Swift XRT Timing Observations of the Black-Hole Binary SWIFTJ1753.5-0127: Disk-Diluted Fluctuations in the Outburst Peak

TL;DR

This study uses Swift XRT data to analyze the timing variability of the black hole binary SWIFT J1753.5-0127 during outburst, revealing energy-dependent fluctuations and disk-related variability patterns.

Contribution

First detailed soft band variability measurements during outburst peak, demonstrating the feasibility of stochastic variability studies with Swift XRT and comparing with RXTE results.

Findings

Soft band less variable than hard at peak, opposite at low intensity

Low-frequency variability stronger in soft band at low intensities

Results support a two-region emission model with different variability characteristics

Abstract

After a careful analysis of the instrumental effects on the Poisson noise to demonstrate the feasibility of detailed stochastic variability studies with the Swift X-Ray Telescope (XRT), we analyze the variability of the black hole X-ray binary SWIFT J1753.5-0127 in all XRT observations during 2005-2010. We present the evolution of the power spectral components along the outburst in two energy bands: soft (0.5-2 keV) and hard (2-10 keV), and in the hard band find results consistent with those from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The advantage of the XRT is that we can also explore the soft band not covered by RXTE. The source has previously been suggested to host an accretion disk extending down to close to the black hole in the low hard state, and to show low frequency variability in the soft band intrinsic to this disk. Our results are consistent with this, with at low intensities stronger low-frequency variability in the soft than in the hard band. From our analysis we are able to present the first measurements of the soft band variability in the peak of the outburst and find it to be less variable than the hard band, especially at high frequencies, opposite to what is seen at low intensity. Both results can be explained within the framework of a simple two emission-region model where the hot flow is more variable in the peak of the outburst and the disk is more variable at low intensities.