Magnetic floods: a scenario for the variability of the microquasar GRS 1915+105

Abstract

We present a scenario for the variability of the microquasar GRS 1915+105. This starts from previous works, leading to the tentative identification of the Accretion-Ejection Instability as the source of the low-frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillation of microquasars and other accreting sources. We follow the physics of this instability: its conditions (the magnetic field and geometry adapted to MHD jet models), its instability criterion, and its consequences (cooling down of the disk, heating and excitation of the corona). Comparing them to the observed properties of the source, in particular the detailed properties of its spectral states, we first derive a model for the $\sim$ 30 minutes cycles often exhibited by GRS 1915+105. In our model this is a limit cycle determined by the advection of poloidal magnetic flux to the inner region of the disk, and its destruction by reconnection (leading to relativistic ejections) with the magnetic flux trapped in the vicinity of the central source. We show how it leads to natural explanations for observed behaviors of GRS 1915+105, including the three basic states of Belloni et al (2000). We then discuss how this could be extrapolated further to understand the longer-term variability of this and other microquasars.

arXiv comment11 pages, 5 color figures (3 color, quality lowered), accepted for publication in ApJ. Full quality paper (ps) available at http://isdc.unige.ch/~rodrigue/FTP/Flood_Tagger.ps

References in corpus (19)

• Correlations in Quasi-Periodic Oscillation and Noise Frequencies Among Neutron-Star and Black-Hole X-ray Binaries
• A unified model for the spectral variability in GRS 1915+105
• Evidence for a Disk-Jet Interaction in the Microquasar GRS 1915+105
• Correlations between Low-Frequency QPOs and Spectral Parameters in XTE J1550-564 and GRO J1655-40
• Rapid infrared flares in GRS 1915+105 : evidence for infrared synchrotron emission
• Variable-Frequency QPOs from the Galactic Microquasar GRS 1915+105
• The Disk-Jet Connection in Microquasars and AGN
• Beyond the standard accretion disc model: coupled magnetic disc--corona solutions with a physically motivated viscosity law
• Infrared synchrotron oscillations in GRS 1915+105
• Accretion-ejection instability and QPO in black hole binaries. I. Observations
• Energy and time-lag spectra of black-hole systems in the low state
• Accretion-ejection instability in magnetized disks: Feeding the corona with Alfven waves
• The X-ray Properties of Low-Frequency Quasi-Periodic Oscillations from GRS 1915+105 up to 120 keV
• Accretion-ejection instability and QPO in black-hole binaries.II. Relativistic effects
• Energy Dependence of a Low Frequency QPO in GRS 1915+105
• Numerical simulations of the Accretion-Ejection Instability in magnetised accretion disks
• The 590 days long term periodicity of the microquasar GRS 1915+105
• Identification of a 12-17 day timescale in X-ray observations of GRS 1915+105
• Accretion-Ejection Instability and a "Magnetic Flood" scenario for GRS 1915+105

Cited by in corpus (37)

• Towards a unified model for black hole X-ray binary jets
• A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• The faint "heartbeats" of IGR J17091-3624: an exceptional black-hole candidate
• The Physics of the 'Heartbeat' State of GRS 1915+105
• Advection of Magnetic Fields in Accretion Disks: Not So Difficult After All
• Accretion-Ejection Instability, MHD Rossby Wave Instability, diskoseismology, and the high-frequency QPO of microquasars
• Characterizing a new class of variability in GRS 1915+105 with simultaneous INTEGRAL/RXTE observations
• Two Years of INTEGRAL monitoring of GRS 1915+105 Part 2: X-Ray Spectro-Temporal Analysis
• The role of magnetic reconnection on jet/accretion disk systems
• Discovery of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in the black-hole candidate IGR J17091-3624
• Spectral Properties of Low Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in GRS 1915+105
• The role of fast magnetic reconnection on the radio and gamma-ray emission from the nuclear regions of microquasars and low luminosity AGNs
• The role of the disk magnetization on the hysteresis behavior of X-ray binaries
• Two years of INTEGRAL monitoring of GRS 1915+105 Part 1: multiwavelength coverage with INTEGRAL, RXTE, and the Ryle radio Telescope
• A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for black hole X-ray binaries. III. Spectral signatures of hybrid disk configurations
• An X-ray Timing Study of XTE J1550--564: Evolution of the Low Frequency QPO for the Complete 2000 Outburst
• Periodic structure in the Mpc-scale jet of PKS 0637-752
• A possible interpretation for the apparent differences in LFQPO types in microquasars
• On the role of the magnetic field on jet emission in X-ray binaries
• From Multiwavelength to Mass Scaling: Accretion and Ejection in Microquasars and AGN
• Accretion Disc Wind Variability in the States of the Microquasar GRS 1915+105
• Magnetic inversion as a mechanism for the spectral transition of black hole binaries
• A unified model for black hole X-ray binary jets ?
• Anti-correlated hard X-ray time lag in GRS 1915+105: evidence for a truncated accretion disc
• Characterizing the radio--X-ray connection in GRS 1915+105
• A microquasar classification from a disk instability perspective
• Recurrent bursts via linear processes in turbulent environments
• Observations of Rapid Disk-Jet Interaction in the Microquasar GRS 1915+105
• Is the plateau state in GRS 1915+105 equivalent to canonical hard states?
• Impact of inclination on quasi-periodic oscillations from spiral structures
• QPO Frequency - Color Radius Connection in GRS 1915+105: a Possible Turnover supporting AEI predictions
• X-ray Spectral Analysis of the Steady States of GRS 1915+105
• AstroSat Observation of Non-Resonant Type-C QPOs in MAXI J1535-571
• The Physics of Disk Winds, Jets,and X-ray Variability in GRS 1915+105
• Jet launching and field advection in quasi-Keplerian discs
• A kinetic model of jet-corona coupling in accreting black holes
• GRMHD Simulations of Magnetized Accretion Disk/Jet: Variabilities of Black Holes and Spectral Energy Distributions in Magnetic States