Chandra/High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer Spectroscopy of the Galactic Black Hole GX 339–4: A Relativistic Iron Emission Line and Evidence for a Seyfert-like Warm Absorber

We observed the Galactic black hole GX 339-4 with the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (HETGS) for 75 ks during the decline of its 2002-2003 outburst. The sensitivity of this observation provides an unprecedented glimpse of a Galactic black hole at about a tenth of the luminosity of the outburst peak. The continuum spectrum is well described by a model consisting of multicolor disk blackbody (kT ≃ 0.6 keV) and power-law (Γ ≃ 2.5) components. X-ray reflection models yield improved fits. A strong, relativistic Fe Kα emission line is revealed, indicating that the inner disk extends to the innermost stable circular orbit. The breadth of the line is sufficient to suggest that GX 339-4 may harbor a black hole with significant angular momentum. Absorption lines from H- and He-like O and He-like Ne and Mg are detected, as well as lines that are likely due to Ne II and Ne III. The measured line properties make it difficult to associate the absorption with the coronal phase of the interstellar medium. A scenario wherein the absorption lines are due to an intrinsic AGN-like warm-absorber geometry—perhaps produced by a disk wind in an extended disk-dominated state—may be more viable. We compare our results to Chandra observations of the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1650-500 and discuss our findings in terms of prominent models for Galactic black hole accretion flows and connections to supermassive black holes.

[1]  W. Lewin,et al.  Compact stellar X-ray sources , 2006 .

[2]  J. Tomsick,et al.  Detection of Low-Hard State Spectral and Timing Signatures from the Black Hole X-Ray Transient XTE J1650–500 at Low X-Ray Luminosities , 2003, astro-ph/0307458.

[3]  Cambridge,et al.  Black hole winds , 2003, astro-ph/0305541.

[4]  D. Steeghs,et al.  Dynamical Evidence for a Black Hole in GX 339–4 , 2003, astro-ph/0301127.

[5]  D. Proga.  Numerical Simulations of Mass Outflows Driven from Accretion Disks by Radiation and Magnetic Forces , 2002, astro-ph/0210642.

[6]  Cambridge,et al.  Exploring the role of jets in the radio/X-ray correlations of GX 339-4 , 2002, astro-ph/0210439.

[7]  P. Kaaret,et al.  Large-Scale, Decelerating, Relativistic X-ray Jets from the Microquasar XTE J1550-564 , 2002, Science.

[8]  T. Onaka,et al.  O and Ne K Absorption Edge Structures and Interstellar Abundance toward Cygnus X-2 , 2002, astro-ph/0208290.

[9]  A. C. Fabian,et al.  Black Holes Reveal Their Innermost Secrets , 2002, Science.

[10]  M. J. Freyberg,et al.  Evidence of Spin and Energy Extraction in a Galactic Black Hole Candidate: The XMM-Newton/EPIC-pn Spectrum of XTE J1650–500 , 2002, astro-ph/0202375.

[11]  T. D. Matteo,et al.  Resolving the Composite Fe Kα Emission Line in the Galactic Black Hole Cygnus X-1 with Chandra , 2002, astro-ph/0202083.

[12]  H. Netzer,et al.  Inner-Shell 1s-2p Soft X-Ray Absorption Lines , 2002, astro-ph/0201416.

[13]  M. Nowak,et al.  Coronal-temporal correlations in GX 339-4: hysteresis, possible reflection changes and implications for advection-dominated accretion flows , 2002, astro-ph/0201383.

[14]  C. Shrader,et al.  Observational Signatures of Black Holes: Spectral and Temporal Features of XTE J1550–564 , 2001, astro-ph/0111272.

[15]  D. Steeghs,et al.  The Mass Donor of Scorpius X-1 Revealed , 2001, astro-ph/0107343.

[16]  Andrew King,et al.  Accretion Power in Astrophysics: Contents , 2002 .

[17]  S. Molendi,et al.  XMM-EPIC observation of MCG-6-30-15: direct evidence for the extraction of energy from a spinning black hole? , 2001, astro-ph/0110520.

[18]  A. Fabian,et al.  Weighing black holes with warm absorbers , 2001, astro-ph/0109050.

[19]  N. Schulz,et al.  Double-peaked X-Ray Lines from the Oxygen/Neon-rich Accretion Disk in 4U 1626–67 , 2001, astro-ph/0108208.

[20]  Carlos Allende Prieto,et al.  The Forbidden Abundance of Oxygen in the Sun , 2001, astro-ph/0106360.

[21]  UCLA,et al.  Chandra X-Ray Spectroscopic Imaging of Sagittarius A* and the Central Parsec of the Galaxy , 2001, astro-ph/0102151.

[22]  Sera Markoff,et al.  A jet model for the broadband spectrum of XTE J1118+480. Synchrotron emission from radio to X-rays in the , 2000, astro-ph/0010560.

