Related papers: Class Transitions in Black Holes
We analyzed 163 observations of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 made with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in the period 1996-1997. For each observation, we produced light curves and color-color diagrams. We classified the observations…
The black hole candidate GRS 1915+105 exhibits a rich variety of variability. Assuming that the earlier paradigm of black hole accretion which includes a shock is applicable for this system as well, one can classify these variabilities into…
We have used pointed RXTE data to examine the long-term X-ray light curves of six transient black hole X-ray binaries during their decay from outburst to quiescence. In most cases there is a period of exponential decay as the source…
We demonstrate a new method of variability classification using observations of black hole X-ray binaries. Using `power colours' -- ratios of integrated power in different Fourier frequency bands -- we can clearly differentiate different…
We present the analysis of an RXTE monitoring campaign of the canonical soft state black hole candidates LMC X-1 and LMC X-3. In contrast to LMC X-1, which does not exhibit any periodic spectral changes, we find that LMC X-3 exhibits stron…
We present a detailed X-ray study of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 during a variability class transition observed in 2000 June with the PPCs of the Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment. We supplement this observation with data from the RXTE…
We present the results of a detailed analysis of RXTE observations of class $\omega$ which show an unusual state transition between high-soft and low-soft states in the microquasar GRS 1915+105. Out of about 600 pointed RXTE observations,…
We present the results of a detailed analysis of RXTE observations which show an unusual state transition between high-soft and low-soft states in the microquasar GRS 1915+105. The RXTE pointed observations reveal that these events appeared…
Black hole X-ray binaries show signs of non-thermal emission in the optical/near-infrared range. We analyze the optical/near-infrared SMARTS data on GX339$-$4 over the 2002--2011 period. Using the soft state data, we estimate the…
Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, we have studied the black hole candidate (BHC) X-ray transient XTE J1650-500 near the end of its 2001-2002 outburst after its transition to the low-hard state at X-ray…
IGR J17091-3624 is the second black hole X-ray binary after GRS 1915+105, which showed large and distinct variabilities. The study of these variability classes can be useful to understand the accretion-ejection mechanisms of accreting black…
We systematically analyzed about a terabyte of data from Galactic binary systems to characterize how these spectra change as a function of mass accretion rate. With this volume of data we are able to identify the differences in behaviour 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…
We present a model for the short timescale spectral variability of accreting black holes. It describes well the time-averaged spectra as well as temporal characteristics such as power-density spectrum, time/phase lags, and coherence…
We present the spectral and timing evolution of the persistent black hole X-ray binary GRS 1758-258 based on almost 12 years of observations using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array. While the source was…
We have used Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer data to measure the lags between soft (2-5 keV) and hard (5-13 keV) photons and to study the aperiodic variability of the superluminal black hole candidate GRS 1915+105 during low-flux states. The…
We interpret observed features of the black hole candidate GRS1915+105 in the light of the advective flow paradigm. The light curve of this black hole is seen to be of four classes, Soft, Hard, Semi-Soft and Intermediate. Each class can…
Two {\it ASCA} observations were made of two ultra-luminous compact X-ray sources (ULXs), Source 1 and Source 2, in the spiral galaxy IC 342. In the 1993 observation, Source 2 showed a 0.5--10 keV luminosity of $6 \times 10^{39}$ ergs…
We present results on spectral variability of two Galactic black hole X-ray binaries, GRO J1655-40 and GX 339-4, in the hard state. We confirm a transition in behaviour of the photon index with luminosity, such that the well known decrease…
We report a comprehensive study on spectral and timing properties of hard X-ray dips uniquely observed in some so-called variability classes of the micro-quasars GRS 1915+105 and IGR J17091-3624. These dips are characterized by a sudden…