Kavli Affiliate: Erin Kara
| First 5 Authors: Emrah Kalemci, Erin Kara, John A. Tomsick, ,
| Summary:
We review the timing and spectral evolution of black hole X-ray binary
systems, with emphasis on the current accretion-ejection paradigm. When in
outburst, stellar mass black hole binaries may become the brightest X-ray
sources in the sky. Analysis of high signal to noise data has resulted in a
general framework of correlated X-ray spectral and fast timing behavior during
an outburst. We utilize recent data from small but powerful observatories
launched in the last decade supported by multi-wavelength ground-based
observations. Coordinated observations showed that outflows (in the form of
jets and winds) are an integral part of this evolution, providing a coherent
phenomenological picture that we discuss in terms of the hardness-intensity
diagram and spectral states. We pay particular attention to the evolution of
broad and narrow emission and absorption lines and hard tails in the energy
spectrum, quasi-periodic oscillations, lags and reverberation from fast timing
studies, making the connections with multi-wavelength observations when
relevant. We use the bright outburst of MAXI J1820+070 as a recent test case to
discuss different aspects of spectral and timing evolution, but the data and
results are not limited to this source. In the second part of the review, we
discuss competing theoretical models that can explain different aspects of the
rich phenomenology. Data from future missions and simulation results will have
the power to resolve discrepancies in these models and black hole binary
research will continue to be an exciting field that allows for tests of
fundamental physics and studies of the properties of matter in strong
gravitational fields.
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