Dual Nature of Hard X-Ray Outbursts from the Superluminal X-Ray Transient Source GRO J1655-40

Abstract

We report the results of multiwavelength observations of the superluminal X-ray transient GRO J1655-40 during and following the prominent hard X-ray outburst of March-April 1995. GRO J1655-40 was continuously monitored by BATSE on board CGRO, and repeatedly observed in the radio and optical bands from the ground. About a month after the onset of the hard X-ray outburst, GRO J1655-40 was observed twice by HST on April 25 and 27 1995, with the aim of detecting faint optical emission from ejected plasmoids. Despite the similarity of the hard X-ray emission in April 1995 with previous events in 1994, no radio or optical emission related to plasmoids was detected. We conclude that GRO J1655-40 is subject to a complex behavior showing: radio-loud hard X-ray outbursts with strong radio emission (of flux $f_r \goe 100$~mJy) both from a `core' source and from propagating plasmoids (as those in 1994), and radio-quiet hard X-ray outbursts with no detectable radio emission and plasmoid activity ($f_r \loe 0.5$~mJy) (as those in 1995). Our results can constrain models of particle acceleration and radiation of relativistic plasmoids.

11 pages, one figure included as postscript file. One additional figure available on request from [email protected], to appear in Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (1)

• First Results from the All-Sky Monitor on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer

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