Related papers: Optical precursors to X-ray binary outbursts
On 2015 June 15 the burst alert telescope (BAT) on board {\em Swift} detected an X-ray outburst from the black hole transient V404 Cyg. We monitored V404 Cyg for the last 10 years with the 2-m Faulkes Telescope North in three optical bands…
We present a study of the minute-timescale optical variability and spectroscopic outflow signatures in the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1820+070 during its 2018 outburst and re-brightenings. Minute-cadence, multi-filter optical light…
We investigate the optical emission of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1348-630 during its 2019 minioutburst. Using optical data from the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope and X-ray data from Insight-HXMT, we performed time delay…
We report the detection of a large number of optical bursts in the Low Mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) EXO 0748-676 simultaneous with the thermonuclear X-ray bursts. The X-ray and the optical bursts are detected in a long observation of this…
Current models that explain giant (type II) X-ray outbursts in Be/X-ray binaries (BeXB), are based on the idea of highly distorted disks. They are believed to occur when a misaligned and warped disk becomes eccentric, allowing the neutron…
Optical outburst spectra of low-mass X-ray binaries enable studies of extreme accretion and ejection phenomena. While some of their spectroscopic features have been analysed in detail, the appearance of broad absorptions in the optical…
Black hole binaries exhibit dramatic changes in their X-ray spectral and timing properties over time, providing important clues about the physical processes that occur in these systems. Black holes and black hole candidates are prime…
The last two decades have seen a great improvement in our understand- ing of the complex phenomenology observed in transient black-hole binary systems, especially thanks to the activity of the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite, com-…
The recurring transient outbursts in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) provide us with strong test-beds for constraining the poorly understood accretion process. While impossible to image directly, phase-resolved spectroscopy can provide a…
The systematic discovery of outflows in the optical spectra of low-mass X-ray binaries opened a new avenue for the study of the outburst evolution in these extreme systems. However, the efficient detection of such features in a continuously…
We report on time-resolved optical imaging of the X-ray binary SAX J1808.4-3658 during its quiescent state and 2008 outburst. The binary, containing an accretion-powered millisecond pulsar, has a large sinusoidal-like modulation in its…
Using simultaneous observations in X-rays and optical, we have performed a homogeneous analysis of the cross-correlation behaviours of four X-ray binaries: SWIFT J1753.5-0127, GX 339-4, Sco X-1, and Cyg X-2. With high time-resolution…
The observations and theory of the exciting new class of galactic black hole X-ray transients is reviewed. Seven of these systems have measured mass functions or mass estimates in excess of stable neutron stars, making them excellent black…
Be X-ray binaries (BeXRBs) may show strong X-ray and optical variability, and can exhibit some of the brightest outbursts that break through the Eddington limit. Major X-ray outbursts are often accompanied by strong optical flares that…
Young stellar objects in their pre-main sequence phase are characterized by irregular changes in brightness, generally attributed to an increase of the mass accretion rate due to various kind of instabilities occurring in the circumstellar…
We present six years of optical monitoring of the black hole candidate X-ray binary Swift J1357.2-0933, during and since its discovery outburst in 2011. On these long timescales, the quiescent light curve is dominated by high amplitude,…
The outbursts of black hole X-ray transients can be understood as caused by a limit cycle instability in the accretion disk, similar to dwarf nova outbursts. For adequately low mass overflow rates from the companion star long outburst…
Accretion of material onto a black hole drags any magnetic fields present inwards, increasing their strength. Theory predicts that sufficiently strong magnetic fields can halt the accretion flow, producing a magnetically arrested disk…
We present the relations between Halpha equivalent width, optical brightness and X-ray flux of Be/X-ray binary system SAX J2103.5+4545, by analyzing the optical photometric and spectroscopic observations together with the X-ray…
INTEGRAL monitoring of the Galactic Plane is revealing a growing number of recurrent X-ray transients, characterised by short outbursts with very fast rise times (~ tens of minutes) and typical durations of a few hours. A substantial…