THE FAINT “HEARTBEATS” OF IGR J17091−3624: AN EXCEPTIONAL BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE
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Altamirano-2011-The faint _heartbeat.pdf
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Author(s)
Altamirano, D.
Belloni, Tomaso M.
Linares, Manuel Alegret
van der Klis, M.
Wijnands, R.
Curran, P. A.
Kalamkar, M.
Stiele, H.
Motta, S.
Munoz-Darias, T.
Date Issued
December 2011
Journal
Astrophysical Journal
Publisher
Institute of Physics/American Astronomical Society
Citation
Altamirano, D., T. Belloni, M. Linares, M. van der Klis, R. Wijnands, P. A. Curran, M. Kalamkar, et al. “THE FAINT ‘HEARTBEATS’ OF IGR J17091−3624: AN EXCEPTIONAL BLACK HOLE CANDIDATE.” The Astrophysical Journal 742, no. 2 (November 4, 2011): L17. © 2011 American Astronomical Society.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
We report on the first 180 days of Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observations of the outburst of the black hole candidate IGR J17091-3624. This source exhibits a broad variety of complex light curve patterns including periods of strong flares alternating with quiet intervals. Similar patterns in the X-ray light curves have been seen in the (up to now) unique black hole system GRS 1915+105. In the context of the variability classes defined by Belloni et al. for GRS 1915+105, we find that IGR J17091-3624 shows the ν, ρ, α, λ, β, and μ classes as well as quiet periods which resemble the χ class, all occurring at 2-60 keV count rate levels which can be 10-50 times lower than observed in GRS 1915+105. The so-called ρ class "heartbeats" occur as fast as every few seconds and as slow as ~100 s, tracing a loop in the hardness-intensity diagram which resembles that previously seen in GRS 1915+105. However, while GRS 1915+105 traverses this loop clockwise, IGR J17091-3624 does so in the opposite sense. We briefly discuss our findings in the context of the models proposed for GRS 1915+105 and find that either all models requiring near Eddington luminosities for GRS 1915+105-like variability fail, or IGR J17091-3624 lies at a distance well in excess of 20 kpc, or it harbors one of the least massive black holes known (<3 M ☉).
MIT Department
MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/742/2/l17
