arXiv subjects

J. C. A. Miller-Jones

Publications and source records attributed to J. C. A. Miller-Jones.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Tidal Disruption Events with the SKA

Tidal disruption events (TDEs) and related nuclear transients probe jet launching, disk formation and circularization, particle acceleration, and the circumnuclear medium (CNM). However, the small fraction of events launching relativistic jets, the weak or delayed radio emission of many thermal TDEs, and the black-hole demographics of galactic nuclei remain poorly understood. SKA, with microJy sensitivity, wide bandwidth, long baselines, rapid response, and commensal surveys across 50-350 MHz (SKA-Low) and 0.35-15.4 GHz (SKA-Mid), will transform this field. Its sensitivity, frequency coverage, and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) capability will extend radio calorimetry from a few well-studied nearby events to volume-limited samples of non-relativistic outflows. The SKA will bring off-axis and mildly relativistic jets into routine reach, trace CNM density profiles through the evolution of the low-frequency synchrotron turnover, and localize faint off-nuclear transients with sub-arcsecond precision. These data will constrain jet incidence, energetics, geometry, and magnetization, map the CNM through shock interactions, test links to changing-look active galactic nuclei (AGN) and high-energy neutrinos, and identify off-nuclear events associated with recoiling supermassive or intermediate-mass black holes. We discuss the benefits of commensal surveys, rapid triggering, and SKA-VLBI, and provide predictions based on the projected performance of AA* and AA4. SKA will shift TDE radio studies from detailed case-by-case studies to population-scale inference, advancing studies of jet physics and black-hole demographics.

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arXiv2026

Large-amplitude modulations and hours-timescale variability in the early X-ray light curve of a tidal disruption flare

We present new X-ray, optical, and UV observations of the tidal disruption event candidate eRASSt J234402.9-352640, (hereafter J2344). Between 50 and 60 days after peak optical brightness, J2344 exhibited large-amplitude modulations in its 0.2-2 keV emission, when the flux repeatedly dimmed and re-brightened by a factor of ~6, over a ~3-day timescale. These modulations exhibited harder-when-brighter behaviour but were not detected in high-cadence observations obtained 60-70 days and 170-200 days after peak optical brightness, when the system instead exhibited stochastic X-ray variability over timescales of hours. We discuss the different physical mechanisms responsible for such exotic X-ray variability and explore the possibility that the modulations in J2344 were caused by the Lense-Thirring precession of the inner accretion flow around the disrupting black hole.

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arXiv2025

Low-frequency spectra of neutron star + OB supergiant binaries: Does wind density drive persistent and flaring modes of accretion?

Neutron star high-mass X-ray binaries are well-studied in wavebands between the infrared and hard X-rays. Their low-frequency millimeter and radio properties, on the other hand, remain poorly understood. We present observations of the millimeter and radio emission of binaries where a neutron star accretes from an OB supergiant. We report ALMA and NOEMA millimeter observations of twelve systems, supplemented by VLA radio observations of six of those targets. Our targets include six Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SgXBs), four Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), and two intermediate systems. Nine out of twelve targets, including all SFXTs, are detected in at least one millimeter band, while in the radio, only two targets are detected. All detected targets display inverted radio/millimeter spectra, with spectral indices in the range $α=0.6-0.8$ for those systems where accurate SED fits could be performed. We conclude, firstly, that the low-frequency SEDs of neutron star SFXTs and SgXBs are dominated by free-free emission from the OB supergiant's stellar wind, and that jet emission is unlikely to be observed unless the systems can be detected at sub-GHz frequencies. Secondly, we find that SFXTs are fainter at 100 GHz than prototypical SgXBs, probably due to systematically less dense winds in the former, as supported further by the differences in their fluorescence Fe K$α$ lines. We furthermore compare the stellar wind constraints obtained from our millimeter observations with those from IR/optical/UV studies and bow shock detections, and present evidence for long-term stellar wind variability visible in the thermal emission.

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arXiv2025

The Mid-infrared Emitting Jet in the Black Hole V404 Cygni in Quiescence

Observations of some quiescent black hole X-ray binaries have revealed an excess of mid-infrared (MIR) emission above that expected from their donor stars. In one system, V404 Cygni, this excess has been variously suggested to arise from the accretion disk, circumbinary material, or a compact relativistic jet. Here we present simultaneous James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and complementary multi-wavelength observations undertaken to resolve this uncertainty. We observed large-amplitude 21 $μ$m variability on short timescales with JWST, particularly a dramatic flare which swiftly rose to $\approx2.4$ mJy, over 10 times the lowest observed MIR flux density. Similar variability was simultaneously observed from radio to X-ray wavelengths with other facilities throughout the campaign. This variability and the flat radio/mm/MIR spectral index ($α= 0.04 \pm 0.01$) suggest that the MIR excess at and longward of 21 $μ$m in V404 Cyg does not arise from the accretion disk or circumbinary material. Instead, the emission at 21 $μ$m is dominated by synchrotron radiation from a jet which persists into quiescence. This result reinforces the ubiquity of the disk-jet connection in accreting black holes across a range of masses and accretion rates.

