Evolution of X-ray and optical rapid variability during the low/hard state in the 2018 outburst of MAXI J1820+070 = ASASSN-18ey

TL;DR

This study analyzes rapid X-ray and optical variability during the 2018 outburst of MAXI J1820+070, revealing insights into magnetic reconnection, accretion flow evolution, and jet activity in the low/hard state.

Contribution

It presents a detailed analysis of sub-second flares in X-ray and optical bands, linking variability to magnetic activity and accretion flow phases in a black hole binary.

Findings

X-ray shot amplitude peaks at outburst onset and fades during state transition.

Optical shot timescales are shorter and not synchronized with X-ray shots.

Six phases identified in the hardness-intensity diagram correlate with shot properties.

Abstract

We performed shot analyses of X-ray and optical sub-second flares observed during the low/hard state of the 2018 outburst in MAXI J1820$+$070. Optical shots were less spread than X-ray shots. The amplitude of X-ray shots was the highest at the onset of the outburst, and they faded at the transition to the intermediate state. The timescale of shots was $\sim$0.2 s, and we detected the abrupt spectral hardening synchronized with this steep flaring event. The time evolution of optical shots was not similar to that of X-ray shots. These results suggest that accreting gas blobs triggered a series of magnetic reconnections at the hot inner accretion flow in the vicinity of the black hole, which enhanced X-ray emission and generated flaring events. The rapid X-ray spectral hardening would be caused by this kind of magnetic activity. Also, the synchrotron emission not only at the hot flow but also at the jet plasma would contribute to the optical rapid variability. We also found that the low/hard state exhibited six different phases in the hardness-intensity diagram and the correlation plot between the optical flux and the X-ray hardness. The amplitude and duration of X-ray shots varied in synchrony with these phases. This time variation may provide key information about the evolution of the hot flow, the low-temperature outer disk, and the jet-emitting plasma.