Evolution of the Inner Accretion Flow in Swift J1727.8$-$1613 across Intermediate States: Insights from Broadband Spectral and Timing Analysis

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spectral and timing evolution of the black hole binary Swift J1727.8-1613 during its 2023 outburst, revealing changes in disk-corona geometry, a hybrid corona, and estimating key black hole parameters.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed broadband spectral and timing analysis of Swift J1727.8-1613 across intermediate states, highlighting the evolution of the accretion flow and corona.

Findings

Disk moves closer to the black hole in SIMS.

Corona exhibits hybrid electron populations with non-thermal tails.

Black hole mass estimated at ~10.3 solar masses, with high spin.

Abstract

We present a comprehensive broadband spectral and variability study of the newly detected black hole X-ray binary Swift~J1727.8--1613 in the intermediate states during its 2023 outburst, using multi-mission observations from NICER, NuSTAR, AstroSat, and Insight-HXMT. Spectral data up to 78 keV in the hard-intermediate state (HIMS) require models with two Comptonizing regions. In contrast, models with a single Comptonizing region adequately describe the soft-intermediate states (SIMS), implying a significant evolution in the disk-corona geometry between the states. The hard X-ray tail above $100$ keV in the HIMS, detected with both AstroSat/CZTI and Insight-HXMT/HE, indicates that the electron population in the corona is not purely thermal but rather hybrid, with a power-law distribution above the thermal cutoff. While both the reflection modeling and disk continuum fitting favor a truncated disk geometry in the HIMS, the disk in the SIMS moves substantially closer to the innermost stable circular orbit, accompanied by a significant rise in disk temperature. This interpretation is further supported by the increase in the QPO frequency from $\sim1.3$ to $\sim6.6$ Hz. From joint modeling of the disk continuum and reflection component and assuming the distance of 3.4 kpc, we estimate a black hole mass of $10.3^{+5.5}_{-2.5}~M_\odot$, spin of $0.79^{+0.07}_{-0.15}$, and the disk inclination angle of $\sim37\degr$--$53\degr$, which match well with the previously reported spectro-polarimetric measurements. We find a weakly variable or stable disk and a highly variable Comptonized component.