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arXiv2025

The peculiar hard state behaviour of the black hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613

Tracking the correlation between radio and X-ray luminosities during black hole X-ray binary outbursts is a key diagnostic of the coupling between accretion inflows (traced by X-rays) and relativistic jet outflows (traced by radio). We present the radio--X-ray correlation of the black hole low-mass X-ray binary Swift~J1727.8$-$1613 during its 2023--2024 outburst. Our observations span a broad dynamic range, covering $\sim$4 orders of magnitude in radio luminosity and $\sim$6.5 in X-ray luminosity. This source follows an unusually radio-quiet track, exhibiting significantly lower radio luminosities at a given X-ray luminosity than both the standard (radio-loud) track and most previously known radio-quiet systems. Across most of the considered distance range ($D {\sim} 1.5-4.3$ kpc), Swift~J1727.8$-$1613 appears to be the most radio-quiet black hole binary identified to date. For distances ${\geq} 4$ kpc, while Swift~J1727.8$-$1613 becomes comparable to one other extremely radio-quiet system, its peak X-ray luminosity (${\gtrsim} 5{\times}10^{38}$ erg/s) exceeds that of any previously reported hard-state black hole low-mass X-ray binary, emphasising the extremity of this outburst. Additionally, for the first time in a radio-quiet system, we identify the onset of X-ray spectral softening to coincide with a change in trajectory through the radio--X-ray plane. We assess several proposed explanations for radio-quiet behaviour in black hole systems in light of this dataset. As with other such sources, however, no single mechanism fully accounts for the observed properties, highlighting the importance of regular monitoring and the value of comprehensive (quasi-)simultaneous datasets.

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arXiv2025

The NICER view of Scorpius X-1

The Neutron Star X-ray binary Sco X-1 is one of the brightest Z-type sources in our Galaxy, showing frequent periods of flaring activity and different types of relativistic outflows. Observations with RXTE have shown that the strongest X-ray variability appears in the transition from/to the flaring state. During this transition, it has been proposed that two particular types of quasi-periodic oscillations might be connected with the ejection of the so-called ultra-relativistic flows. In this paper, we present an analysis of the first NICER observations of Sco X-1 obtained during a multi-wavelenght campaign conducted in February 2019, in order to characterise the properties of QPOs as the system evolves through its various accretion states. We compute a light-curve and a Hardness-Intensity diagram to track the evolution of the source spectral properties, while we investigate the X-ray time variability with a Dynamical Power Density Spectrum. To trace the temporal evolution of QPOs, we segment the dataset into shorter, continuous intervals, and compute and fit the averaged PDS for each interval. Our analysis shows that the overall behaviour of the source is consistent with the literature; strong QPOs around 6 Hz are detected on the normal branch, while transitions to/from the flaring branch -- occurring over timescales of a few hundreds of seconds -- are characterised by rapid, weaker quasi-periodic variability reaching frequencies up to 15 Hz. Despite limited statistical significance, we also identify faint, transient timing features above 20 Hz, occasionally coexisting with the prominent 6 Hz QPOs. Although tentative, the existence of these features in the NICER data is crucial for interpreting the simultaneous radio observations from the same multi-wavelength campaign, potentially reinforcing the connection between the ejection of relativistic outflows and the accretion states in Sco X-1.

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arXiv2025

A systematic analysis of the radio properties of 22 X-ray selected tidal disruption event candidates with the Australia Telescope Compact Array

We present a systematic analysis of the radio properties of an X-ray selected sample of tidal disruption event (TDE) candidates discovered by the eROSITA telescope. We find radio sources coincident with half of the transient events (11 TDEs), with 8 radio sources showing statistically significant variability over a 6-month period. We model the radio spectra of 6 sources with sufficiently bright radio emission and find the sources show radio spectra consistent with optically thin synchrotron emission and radio outflow minimum radii of $10^{16}$--$10^{17}$ cm, velocities 0.01--0.05 c, and energies $10^{48}$--$10^{51}$ erg. On comparison with the radio properties of an optically-selected TDE sample at similar late times, we find no significant difference in the radio luminosity range or radio detection rate. We find a tentative positive trend with peak radio and X-ray luminosity, but require further observations to determine if this is real or due to observational bias due to the large range in distances of the events. Interestingly, none of the X-ray selected events show late rising radio emission, compared to 45% of radio-detected sources of an optically-selected sample that showed late rising radio emission. We propose that this may indicate that many TDEs launch radio outflows at or near peak X-ray luminosity, which can be significantly delayed from peak optical luminosity. This study presents the first systematic analysis of the radio properties of an X-ray selected sample of TDEs, and gives insight into the possible link between the physical processes that power X-ray and radio emission in TDEs.

