Related papers: Black Hole Accretion in Transient X-Ray Binaries
Soft X-ray transients are a subclass of the low mass X-ray binaries that occasionally show a sudden rise in their soft X-ray luminosity; otherwise, they remain in an extremely faint state. We investigate the accretion properties of the soft…
X-ray binaries are excellent laboratories to study collapsed objects. On the one hand, transient X-ray binaries contain the best examples of stellar-mass black holes while persistent X-ray binaries mostly harbour accreting neutron stars.…
We report the discovery of a new hysteresis effect in black hole X-ray binary state transitions, that of the near-infrared (NIR) flux (which most likely originates in the jets) versus X-ray flux. We find, looking at existing data sets, that…
This chapter discusses the implications of X-ray binaries on our knowledge of Type Ibc and Type II supernovae. X-ray binaries contain accreting neutron stars and stellar--mass black holes which are the end points of massive star evolution.…
Electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations indicate that there is dearth of compact objects with mass $\sim 2.5-5~{\rm M_\odot}$. This so-called "mass gap" may be linked to the supernova explosion mechanisms that produce neutron…
We present the analysis of a 35 ksec long Chandra observation of the neutron star soft X-ray transient (SXT) SAX J1810.8-2609. We detect three sources in the field of view. The position of one of them is consistent with the location of the…
The vast majority of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the local universe exhibit levels of activity much lower than those expected from gas supplying rates onto the galactic nuclei, and only a small fraction of silent SMBHs can turn into…
We shortly summarize the standard current knowledge on the structure of the accretion flow onto black holes in galactic binary systems and in active galactic nuclei. We stress the similarities and differences between the two types of…
Many low-mass X-ray binaries show both hard and soft spectral states. For several sources the transitions between these states have been observed, mostly from the soft to the hard state during a luminosity decrease. In a few cases also the…
Galactic accretion driven stellar X-ray sources can be divided into groups in different ways. An important division, which covers almost all known X-ray binaries, can be made according to the mass of the donor star: high-mass X-ray binaries…
Variable features in black hole X-ray Binaries (BH-XRBs) are observed in different energy ranges and time scales. The physical origin of different spectral states in BH-XRBs and their relations with the underlying accretion disc are still…
The three X-ray states of active accretion in black-hole binaries have been re-defined to focus attention on different physical elements that may contribute radiation: the accretion disk, a jet, and a compact and radio-quiet corona.…
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…
The fluctuating brightness of cosmic X-ray sources, particularly accreting black holes and neutron star systems, has enabled enormous progress in understanding the physics of turbulent accretion flows, the behaviour of matter on the…
The existence of black holes remains open to doubt until other conceivable options are excluded. With this motivation, we consider a model of a compact star in which most of the mass consists of dark particles of some kind, and a small…
Low mass X-ray transients (LMXRTs) hosting black hole candidates (BHCs) display on average a factor of ~100 larger swing in the minimum (quiescent) to maximum (outburst) X-ray luminosity than neutron stars (NSs), despite the fact that the…
Astronomers have discovered many potential black holes in X-ray binaries and galactic nuclei. These black holes are usually identified by the fact that they are too massive to be neutron stars. Until recently, however, there was no…
Astronomers have discovered many potential black holes in X-ray binaries and galactic nuclei. These black holes are usually identified by the fact that they are too massive to be neutron stars. Until recently, however, there was no…
We review the properties of 40 X-ray binaries that contain either a confirmed black hole or a black hole candidate. After discussing briefly the significance of these Galactic black holes to both astronomy and physics, we present basic data…
I review recent advances in our understanding of accretion disks in transient systems - the dwarf novae and the soft X-ray transients. The primary theme will be the ongoing development of theory in response to the observations. The…