Isolating the jet in broadband spectra of XBs

Dave Russell

niversity of Amsterdam

In collaboration with:

Fraser Lewis, Dipankar Maitra, Robert Dunn, Sera Markoff, James Miller-Jones,

Kieran O’Brien, Piergiorgio Casella, Peter Jonker, Jeroen Homan,Manuel Linares, Rob Fender, Elena Gallo, Valeriu Tudose

12th October 2010

Radio emission: is synchrotron in nature unambiguously originates in collimated outflows (2 types

of jet)

Radio X-ray?

The spectrum of a steady, hard state jet (to zeroth order):

F

6.0~F

Turnover

log

log

Optically thick Optically thin

X-ray Binary Jets

• The jets are radiatively inefficient, and the power carried in the jets is uncertain and highly dependent on the position of the turnover/break(s)• Does the turnover change with luminosity; how does the jet spectrum evolve during transitions?

Black hole XB: GRO J1655-40

Tingay et al. 1995

Neutron star XB: Sco X-1

Fomalont et al. 2001

• The turnover also helps constrain the synchrotron contribution to X-ray

Optical outburst light curves and spectra similar to dwarf novae disc

Can we see the jet at higher energies?

Actually, the X-ray heated disc tends to dominate over the viscous disc (reprocessing)

Kuulkers 1998Hynes et al. 2002 (XTE J1859+226)

Courtesy of Kieran O'Brien

Well…

In the last decade evidence shows that: the jet is sometimes visible in optical and NIR

But wait…

Mirabel et al. (1998) showed NIR flares from GRS 1915+105 (found by Fender et al. 1997) originate in the jets

In the last decade evidence shows that: the jet is sometimes visible in optical and NIR the turnover in the jet spectrum probably lies somewhere in the IR

But wait…

Homan et al. (2005) showed NIR emission from GX 339-4 has negative spectral index in the hard state, and is quenched in the soft state

Corbel & Fender 2002

Data from Homan et al. 2005, Jain et al. 2001, Buxton & Bailyn 2004

> 90% of flux is from thejet in the brightesthard state

Multi-wavelength monitoring of GX 339-4

F. Lewis et al. in prep, F. Lewis PhD thesis

Time resolutiontypically ~100 sec

Multi-wavelength monitoring of GX 339-4

High amplitude variability on short timescales: monitoring the flickeringSee also P. Casella’s talk, next!

Infrared SEDs from the VLT:We can infer the average SED by

taking lots of data over long timescales“its like taking a simultaneous 2-month long exposure”

So where is the jet break?• Not clear in GX 339-4 SEDs

• Hynes et al. 2006 had simultaneous NIR J,H,K observations of XTE J1118+480

• They found the NIR to be consistent with optically thin synchrotron

So where is the jet break?• Not clear in GX 339-4 SEDs

• Hynes et al. 2006 had simultaneous NIR J,H,K observations of XTE J1118+480

• They found the NIR to be consistent with optically thin synchrotron

• Jet break must reside in the mid-IR

• Very few mid-IR data of LMXBs in outburst exist in the literature

See also Migliari et al. 2006, 2007, 2010: Spitzer 4 – 24 micron detections of the BH GRO J1655-40 and the NS 4U 0614+091

• Our team have approved time on the VLT with VISIR – the first data came in this summer8 – 12 micron imaging

10-micron detections van Paradijs et al. 1994 50 mJy! Probably jet?

The jet is not there

Russell et al. in prep.Data of GX 339-4 during a state transition, type B QPO seen (P. Casella) – soft intermediate state

Some of the first mid-IR data of outbursting LMXBs

VLT VISIR

Data of XTE J1752-223 during the hard state decline of its 2009 – 2010 outburst

(EVLA radio data courtesy of J. Miller-Jones, P. Jonker, ATel #2278, NIR also from ATel #2268)

Some of the first mid-IR data of outbursting LMXBs

What about neutron stars?

Migliari et al. 2010 identify the jet break in 4U 0614+091:In the mid-IR: between 8 and 24 microns

What about neutron stars?

Optical, NIR, UV and X-ray monitoring of the 2008 double-peaked outburst of IGR J00291+5934

Lewis, Russell, Jonker, Linares, et al. 2010, A&A, 517, A72

What about neutron stars?

Optical, NIR, UV and X-ray monitoring of the 2008 double-peaked outburst of IGR J00291+5934

Lewis, Russell, Jonker, Linares, et al. 2010, A&A, 517, A72

Jet b

reak a

round th

e H

-band? (1

.6 m

icrons)

Optical & infrared data published in Jain et al. 2001; radio in Corbel et al. 2001

X-ray analysis as in Dunn et al. 2010

Introducing the 2000 outburst of XTE J1550-564

Well monitored in X-ray, optical and near-infrared (NIR)

We can separate disc and jet emission

Assumes continuation of the exponential decay of disc flux

Jet has optically thin spectrum

Russell, Maccarone, Körding & Homan 2007

Could it be a synchrotron jet dominating X-ray?

NIR jet flux is proportional to X-ray flux

Variability info:Kalemci et al. 2001,

Kalemci’s talk at IAUSymposium, Buenos

Aires 2010

Russell, Maitra, Dunn & Markoff 2010, MNRAS, 405, 1759

α (NIR optical) ~ -0.7α (optical X-ray) = -0.7α (X-ray power law) = -0.7 (photon index = 1.7)α (X-ray power law before) = -0.6

A single power lawdecreasing in fluxby a factor of ten

Markoff, Falcke & Fender 2001 XTE J1118+480

Fender, Gallo & Jonker 2003:

Energetics are jet dominated at low luminosities in the hard stateA

possib

le r

evis

ed

pic

ture

fo

r B

H o

utb

urs

ts

Jet could dominate X-ray flux in the hard state between

Dunn et al. 2010:

60% of BH outbursts show this softening on the hard state decay

Is the jet the reason for the softening?

Multi-wavelength monitoring of GX 339-4

Extinction plays a massive role in optical-UV SEDsF. Lewis et al. in prep, F. Lewis PhD thesis