A Model for the Correlation of Hard X-ray Index with Eddington Ratio in Black Hole X-ray Binaries

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical model explaining the observed positive and negative correlations between Eddington ratio and X-ray spectral index in black hole X-ray binaries, based on accretion flow states.

Contribution

The study introduces an improved disk-corona model incorporating all relevant cooling processes to explain the $\Gamma$-$\lambda$ correlation in black hole binaries.

Findings

At $\lambda extgreater 0.01$, a condensed inner disk explains the positive correlation.

At $\lambda extless 0.01$, the evaporation of the inner disk leads to an anti-correlation.

The model reproduces observed spectral behaviors across different accretion rates.

Abstract

Observations show that there is a positive correlation between Eddington ratio $\lambda$ and hard X-ray index $\Gamma$ for $\lambda \gtrsim 0.01$, and there is an anti-correlation between $\lambda$ and $\Gamma$ for $\lambda \lesssim 0.01$ in black hole X-ray binaries (with $\lambda=L_{\rm bol}/L_{\rm Edd}$). In this work, we theoretically investigate the correlation between $\Gamma$ and $\lambda$ within the framework of disk-corona model. We improve the model by taking into account all cooling processes including synchrotron and self-Compton radiations in the corona, Comptonization of the soft photons from the underlying accretion disk, and the Bremsstrahlung radiations. Presuming that the coronal flow above the disk can reach up to 0.1 Eddington rate at the outer region, we calculate the structure of the two-phase accretion flows and the emergent spectra for accretion rates from 0.003 to 0.1. It is found that at accretion rates larger than $\backsim 0.01$ Eddington rate a fraction of coronal gas condenses into the disk and an inner disk can be sustained by condensation. In this case, the X-ray emission is dominated by the scattering the soft photon from the underlying disk in the corona. The emission from the inner disk and corona can produce the positive correlation between $\lambda$ and $\Gamma$. While at accretion rates lower than $\backsim 0.01$ Eddington accretion rate, the inner disk vanishes completely by evaporation, the accretion is dominated by ADAF, in which the X-ray emission is produced by the Comptonization of the synchrotron and bremsstrahlung photons of ADAF itself. The emission from ADAF can produce the anti-correlation between $\lambda$ and $\Gamma$.