The origin of UV/optical emission in the black hole low-mass X-ray binary Swift J1753.5-0127

Pengcheng Yang*, Guobao Zhang*, David M. Russell, Joseph D. Gelfand, Mariano Méndez, Jiancheng Wang, Ming Lyu

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

The emission from the accreting black holes (BHs) in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) covers a broad energy band from radio to X-rays. Studying the correlations between emission in different energy bands during outbursts can provide valuable information about the accretion process. We analyse the simultaneous optical, ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray data of the BH-LMXB Swift J1753.5-0127 during its $\sim$ 12-year long outburst with the {\it Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory}. We find that the UV/optical and X-ray emission are strongly correlated during the hard states of the outburst. We fit the relation with a power-law function $F_{UV/optical} \propto F_{X}^{\beta}$ and find that the power-law index $\beta$ increases from $\sim$ 0.24 to $\sim$ 0.33 as the UV/optical wavelength decreases from $\sim$ 5400 Å (V) to $\sim$ 2030 Å (UVW2). We explore the possible reasons for this and suggest that in Swift J1753.5-0127 the UV/optical emission is dominated by a viscously heated accretion disc at large radii. We find that the data that deviate from the correlation correspond to the low-intensity peaks appeared in the X-ray band during the outburst, and suggest that these deviations are driven by the emission from the inner part of the accretion disc.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to) 234–248
Number of pages15
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume514
Issue number1
Early online date25-Apr-2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul-2022

Keywords

  • Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena

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