Shell Collision Induced Kilo-Hertz Quasi-Periodic Oscillation in X-Ray Binaries

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel model attributing twin kilo-Hertz QPOs in X-ray binaries to shell collisions in jets, explaining complex features and predicting new oscillations, thereby linking accretion dynamics with jet physics.

Contribution

It introduces a jet-based shell collision model for kilo-Hertz QPOs, explaining observed complexities and predicting new oscillation phenomena in X-ray binaries.

Findings

Shell collision model accounts for variable QPO frequencies.

Model explains the coupling of QPOs with luminosity and spectral features.

Predicts new QPOs in 4U 1820-30 for observational testing.

Abstract

Twin kilo-Hertz Quasi-periodic oscillation with ratio 3/2 has been found in some compact sources, which is believed to be related with their innermost regions of accretion disks, and hence carrying information of gravity in strong regime. However, more complicated phenomena have been revealed, e.g., the twin kilo-Hertz Quasi-periodic oscillation of 4U 1820-20 start increasing at certain spectral state and then saturate upon reaching certain level. Moreover, such quasi-periodic oscillation is not uniform and has multiple peaks, which displays random feature. This letter suggests that these challenges could be easy to understand if the quasi-periodic oscillation originates in jets of compact objects. With a seed periodicity originating in either neutron star spin or accretion, shell collision develops in jet. The corresponding twin kilo-Hertz quasi-periodic oscillations automatically carry random feature, vary in frequency; and couple with luminosity, spectral properties, which well account for the observation of 4U 1820-30. New quasi-periodic oscillation of 4U 1820-30 is predicted, which can test the validity of this model. And the scenario is applicable to other compact object like AGN.