formation and destruction of jets in x-ray...

Kylafis, Contopoulos, Kazanas & Christodoulou 2011, A&A (submitted)

Contopoulos & Kazanas, ”The Poynting-Robertson Cosmic Battery”, 1998, ApJContopoulos, Christodoulou, Kazanas & Gabuzda 2009, ApJChristodoulou, Gabuzda, Contopoulos & Kazanas 2011, A&A (submitted)

Formation and destruction of jets in X-ray binaries

HEPRO III, 1-7-2011

Friday, July 8, 2011

The Faraday disk (homopolar generator)


MHD jets (Contopoulos & Lovelace 1994; Contopoulos 1995)


The Poynting-Robertson Cosmic Battery (Contopoulos & Kazanas 1998)

Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO)

Dependence on Spin Parameter a*

a* = 0

RISCO = 6MG/c2 = 90 km

a* = 1

RISCO = MG/c2 = 15 km

(for M = 10 M!

)

electron

FPR = − LσT

4πr2c

vφc





a* = 0


a* = 1


(for M = 10 M!

)

electron proton

∇×B =4π

cJ

∂B

∂t= −c∇× E

−eE + FPR = medvedt

eE = mpdvpdt





a* = 0


a* = 1


(for M = 10 M!

)

electron proton

E = FPR/e τ ∼ rB

cE=

rB

cFPR/e

∼ hours to months


Contopoulos, Christodoulou, Kazanas & Gabuzda 2009


Contopoulos, Christodoulou, Kazanas & Gabuzda 2009, 2011

CW CCW


The jet line in the HID (Kylafis, Contopoulos, Kazanas & Christodoulou 2011, submitted)



FPR = − LσT

4πr2c

vφc

∼ − [σBT 4rh]σT

4πr2c

τ ∼ rB

cE=

rB

cFPR/e

∼ hours if h ∼ r

∼ weeks – months if h � r

B ∼ 107 G h ∼ 0.1r L ∼ 0.1LEdd M ∼ 10M⊙



τ ∼ hoursτ ∼ weeks

The jet line


The jet line in the HID (Fender, Homan & Belloni 2009)

τ ∼ hoursτ ∼ weeks

15 daysno radio detection

black hole binary jets 5

Radio peakRadio detections

Non detections

1

10

100

1000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1

X-ray hardness ratio

XTE J1650-500 (2001)

0.1

1

10

100

1000

10000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1X-ray hardness ratio

4U 1543-47 (2002)

1

10

100

1000

10000

0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1


H1743-322 (2003)

1

10

100

1000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1


XTE J1720-318 (2003)

1

10

100

1000

10000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1


GX 339-4 (1996-1999)

1

10

100

1000

10000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1


GX 339-4 (2002-2003) 1

10

100

1000

10000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1

RXT

E PC

A co

unt s

-1


GX 339-4 (2004-2005)

count rate

x!ray hardness ratio

Figure 1. (continued)



✤ Black-hole X-ray binaries:

✤ Disk-type transition from `thick’ to `thin‘ to `thick’.

✤ Jet-formation timescale transition from `fast’ to `slow’ to `fast’.

✤ The magnetic field may play a role in the disk-type transition...

✤ Neutron-star X-ray binaries:

✤ Radio ~30 times weaker than in black-hole jets at comparable X-ray luminosities.

✤ In some cases, radio also detected in the soft state.

✤ No compact jet formation in normal X-ray pulsars.

✤ Accreting non-magnetic white dwarfs: similar characteristics



✤ Predictions in black-hole XRBs:

✤ Transition from hard to soft X-ray state always associated with eruptive jet emission, flaring and the disappearance of the compact jet.

✤ Transition from soft to hard X-ray state always associated with formation of steady jet within 1-5 days after the crossing. No eruptive emission.

✤ No jet when back and forth jet-line transitions at low X-ray luminosity.

✤ Predictions in neutron-star XRBs:

✤ No compact jet in strongly magnetized NS (normal X-ray pulsars).

✤ The slower the NS spin the stronger the radio jet in the soft state.

✤ No jet in the soft state when NS spin frequency comparable to Keplerian.


The P-R CB enters as a new, previously unaccounted-for player in the ongoing study of astrophysical accretion disks and jets.


formation and destruction of jets in x-ray...

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