Repetitive patterns in rapid optical variations in the nearby black-hole binary V404 Cygni

Mariko Kimura (), Keisuke Isogai, Taichi Kato, Yoshihiro Ueda, Satoshi Nakahira, Megumi Shidatsu, Teruaki Enoto, Takafumi Hori, Daisaku Nogami, Colin Littlefield, Ryoko Ishioka, Ying-Tung Chen, Sun-Kun King, Chih-Yi Wen, Shiang-Yu Wang, Matthew J. Lehner, Megan E. Schwamb, Jen-Hung Wang, Zhi-Wei Zhang, Charles Alcock, Tim Axelrod, Federica B. Bianco, Yong-Ik Byun, Wen-Ping Chen, Kem H. Cook, Dae-Won Kim, Typhoon Lee, Stuart L. Marshall, Elena P. Pavlenko, Oksana I. Antonyuk, Kirill A. Antonyuk, Nikolai V. Pit, Aleksei A. Sosnovskij, Julia V. Babina, Aleksei V. Baklanov, Alexei S. Pozanenko, Elena D. Mazaeva, Sergei E. Schmalz, Inna V. Reva, Sergei P. Belan, Raguli Ya. Inasaridze, Namkhai Tungalag, Alina A. Volnova, Igor E. Molotov, Enrique de Miguel, Kiyoshi Kasai, William L. Stein, Pavol A. Dubovsky, Seiichiro Kiyota, Ian Miller, Michael Richmond, William Goff, Maksim V. Andreev, Hiromitsu Takahashi, Naoto Kojiguchi, Yuki Sugiura, Nao Takeda, Eiji Yamada, Katsura Matsumoto, Nick James, Roger D. Pickard, Tamás Tordai, Yutaka Maeda, Javier Ruiz, Atsushi Miyashita, Lewis M. Cook, Akira Imada and Makoto Uemura
Additional contact information
Mariko Kimura: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Keisuke Isogai: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Taichi Kato: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Yoshihiro Ueda: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Satoshi Nakahira: JEM Mission Operations and Integration Center, Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Megumi Shidatsu: MAXI team, RIKEN
Teruaki Enoto: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Takafumi Hori: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Daisaku Nogami: Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa
Colin Littlefield: Wesleyan University
Ryoko Ishioka: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Ying-Tung Chen: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Sun-Kun King: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Chih-Yi Wen: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Shiang-Yu Wang: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Matthew J. Lehner: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Megan E. Schwamb: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Jen-Hung Wang: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Zhi-Wei Zhang: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Charles Alcock: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Tim Axelrod: Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
Federica B. Bianco: Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University
Yong-Ik Byun: Yonsei University
Wen-Ping Chen: National Central University
Kem H. Cook: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Dae-Won Kim: Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Typhoon Lee: Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, 11F of Astronomy-Mathematics Building
Stuart L. Marshall: Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), Stanford University
Elena P. Pavlenko: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Oksana I. Antonyuk: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Kirill A. Antonyuk: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Nikolai V. Pit: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Aleksei A. Sosnovskij: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Julia V. Babina: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Aleksei V. Baklanov: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Alexei S. Pozanenko: Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
Elena D. Mazaeva: Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
Sergei E. Schmalz: Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics
Inna V. Reva: Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute
Sergei P. Belan: Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
Raguli Ya. Inasaridze: Kharadze Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory, Ilia State University
Namkhai Tungalag: Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Alina A. Volnova: Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences
Igor E. Molotov: Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Enrique de Miguel: Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Huelva
Kiyoshi Kasai: Baselstrasse 133D
William L. Stein: 6025 Calle Paraiso
Pavol A. Dubovsky: Vihorlat Observatory
Seiichiro Kiyota: Variable Star Observers League in Japan (VSOLJ)
Ian Miller: Furzehill House
Michael Richmond: Rochester Institute of Technology
William Goff: American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
Maksim V. Andreev: Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences
Hiromitsu Takahashi: School of Science, Hiroshima University
Naoto Kojiguchi: Osaka Kyoiku University
Yuki Sugiura: Osaka Kyoiku University
Nao Takeda: Osaka Kyoiku University
Eiji Yamada: Osaka Kyoiku University
Katsura Matsumoto: Osaka Kyoiku University
Nick James: 1 Tavistock Road
Roger D. Pickard: The British Astronomical Association, Variable Star Section (BAA VSS), Burlington House
Tamás Tordai: Polaris Observatory, Hungarian Astronomical Association
Yutaka Maeda: 112-14 Kaminishiyama-machi
Javier Ruiz: Observatorio de Cantabria, Carretera de Rocamundo sin número
Atsushi Miyashita: Seikei Meteorological Observatory, Seikei High School
Lewis M. Cook: Center for Backyard Astrophysics (Concord)
Akira Imada: Kwasan and Hida Observatories, Kyoto University, Kitakazan-Ohmine-cho
Makoto Uemura: Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University

Nature, 2016, vol. 529, issue 7584, 54-58

Abstract: Abstract How black holes accrete surrounding matter is a fundamental yet unsolved question in astrophysics. It is generally believed that matter is absorbed into black holes via accretion disks, the state of which depends primarily on the mass-accretion rate. When this rate approaches the critical rate (the Eddington limit), thermal instability is supposed to occur in the inner disk, causing repetitive patterns of large-amplitude X-ray variability (oscillations) on timescales of minutes to hours1. In fact, such oscillations have been observed only in sources with a high mass-accretion rate, such as GRS 1915+105 (refs 2, 3). These large-amplitude, relatively slow timescale, phenomena are thought to have physical origins distinct from those of X-ray or optical variations with small amplitudes and fast timescales (less than about 10 seconds) often observed in other black-hole binaries—for example, XTE J1118+480 (ref. 4) and GX 339−4 (ref. 5). Here we report an extensive multi-colour optical photometric data set of V404 Cygni, an X-ray transient source6 containing a black hole of nine solar masses7 (and a companion star) at a distance of 2.4 kiloparsecs (ref. 8). Our data show that optical oscillations on timescales of 100 seconds to 2.5 hours can occur at mass-accretion rates more than ten times lower than previously thought1. This suggests that the accretion rate is not the critical parameter for inducing inner-disk instabilities. Instead, we propose that a long orbital period is a key condition for these large-amplitude oscillations, because the outer part of the large disk in binaries with long orbital periods will have surface densities too low to maintain sustained mass accretion to the inner part of the disk. The lack of sustained accretion—not the actual rate—would then be the critical factor causing large-amplitude oscillations in long-period systems.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/nature16452

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