Related papers: Transient Black Hole Binaries
Black hole X-ray binaries display significant stochastic variability on short time-scales (0.01-100 seconds), with a complex pattern of lags in correlated variability seen in different energy bands. This behaviour is generally interpreted…
Relativistic jets from Active Galactic Nuclei are known since decades, but the study of the connection between accretion and ejection in these systems is hampered by the long time scales associated to these events. The past decade has seen…
X-ray transients appeared in optically non-active galactic nuclei have been observed in recent years. The most popular model explaining this kind of phenomena is the conventional tidal disruption model. In this model, when a star moves…
We report results from a systematic study of X-ray emission from black hole transients in quiescence. In this state mass accretion is thought to follow the geometry of an outer optically thick, geometrically thin disc and an inner optically…
We have accumulated multiwavelength (X-ray, optical, radio) lightcurves for the eight black hole X-ray binaries which have been observed to enter a supposed `soft X-ray transient' outburst, but remained in the low/hard state throughout the…
Thanks to extensive observations with X-ray missions and facilities working in other wavelengths, as well as rapidly--advancing numerical simulations of accretion flows, our knowledge of astrophysical black holes has been remarkably…
A solid theoretical understanding of how inflowing, accreting plasma around black holes and other compact objects gives rise to outflowing winds and jets is still lacking, despite decades of observations. The fact that similar processes and…
This paper reviews some of the recent observational results on stellar mass black hole candidates. Over the last decade, much of the progress in this field has been achieved through the study of transient X--ray binary sources which shine…
The X-ray emission from accreting black-holes and neutron stars features strong variability on sub-second time scales, with very complex and broad phenomenology. From high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations to rapidly changing X-ray…
Accreting binaries containing a black hole are stellar systems composed of a normal star and a black hole. Because of the strong gravitational pull of the black hole, matter is removed from the companion star and falls into the compact ob…
Recent work on the modes of accretion onto black holes (BHs) in Soft X-Ray Transients (SXTs) is reviewed, with an emphasis on uncertainties affecting models of accretion during quiescence (inner hot flow, outer thin disk). Various…
Blurred reflection features are commonly observed in the X-ray spectra of accreting black holes. In the presence of high-quality data and with the correct astrophysical model, X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe the…
In the past years, a clear picture of the evolution of outbursts of black-hole X-ray binaries has emerged. While the X-ray properties can be classified into our distinct states, based on spectral and timing properties, the observations in…
In the last decade, high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy has revolutionized our understanding of the role of accretion disk winds in black hole X-ray binaries. Here I present a brief review of the state of wind studies in black hole X-ray…
With the advent of more sensitive all-sky instruments, the transient Universe is being probed in greater depth than ever before. Taking advantage of available resources, we have established a comprehensive database of black hole (and black…
Transient X-ray binaries remain in their quiescent state for a long time (months to hundred years) and then bright up as the most powerful sources of the X-ray sky. While it is clear that, when in outbursts, transient binaries are powered…
X-ray variability of accreting black hole binaries is believed to be produced by the fluctuations propagating towards the compact object. Observations suggest the light curves in different energy bands are connected, but the fluctuations at…
The last decade has seen a significant gain in both space and ground-based monitoring capabilities, producing vastly better coverage of BH X-ray binaries during their (rare) transient events. This interval included two of the three…
The spectrum of the hard X-ray background records the history of accretion processes integrated over the cosmic time. Several observational and theoretical evidences indicate that a significant fraction of the energy density is obscured by…
Accreting black holes are unique tools to understand the physics under extreme gravity. While black hole X-ray binaries differ vastly in mass from AGN, their accretion and ejection flows are assumed to be essentially similar. Black hole…