Kavli Affiliate: Melania Nynka
| First 5 Authors: Shifra Mandel, Shifra Mandel, , ,
| Summary:
For the first time in nearly a decade, a new, bright transient was detected
in the central parsec (pc) of the Galaxy. MAXI J1744-294 was never observed in
outburst prior to January 2025. We present the results of a broadband,
multi-wavelength study of this enigmatic source, including data from the
NuSTAR, Chandra, XMM-Newton, Swift, and NICER X-ray telescopes, as well as
complementary radio and near-infrared observations. We find that MAXI J1744-294
remained in the bright/soft state throughout the first months of 2025. Spectral
hardening was observed in April 2025, followed by a decline in flux. Based on
the spectral and temporal characteristics of the source, we identify MAXI
J1744-294 as a candidate black hole (BH) low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) $-$ the
fourth candidate BH transient discovered within a (projected) distance of one
pc from the Galactic supermassive black hole Sgr A*. This discovery provides
further evidence for a cusp of BH-LMXBs in the central pc of our Galaxy, as
argued for in previous observational work and suggested by analytical and
theoretical work. Our multi wavelength study, involving a complementary range
of observatories and spanning different outburst states, can serve as a model
for future time domain astrophysics research.
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