The effect of thermal winds on the outbursts evolution of LMXB systems

Abstract

Theoretical models of accretion discs and observational data indicate that the X-ray emission from the inner parts of an accretion disc can irradiate its outer regions and induce a thermal wind, which carries away the mass and angular momentum from the disc. Our aim is to investigate the influence of the thermal wind on the outburst light curves of black hole X-ray binary systems. We carry out numerical simulations of a non-stationary disc accretion with wind using upgraded open code freddi. We assume that the wind launches only from the ionised part of the disc and may turn off if the latter shrinks fast enough. Our estimates of the viscosity parameter $\alpha$ are shifted downward compared to a scenario without a wind. Generally, correction of $\alpha$ depends on the spectral hardness of central X-rays and the disc outer radius, but unlikely to exceed a factor of 10 in the case of a black hole low-mass X-ray binary (BH LMXB). We fit 2002 outburst of BH LMXB 4U 1543-47 taking into account the thermal wind. The mass loss in the thermal wind is of order of the accretion rate on the central object at the peak of the outburst. New estimate of the viscosity parameter $\alpha$ for the accretion disc in this system is about two times lower than the previous one. Additionally, we calculate evolution of the number of hydrogen atoms towards 4U 1543-47 due to the thermal wind from the hot disc.