Using LOFAR to link X-ray binaries and AGN

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Using LOFAR to link X-ray binaries and AGN

• Robert Dunn
• Alexander von Humboldt Fellow
• Excellence Cluster Universe, TUM
• Rob Fender, Elmar Körding, Clement Cabanac
• Tomaso Belloni

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Outline

• Black hole scaling relations
• Motivation
• Data analysis outline
• Comparing Diagnostic Diagrams
• Including the current radio coverage
• LOFARs contribution.

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Accreting Black Holes

• Black Holes are described by only a few
  parameters.
• A variety of links between different observables
  have been determined
• LR ? LX0.7M0.6
• (Merloni03, Falcke04)?
• tb ? M-2Lbol-1 ? M/(m/mEdd)?
• (McHardy06, Koerding07)?

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AGN - XRB

• The problem with AGN is that they do not vary
  very quickly
• AGN outbursts in clusters are important for the
  evolution of clusters.
• However, X-ray binaries vary on a much more human
  timescale.

MirabelRodriguez98
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Motivation

• Why present X-ray analysis at a conference for a
  radio telescope?
• X-ray binaries will be amongst the brightest
  transient sources observed by LOFAR in the
  galactic plane.
• The more detailed the current understanding, the
  more LOFAR can add to the picture.
• With the demise of RXTE, LOFAR will be one of the
  triggering telescopes for multi-wavelength
  observing campaigns for future outbursts.
• Therefore we need to know how the radio ties into
  the X-ray observations.

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X-ray Study

• We aim to comprehensively and consistently
  analyse as much RXTE data on galactic black-hole
  X-ray binaries as is publicly available in the
  archives.
• This study uses one data reduction scheme and few
  simple X-ray spectral models to extract
  information on the state of the objects.
• Simple spectral models can only give limited
  information, however they can be fitted to ALL
  spectra, regardless of count rate.

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...continued

• We fit powerlaw, broken powerlaw discpowerlaw
  to all observations.
• Gaussian line component also fitted.
• Test using ?2 which is the best fitting model.
• Fitted 3800 observations of 25 black-hole
  binaries.
• 15 Ms of observations over the last decade or so.

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X-ray Binary Outbursts
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Hardness Intensity Diagram
(Dunn in prep)?
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Disc Fraction Luminosity Diagram
(Dunn in prep)?
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DFLD vs HID?
(Dunn in prep)?
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Radio on the DFLD
8.4 GHz
(Dunn08, Dunn in prep)?
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What LOFAR will do.

• Currently X-ray binary transients are monitored
  using the RXTE ASM.
• ?As LR a LX, any rise from quiescence can also be
  done in radio.
• LOFARs ASM can monitor the rise of the binary out
  of quiescence

XTE J1720-318
50d
4U 1543-47
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• After the radio flare has occurred the ejecta
  will mask the core emission.
• Will be able to monitor the jets over time during
  the decay of the soft state using international
  baselines (qlt1as).
• Monitor the jet-ISM interaction over months-years
  after the outburst finishes.

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Tracing longer term Jet evolution

• The jets inject synchrotron plasma into the ISM.
• The historical emission will be well traced by
  LOFAR. (Heinz08)?
• Mechanical energy injection to the galaxy could
  be determined.
• Cf Galaxy Cluster AGN

Gallo05
Fabian06
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Summary

• Combining X-ray and Radio observations extremely
  enlightening when studying X-ray binaries (as
  well as other sources).
• The Disc Fraction Luminosity Diagram is a more
  physical way of investigating the outbursts of
  XRBs.
• LOFAR will be able to monitor the rise out of
  quiescence of the binary in the early stages of
  an outburst.
• After the outburst LOFAR will be able to track
  the ejecta as it travels out into the ISM.
• Trace the historical jet emission over time.

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• The speakers attendance at this conference was
  sponsored by
• the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• http//www.humboldt-foundation.de