Kinematics of Multiple Ejecta from the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI J1820+070
• A transient low-frequency QPO from the black hole binary GRS 1915+105
• Energy Dependent Time Delays of kHz Oscillations due to Thermal Comptonization
• A variable corona for GRS 1915+105
• Phase-resolved spectroscopy of a quasi-periodic oscillation in the black hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105 with NICER and NuSTAR
• The evolution of the corona in MAXI J1535-571 through type-C quasi-periodic oscillations with Insight-HXMT
• The evolving properties of the corona of GRS 1915+105: A spectral-timing perspective through variable-Comptonisation modelling
• X-ray dips and a complex UV/X-ray cross-correlation function in the black hole candidate MAXI J1820+070
• The Evolution of the Phase Lags Associated with the Type-C Quasi-periodic Oscillation in GX 339--4 during the 2006/2007 Outburst
• A NICER look at the state transitions of the black hole candidate MAXI J1535-571 during its reflares
• The comptonizing medium of the black-hole X-ray binary MAXI~J1535$-$571 through type-C quasi-periodic oscillations
• Dual-Corona Comptonization model for the Type-B Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in GX 339-4
• The evolution of the broadband temporal features observed in the black-hole transient MAXI J1820+070 with Insight-HXMT
• A study of natural frequencies in a dynamic corona-disk system
• Variability and phase lags of the type-C quasi-periodic oscillation of MAXI J1348-630 with NICER
• A quantitative explanation of the type-B QPOs in GX 339-4
• NuSTAR monitoring of MAXI J1348-630: evidence of high density disc reflection
• Transitions and Origin of the Type-B Quasi-Periodic Oscillation in the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI~ J1348--630
• A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for black hole X-ray binaries. V. Low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations
• A systematic study of the phase difference between QPO harmonics in black hole X-ray binaries
• The hard to soft transition of GX 339-4 as seen by Insight-HXMT
• A NICER look at the jet-like corona of MAXI J1535-571 through type-B quasi-periodic oscillations
• The Evolution of Rapid Optical/X-ray Timing Correlations in the Initial Hard State of MAXI J1820+070
• Investigating the impact of vertically extended coronae on X-ray reverberation mapping
• Illumination of the accretion disk in black hole binaries: An extended jet as the primary source of hard X-rays
• Multiwavelength observations of MAXI J1820+070 during its outburst decay and subsequent mini-outburst
• Rapidly alternating flux states of GX 339-4 during its 2021 outburst captured by Insight-HXMT
• An Electron-Scattering Time Delay in Black Hole Accretion Disks
• Broadband Spectral properties of MAXI J1348--630 using AstroSat Observations
• Multiwavelength Observations of the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI J1820$+$070 in the Rebrightening Phase

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Chasing the break: Tracing the full evolution of a black hole X-ray binary jet with multi-wavelength spectral modeling
• A hidden quasi-periodic oscillation in Cygnus X-1 revealed by NICER
• The nature of an imaginary quasi-periodic oscillation in the soft-to-hard transition of MAXI J1820+070
• Evolution of the Comptonizing medium of the black-hole candidate Swift J1727.8$-$1613 along the hard to hard-intermediate state transition using NICER
• Spectro-temporal Investigation of Quasi-periodic Oscillations From Black Hole X-ray Binary 4U 1630-472 Using $\text{NICER}$
• The Accretion-Ejection Connection in the Black Hole X-ray Binary MAXI J1820$+$070
• Detection of a Type-C QPO during the soft-to-hard transition in Swift J1727.8-1613
• Black-hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 shows simultaneous Type-B and Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations across the hard-intermediate and soft-intermediate states
• Variable QPO lags and reduced coherence between the disc and corona in MAXI J1820+070
• Accretion Geometry of Black Hole X-ray Binaries: Insights from X-ray Observations