The curious case of Swift J1753.5-0127: a black hole low-mass X-ray binary analogue to Z cam type dwarf novae
The curious case of Swift J1753.5-0127: a black hole low-mass X-ray binary analogue to Z cam type dwarf novae
 
  Swift J1753.5-0127 (J1753) is a candidate black hole low-mass X-ray binary (BH-LMXB) that was discovered in outburst in 2005 May. It remained in outburst for ~12 yr, exhibiting a wide range of variability on various time-scales, before entering quiescence after two shortlived, low-luminosity 'mini-outbursts' in 2017 April. The unusually long outburst duration in such a short-period (Porb ≈ 3.24 hr) source, and complex variability observed during this outburst period, challenges the predictions of the widely accepted disc-instability model, which has been shown to broadly reproduce the behaviour of LMXB systems well. The long-term behaviour observed in J1753 is reminiscent of the Z Cam class of dwarf novae, whereby variablemass transfer from the companion star drives unusual outbursts, characterized by stalled decays and abrupt changes in luminosity. Using sophisticated modelling of the multiwavelength light curves and spectra of J1753, during the ~12 yr the source was active, we investigate the hypothesis that periods of enhanced mass transfer from the companion star may have driven this unusually long outburst. Our modelling suggests that J1753 is in fact a BH-LMXB analogue to Z Cam systems, where the variable mass transfer from the companion star is driven by the changing irradiation properties of the system, affecting both the disc and companion star.
Accretion, Accretion discs, Black hole physics, Stars: individual: Swift J1753.5-0127, X-rays: binaries
  
  
  1840-1857
  
    
      Shaw, A.W.
      
        9c5f77a2-2870-47a2-a7bb-9fb5ae71cb93
      
     
  
    
      Tetarenko, B.E.
      
        b62ce163-46fb-4989-b805-b6b2b5a78121
      
     
  
    
      Dubus, G.
      
        5c058290-e721-4e76-9ed9-1fe57a4128e4
      
     
  
    
      Dinçer, T.
      
        2a828a95-d8ff-4721-b0e7-85899e64e998
      
     
  
    
      Tomsick, J.A.
      
        96b2e8cc-70c1-424a-8380-2551a5077ff5
      
     
  
    
      Gandhi, P.
      
        5bc3b5af-42b0-4dd8-8f1f-f74048d4d4a9
      
     
  
    
      Plotkin, R.M.
      
        588c7172-8fd8-4651-a8bf-6bbf72a36edd
      
     
  
    
      Russell, D.M.
      
        4e70ebbc-c1e4-4a87-8aaa-f7047f34c0d8
      
     
  
  
   
  
  
    
    
  
    
    
  
    
      11 January 2019
    
    
  
  
    
      Shaw, A.W.
      
        9c5f77a2-2870-47a2-a7bb-9fb5ae71cb93
      
     
  
    
      Tetarenko, B.E.
      
        b62ce163-46fb-4989-b805-b6b2b5a78121
      
     
  
    
      Dubus, G.
      
        5c058290-e721-4e76-9ed9-1fe57a4128e4
      
     
  
    
      Dinçer, T.
      
        2a828a95-d8ff-4721-b0e7-85899e64e998
      
     
  
    
      Tomsick, J.A.
      
        96b2e8cc-70c1-424a-8380-2551a5077ff5
      
     
  
    
      Gandhi, P.
      
        5bc3b5af-42b0-4dd8-8f1f-f74048d4d4a9
      
     
  
    
      Plotkin, R.M.
      
        588c7172-8fd8-4651-a8bf-6bbf72a36edd
      
     
  
    
      Russell, D.M.
      
        4e70ebbc-c1e4-4a87-8aaa-f7047f34c0d8
      
     
  
       
    
 
  
    
      
  
  
  
  
  
  
    Shaw, A.W., Tetarenko, B.E., Dubus, G., Dinçer, T., Tomsick, J.A., Gandhi, P., Plotkin, R.M. and Russell, D.M.
  
  
  
  
   
    (2019)
  
  
    
    The curious case of Swift J1753.5-0127: a black hole low-mass X-ray binary analogue to Z cam type dwarf novae.
  
  
  
  
    Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 482 (2), .
  
   (doi:10.1093/mnras/sty2787). 
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
    
    
      
        
          Abstract
          Swift J1753.5-0127 (J1753) is a candidate black hole low-mass X-ray binary (BH-LMXB) that was discovered in outburst in 2005 May. It remained in outburst for ~12 yr, exhibiting a wide range of variability on various time-scales, before entering quiescence after two shortlived, low-luminosity 'mini-outbursts' in 2017 April. The unusually long outburst duration in such a short-period (Porb ≈ 3.24 hr) source, and complex variability observed during this outburst period, challenges the predictions of the widely accepted disc-instability model, which has been shown to broadly reproduce the behaviour of LMXB systems well. The long-term behaviour observed in J1753 is reminiscent of the Z Cam class of dwarf novae, whereby variablemass transfer from the companion star drives unusual outbursts, characterized by stalled decays and abrupt changes in luminosity. Using sophisticated modelling of the multiwavelength light curves and spectra of J1753, during the ~12 yr the source was active, we investigate the hypothesis that periods of enhanced mass transfer from the companion star may have driven this unusually long outburst. Our modelling suggests that J1753 is in fact a BH-LMXB analogue to Z Cam systems, where the variable mass transfer from the companion star is driven by the changing irradiation properties of the system, affecting both the disc and companion star.
         
      
      
        
          
            
  
    Text
 sty2787
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      Available under License Other.
    
  
 
          
            
          
            
           
            
           
        
        
       
    
   
  
  
  More information
  
    
      Accepted/In Press date: 1 October 2018
 
    
      e-pub ahead of print date: 18 October 2018
 
    
      Published date: 11 January 2019
 
    
  
  
    
  
    
     
        Additional Information:
        This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2018 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
      
    
  
    
  
    
  
    
  
    
     
        Keywords:
        Accretion, Accretion discs, Black hole physics, Stars: individual: Swift J1753.5-0127, X-rays: binaries
      
    
  
    
  
    
  
  
  
    
  
    
  
  
        Identifiers
        Local EPrints ID: 427455
        URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/427455
        
          
        
        
        
          ISSN: 1365-2966
        
        
          PURE UUID: 1cd350a1-5fc4-4546-b7f0-a0c044f588ac
        
  
    
        
          
        
    
        
          
        
    
        
          
        
    
        
          
        
    
        
          
        
    
        
          
            
              
            
          
        
    
        
          
        
    
        
          
            
          
        
    
  
  Catalogue record
  Date deposited: 16 Jan 2019 17:30
  Last modified: 10 Apr 2025 01:52
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      Contributors
      
          
          Author:
          
            
            
              A.W. Shaw
            
          
        
      
          
          Author:
          
            
            
              B.E. Tetarenko
            
          
        
      
          
          Author:
          
            
            
              G. Dubus
            
          
        
      
          
          Author:
          
            
            
              T. Dinçer
            
          
        
      
          
          Author:
          
            
            
              J.A. Tomsick
            
          
        
      
        
      
          
          Author:
          
            
            
              R.M. Plotkin
            
          
        
      
          
          Author:
          
            
              
              
                D.M. Russell
              
              
            
            
          
        
      
      
      
    
  
   
  
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