INVESTIGATING SLIM DISK SOLUTIONS FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49

Godet, O; Plazolles, B; Barret, D; Webb, N; Kawaguchi, T; Lasota, J -P; Farrell, S A; Braito, V; Servillat, M; Gehrels, N

doi:10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/34

Title: INVESTIGATING SLIM DISK SOLUTIONS FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49

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Abstract

The hyperluminous X-ray source HLX-1 in the galaxy ESO 243-49, currently the best intermediate-mass black hole (BH) candidate, displays spectral transitions similar to those observed in Galactic BH binaries, but with a luminosity 100-1000 times higher. We investigated the X-ray properties of this unique source by fitting multi-epoch data collected by Swift, XMM-Newton, and Chandra with a disk model computing spectra for a wide range of sub- and super-Eddington accretion rates assuming a non-spinning BH and a face-on disk (i = 0 Degree-Sign ). Under these assumptions we find that the BH in HLX-1 is in the intermediate-mass range ({approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} M{sub Sun }) and the accretion flow is in the sub-Eddington regime. The disk radiation efficiency is {eta} = 0.11 {+-} 0.03. We also show that the source does follow the L{sub X} {proportional_to} T{sup 4} relation for our mass estimate. At the outburst peaks, the source radiates near the Eddington limit. The accretion rate then stays constant around 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} for several days and then decreases exponentially. Such 'plateaus' in the accretion rate could be evidence that enhanced mass-transfer rate is the driving outburst mechanism in HLX-1. We also reportmore »« less

Authors:

Godet, O; Plazolles, B; Barret, D; Webb, N ^[1]; Kawaguchi, T ^[2]; Lasota, J -P ^[3]; Farrell, S A; Braito, V ^[4]; Servillat, M ^[5]; Gehrels, N ^[6]

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique and Planetologie (IRAP), Universite de Toulouse, UPS, 9 Avenue du colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)
Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577 (Japan)
Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, UMR 7095 CNRS, UPMC Universite Paris 06, 98bis Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris (France)
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom)
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS-67, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

Publication Date:: Sun Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012

OSTI Identifier:: 22037099

Resource Type:: Journal Article

Journal Name:: Astrophysical Journal

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 752; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ACCRETION DISKS; ASTROPHYSICS; BLACK HOLES; COSMIC X-RAY SOURCES; DATA ANALYSIS; GALAXIES; GAMMA ASTRONOMY; LUMINOSITY; MASS; MASS TRANSFER; X RADIATION; X-RAY DETECTION; X-RAY SPECTRA

Citation Formats


                    Godet, O, Plazolles, B, Barret, D, Webb, N, Kawaguchi, T, Lasota, J -P, Farrell, S A, Braito, V, Servillat, M, and Gehrels, N. INVESTIGATING SLIM DISK SOLUTIONS FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49.  United States: N. p., 2012. 
        Web.  doi:10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/34.

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                    Godet, O, Plazolles, B, Barret, D, Webb, N, Kawaguchi, T, Lasota, J -P, Farrell, S A, Braito, V, Servillat, M, & Gehrels, N. INVESTIGATING SLIM DISK SOLUTIONS FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/34

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                    Godet, O, Plazolles, B, Barret, D, Webb, N, Kawaguchi, T, Lasota, J -P, Farrell, S A, Braito, V, Servillat, M, and Gehrels, N. 2012.  
        "INVESTIGATING SLIM DISK SOLUTIONS FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/34.

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@article{osti_22037099,

  title        = {INVESTIGATING SLIM DISK SOLUTIONS FOR HLX-1 IN ESO 243-49},

  author       = {Godet, O and Plazolles, B and Barret, D and Webb, N and Kawaguchi, T and Lasota, J -P and Farrell, S A and Braito, V and Servillat, M and Gehrels, N},

  abstractNote = {The hyperluminous X-ray source HLX-1 in the galaxy ESO 243-49, currently the best intermediate-mass black hole (BH) candidate, displays spectral transitions similar to those observed in Galactic BH binaries, but with a luminosity 100-1000 times higher. We investigated the X-ray properties of this unique source by fitting multi-epoch data collected by Swift, XMM-Newton, and Chandra with a disk model computing spectra for a wide range of sub- and super-Eddington accretion rates assuming a non-spinning BH and a face-on disk (i = 0 Degree-Sign ). Under these assumptions we find that the BH in HLX-1 is in the intermediate-mass range ({approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} M{sub Sun }) and the accretion flow is in the sub-Eddington regime. The disk radiation efficiency is {eta} = 0.11 {+-} 0.03. We also show that the source does follow the L{sub X} {proportional_to} T{sup 4} relation for our mass estimate. At the outburst peaks, the source radiates near the Eddington limit. The accretion rate then stays constant around 4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} for several days and then decreases exponentially. Such 'plateaus' in the accretion rate could be evidence that enhanced mass-transfer rate is the driving outburst mechanism in HLX-1. We also report on the new outburst observed in 2011 August by the Swift X-Ray Telescope. The time of this new outburst further strengthens the {approx}1 year recurrence timescale.},

  doi          = {10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/34},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22037099},
  journal      = {Astrophysical Journal},

  issn         = {0004-637X},

  number       = 1,

  volume       = 752,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sun Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012},

  month        = {Sun Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012}

}

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