A wildly flickering jet in the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571
M.C. Baglio, D.M. Russell, P. Casella, H. Al Noori, A.Al Yazeedi, T., Belloni, D.A.H. Buckley, M. Cadolle Bel, C. Ceccobello, S. Corbel, F. Coti, Zelati, M. Diaz Trigo, R.P. Fender, E. Gallo, P. Gandhi, J. Homan, K.I.I., koljonen, F. lewis, T. J. Maccarone, J. Malzac, S. Markoff

TL;DR
This study presents multi-wavelength observations of the black hole X-ray binary MAXI J1535-571 during its 2017/2018 outburst, revealing jet behavior, spectral changes, and variability patterns that inform models of jet launching and accretion processes.
Contribution
It provides the first mid-infrared variability study of a black hole binary on minute timescales and links jet suppression to spectral state changes during outburst.
Findings
Mid-infrared flux density exceeded 100 mJy before fading.
Infrared variability fractional rms was 15-22%, higher than optical.
Jet emission suppression coincided with X-ray spectral softening.
Abstract
We report on the results of optical, near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared observations of the black hole X-ray binary candidate (BHB) MAXI J1535-571 during its 2017/2018 outburst. During the first part of the outburst (MJD 58004-58012), the source shows an optical-NIR spectrum that is consistent with an optically thin synchrotron power-law from a jet. After MJD 58015, however, the source faded considerably, the drop in flux being much more evident at lower frequencies. Before the fading, we measure a de-reddened flux density of 100 mJy in the mid-infrared, making MAXI J1535-571 one of the brightest mid-infrared BHBs known so far. A significant softening of the X-ray spectrum is evident contemporaneous with the infrared fade. We interpret it as due to the suppression of the jet emission, similar to the accretion-ejection coupling seen in other BHBs. However, MAXI J1535-571 did…
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