The infrared/X-ray correlation of GX 339-4: Probing hard X-ray emission in accreting black holes

TL;DR

This study investigates the correlation between infrared/X-ray emissions in GX 339-4 during multiple outbursts, revealing a consistent jet-related origin of IR emission and insights into jet formation during state transitions.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of broad-band IR/X-ray correlations across multiple outbursts, highlighting a jet origin for IR emission and the significance of spectral breaks.

Findings

Tight IR/X-ray correlations over four decades with a break in the hard state.

Similar IR/X-ray correlation patterns across all four outbursts.

Evidence for a jet origin of near-IR emission and disc contribution in optical.

Abstract

GX 339-4 has been one of the key sources for unravelling the accretion ejection coupling in accreting stellar mass black holes. After a long period of quiescence between 1999 and 2002, GX 339-4 underwent a series of 4 outbursts that have been intensively observed by many ground based observatories [radio, infrared(IR), optical] and satellites (X-rays). Here, we present results of these broad-band observational campaigns, focusing on the optical-IR (OIR)/X-ray flux correlations over the four outbursts. We found tight OIR/X-ray correlations over four decades with the presence of a break in the IR/X-ray correlation in the hard state. This correlation is the same for all four outbursts. This can be interpreted in a consistent way by considering a synchrotron self-Compton origin of the X-rays in which the break frequency varies between the optically thick and thin regime of the jet spectrum. We also highlight the similarities and differences between optical/X-ray and IR/X-ray correlations which suggest a jet origin of the near-IR emission in the hard state while the optical is more likely dominated by the blackbody emission of the accretion disc in both hard and soft state. However we find a non negligible contribution of 40 per cent of the jet emission in the V-band during the hard state. We finally concentrate on a soft-to-hard state transition during the decay of the 2004 outburst by comparing the radio, IR, optical and hard X-rays light curves. It appears that unusual delays between the peak of emission in the different energy domains may provide some important constraints on jet formation scenario.