No Arabic abstract
The microquasar MAXI J(1820+070) went into outburst from mid-March until mid-July 2018 with several faint rebrightenings afterwards. With a peak flux of approximately 4 Crab in the (20-50) keV, energy range the source was monitored across the electromagnetic spectrum with detections from radio to hard X-ray frequencies. Using these multi-wavelength observations, we analyzed quasi-simultaneous observations from 12 April, near the peak of the outburst ((sim 23) March). Spectral analysis of the hard X-rays found a (kT_e sim 30 ) keV and ( tau sim 2) with a texttt{CompTT} model, indicative of an accreting black hole binary in the hard state. The flat/inverted radio spectrum and the accretion disk winds seen at optical wavelengths are also consistent with the hard state. Then we constructed a spectral energy distribution spanning (sim 12) orders of magnitude using modelling in texttt{JetSeT}. The model is composed of an irradiated disk with a Compton hump and a leptonic jet with an acceleration region and a synchrotron-dominated cooling region. texttt{JetSeT} finds the spectrum is dominated by jet emission up to approximately (10^{14}) Hz after which disk and coronal emission dominate. The acceleration region has a magnetic field of ( B sim 1.6 times 10^4 ) G, a cross section of (R sim 2.8 times 10^{9} ) cm, and a flat radio spectral shape naturally obtained from the synchroton cooling of the accelerated electrons. The jet luminosity of (> 8 times 10^{37} ) erg/s ((> 0.15L_{Edd})) compared to an accretion luminosity of ( sim 6 times 10^{37}) erg/s, assuming a distance of 3 kpc. Because these two values are comparable, it is possible the jet is powered predominately via accretion with only a small contribution needed from the Blanford-Znajek mechanism from the reportedly slowly spinning black hole.
The black-hole X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 (=ASSASN-18ey) discovered in March 2018 was one of the optically brightest ever seen, which has resulted in very detailed optical outburst light-curves being obtained. We combine them here with X-ray and radio light-curves to show the major geometric changes the source undergoes. We present a detailed temporal analysis which reveals the presence of remarkably high amplitude (>0.5 mag) modulations, which evolve from the superhump (16.87 h) period towards the presumed orbital (16.45 h) period. These modulations appear ~87d after the outburst began, and follow the Swift/BAT hard X-ray light-curve, which peaks 4 days before the radio flare and jet ejection, when the source undergoes a rapid hard to soft state transition. The optical modulation then moves closer to the orbital period, with a light curve peak that drifts slowly in orbital phase from ~0.8 to ~0.3 during the soft state. We propose that the unprecedentedly large amplitude modulation requires a warp in the disc in order to provide a large enough radiating area, and for the warp to be irradiation-driven. Its sudden turn-on implies a change in the inner disc geometry which raises the hard X-ray emitting component to a height where it can illuminate the warped outer disc regions.
[Abridged] Context: We present a systematic X-ray spectral-timing study of the recently discovered, exceptionally bright black hole X-ray binary system MAXI J1820+070. Our analysis focuses on the first part of the 2018 outburst, covering the rise throughout the hard state, the bright hard and hard-intermediate states, and the transition to the soft-intermediate state. Aims: We address the issue of constraining the geometry of the innermost accretion flow and its evolution throughout an outburst. Methods: We employed two independent X-ray spectral-timing methods applied to the NICER data of MAXI J1820+070. We first identified and tracked the evolution of a characteristic frequency of soft X-ray reverberation lags. Then, we studied the spectral evolution of the quasi-thermal component responsible for the observed thermal reverberation lags. Results: The frequency of thermal reverberation lags steadily increases throughout most of the outburst, implying that the relative distance between the X-ray source and the disc decreases as the source softens. However, near transition this evolution breaks, showing a sudden increase (decrease) of lag amplitude (frequency). The temperature of the quasi-thermal component in covariance spectra consistently increases throughout all the analysed observations. Conclusions: The behaviour of thermal reverberation lags near transition might be related to the relativistic plasma ejections detected at radio wavelengths, suggesting a causal connection between the two phenomena. Throughout most of the hard and hard-intermediate states the disc is consistent with being truncated (with an inner radius $R_{rm in}>sim 10 R_{rm g}$), reaching close to the innermost stable circular orbit only near transition.
We present time-resolved 10.4-m GTC and 4.2-m WHT intermediate resolution spectroscopy of the X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 (=ASASSN-18ey) obtained during its decline to the quiescent state. Cross-correlation of the 21 individual spectra against late-type templates reveals a sinusoidal velocity modulation with a period of 0.68549 +/- 0.00001 d and semi-amplitude of 417.7 +/- 3.9 km/s. We derive a mass function f(M) = 5.18 +/- 0.15 Msun, dynamically confirming the black hole nature of the compact object. Our analysis of the stellar absorption features supports a K3-5 spectral classification for the donor star, which contributes 20% of the total flux at 5200-6800 Angs. The photometric 0.703 +/- 0.003 d periodicity observed during outburst is 2.6% longer than the orbital period supporting the presence of a superhump modulation in the outburst lightcurves. In line with this interpretation, we constrain the binary mass ratio to be q=0.12. In addition, we observe a sharp increase in the Halpha emission line equivalent width during inferior conjunction of the donor star that we interpret as a grazing eclipse of the accretion disc and allows us to constrain the binary inclination to > 69 deg. On the other hand, the absence of X-ray eclipses during outburst imply i < 77 deg. These inclination limits, together with our dynamical solution, lead to a black hole mass in the range 7-8 Msun. We also measure a systemic velocity = -21.6 +/- 2.3 km/s which, combined with the Gaia DR2 proper motion and parallax, implies a large peculiar velocity of 100 km/s.
We report on the Insight-HXMT observations of the new black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 during its 2018 outburst. Detailed spectral analysis via the continuum fitting method shows an evolution of the inferred spin during its high soft sate. Moreover, the hardness ratio, the non-thermal luminosity and the reflection fraction also undergo an evolution, exactly coincident to the period when the inferred spin transition takes place. The unphysical evolution of the spin is attributed to the evolution of the inner disc, which is caused by the collapse of a hot corona due to condensation mechanism or may be related to the deceleration of a jet-like corona. The studies of the inner disc radius and the relation between the disc luminosity and the inner disc radius suggest that, only at a particular epoch, did the inner edge of the disc reach the innermost stable circular orbit and the spin measurement is reliable. We then constrain the spin of MAXI J1820+070 to be a*=0.2^{+0.2}_{-0.3}. Such a slowly spinning black hole possessing a strong jet suggests that its jet activity is driven mainly by the accretion disc rather than by the black hole spin.
Using the Very Long Baseline Array and the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network we have made a precise measurement of the radio parallax of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI,J1820+070, providing a model-independent distance to the source. Our parallax measurement of ($0.348pm0.033$) mas for MAXI J1820+070 translates to a distance of ($2.96pm0.33$) kpc. This distance implies that the source reached ($15pm3)%$ of the Eddington luminosity at the peak of its outburst. Further, we use this distance to refine previous estimates of the jet inclination angle, jet velocity and the mass of the black hole in MAXI J1820+070 to be ($63pm3)^{circ}$, ($0.89pm0.09)c$ and ($9.2pm1.3) M_{odot}$, respectively.