[23]  S W.,et al.  INTERSTELLAR X-RAY ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY OF OXYGEN, NEON, AND IRON WITH THE CHANDRA LETGS SPECTRUM OF X0614]091 , .

[24]  D. C. hakrabarty,et al.  Double-peaked X-ray Lines from the Oxygen/neon-rich Accretion Disk in 4u 1626−67 , 2001 .

[25]  John C. Raymond,et al.  Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Observations of OY Carinae in Superoutburst , 2000 .

[26]  W. Brandt,et al.  The Discovery of Broad P Cygni X-Ray Lines from Circinus X-1 with the Chandra High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer , 2000, astro-ph/0007406.

[27]  M. Elvis.  A Structure for Quasars , 2000, astro-ph/0008064.

[28]  T. Dotani,et al.  ASCA Observations of the Absorption Line Features from the Superluminal Jet Source GRS 1915+105 , 2000, astro-ph/0003237.

[29]  R. Wijnands,et al.  Correlated X-Ray Spectral and Timing Behavior of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1550–564: A New Interpretation of Black Hole States , 2000, astro-ph/0001163.

[30]  A. Merloni,et al.  On the interpretation of the multicolour disc model for black hole candidates , 1999, astro-ph/9911457.

[31]  A. Fabian,et al.  A complete relativistic ionized accretion disc in Cygnus X-1 , 1999, astro-ph/0103214.

[32]  W. Lewin,et al.  A State Transition of GX 339–4 Observed with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer , 1999 .

[33]  S. Corbel,et al.  Quenching of the Radio Jet during the X-Ray High State of GX 339–4 , 1999, astro-ph/9905121.

[34]  R. Fender,et al.  Low-Luminosity States of the Black Hole Candidate GX 339–4. I. ASCA and Simultaneous Radio/RXTE Observations , 1999, astro-ph/9904123.

[35]  A. Fabian,et al.  X-ray reflection spectra from ionized slabs , 1999, astro-ph/9902325.

[36]  P. Mazzotta,et al.  Ionization Balance for Optically Thin Plasmas: Rate Coefficients for all Atoms and Ions of the Elements H to Ni and implication for the calculated X-ray spectrum , 1998, astro-ph/9806391.

[37]  N. Gehrels,et al.  Detection of Absorption-Line Features in the X-Ray Spectra of the Galactic Superluminal Source GRO J1655–40 , 1998 .

[38]  R. Narayan,et al.  Advection-Dominated Accretion and the Spectral States of Black Hole X-Ray Binaries: Application to Nova Muscae 1991 , 1997, astro-ph/9705237.

[39]  C. Reynolds,et al.  An X-ray spectral study of 24 type 1 active galactic nuclei , 1997 .

[40]  A. Tzioumis,et al.  High-resolution radio observations of the black hole candidate GX 339-4 , 1997 .

[41]  J. Orosz,et al.  An Optical Precursor to the Recent X-Ray Outburst of the Black Hole Binary GRO J1655–40 , 1997, astro-ph/9701098.

[42]  M. Klis,et al.  The EXOSAT Data on GX 339–4: Further Evidence for an “Intermediate” State , 1996, astro-ph/9611015.

[43]  F. Takahara,et al.  On the Spectral Hardening Factor of the X-Ray Emission from Accretion Disks in Black Hole Candidates , 1995 .

[44]  A. Zdziarski,et al.  Angle-dependent Compton reflection of X-rays and gamma-rays , 1995 .

[45]  S. Kitamoto,et al.  Large Hysteretic Behavior of Stellar Black Hole Candidate X-Ray Binaries , 1995 .

[46]  J. Raymond.  A model of an X-ray-illuminated accretion disk and corona , 1993 .

[47]  S. Kitamoto,et al.  Another Canonical Time Variation of X-Rays from Black Hole Candidates in the Very High Flare State? , 1993 .

[48]  Kazuhiro Kimura,et al.  X-ray variability of GX 339 - 4 in its very high state , 1991 .

[49]  T. Steiman-Cameron,et al.  A 190 second periodicity in the optical emission of the enigmatic X-ray source GX 339-4 , 1990 .

[50]  J. Dickey,et al.  H I in the Galaxy , 1990 .

[51]  Nicholas E. White,et al.  X-ray fluorescence from the inner disc in Cygnus X-1 , 1989 .

[52]  John C. Raymond,et al.  IUE observations of the dwarf nova HL Canis Majoris and the winds of cataclysmic variables , 1987 .

[53]  J. Drew.  Inclination and orbital-phase-dependent resonance line-profile calculations applied to cataclysmic variable winds , 1987 .

[54]  D. Raine,et al.  Accretion power in astrophysics , 1985 .

[55]  R. McCray,et al.  X-ray nebular models , 1982 .

[56]  D. York,et al.  Neutral interstellar gas toward epsilon Persei - H I, H2, D I, N I, O I, and AR I , 1982 .