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arXiv2025

A MeerKAT survey of nearby dwarf novae: I. New detections

A program to search for radio emission from dwarf-novae-type cataclysmic variables was conducted with the South African MeerKAT radio telescope. The dwarf novae RU Pegasi, V426 Ophiuchi and IP Pegasi were detected during outburst at L-band (1284 MHz central frequency). Previously, only one cataclysmic variable was radio-detected at a frequency this low. We now bring the number to four. With these three newly found radio-emitters, the population of dwarf novae confirmed to be radio-emitting at any frequency reaches 10 systems. We found that the radio luminosity is correlated with the optical luminosity. For V426 Ophiuchi and RU Pegasi we found a radio decline contemporary with the outburst's optical decline. The peak radio luminosity of dwarf novae in outburst is very similar to that of novalike Cataclysmic Variables and no correlation with orbital period is seen.

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arXiv2025

Jet break revealed in the transitional millisecond pulsar candidate 4FGL J0427.8-6704

Understanding the formation and properties of relativistic jets from accreting compact objects has far-reaching implications in astrophysics. Transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) - a class of neutron stars transitioning between radio pulsar and accretion states - offer a unique opportunity to study jet behavior within a low-level accretion regime around fast-spinning, magnetized neutron stars. We analyzed archival spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for both confirmed and candidate tMSPs from literature and various databases, aiming to identify jet spectra and determine physical conditions within these jets. For the tMSP candidate 4FGL J0427.8-6704, a high-inclination system that displays eclipses in optical, X-ray, and $γ$-ray wavelengths, we derived a jet break frequency at $ν_{\rm br} \approx 10^{11}$ Hz and determined properties of the jet base using a conical jet model (opening angle of $ϕ< 32^\circ$, magnetic field strength of $B_{0}\sim100$ G, and radius of $R_{0}\sim10^{10}$ cm). Observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array reveal an average flux density of 0.4 mJy, with flares reaching up to 2 mJy on short (seconds) timescales. No eclipses were detected in the millimeter light curves, suggesting the jet base is farther from the central source than in other X-ray binaries ($z_{0}>7\times10^{10}$ cm). We also investigated SEDs of other confirmed and candidate tMSPs but did not find well-defined jet spectral breaks. However, a mid-infrared flux excess in tMSP XSS J12270-4859 suggests that the compact jet emission may extend into near-infrared or optical wavelengths. These results provide new insights into jet formation in tMSPs, highlighting the need for further multi-wavelength observations to fully characterize jet behavior in similar low-accretion systems.

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arXiv2025

Peculiar radio-bright behaviour of the Galactic black hole transient 4U 1543-47 in the 2021-2023 outburst

Correlated behaviours between the radio emission and the X-ray emission in Galactic black hole X-ray binaries (BH XRBs) in the X-ray hard state are crucial to the understanding of disc-jet coupling of accreting black holes. The BH transient 4U 1543-47 went into outburst in 2021 following ~19 years of quiescence. We followed it up with ~weekly cadence with MeerKAT for about one year and a half until it faded into quiescence. Multi-epoch quasi-simultaneous MeerKAT and X-ray observations allowed us to trace the compact jet emission and its X-ray emission. In its hard spectral state across three orders of magnitude of X-ray luminosities above ~10$^{34}$ ergs/s, we found the correlation between radio and X-ray emission had a power-law index of 0.82$\pm$0.09, steeper than the canonical value of ~0.6 for BH XRBs. In addition, the radio vs. X-ray correlation shows a large range of the power-law normalization, with the maximum significantly larger than that obtained for most BH XRBs, indicating it can be particularly radio-bright and variable in the X-ray binary sample. The radio emission is unlikely diluted by discrete jet components. The observed peculiar radio-bright and variable behaviours provide the evidence for the relativistic effects of a variable Lorentz factor in the range between 1 and ~2 of the compact jet.

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arXiv2024

A second radio flare from the tidal disruption event AT2020vwl: a delayed outflow ejection?

We present the discovery of a second radio flare from the tidal disruption event (TDE) AT2020vwl via long-term monitoring radio observations. Late-time radio flares from TDEs are being discovered more commonly, with many TDEs showing radio emission 1000s of days after the stellar disruption, but the mechanism that powers these late-time flares is uncertain. Here we present radio spectral observations of the first and second radio flares observed from the TDE AT2020vwl. Through detailed radio spectral monitoring, we find evidence for two distinct outflow ejection episodes, or a period of renewed energy injection into the pre-existing outflow. We deduce that the second radio flare is powered by an outflow that is initially slower than the first flare, but carries more energy and accelerates over time. Through modelling the long-term optical and UV emission from the TDE as arising from an accretion disc, we infer that the second radio outflow launch or energy injection episode occurred approximately at the time of peak accretion rate. The fast decay of the second flare precludes environmental changes as an explanation, while the velocity of the outflow is at all times too low to be explained by an off-axis relativistic jet. Future observations that search for any link between the accretion disc properties and late time radio flares from TDEs will aid in understanding what powers the radio outflows in TDEs, and confirm if multiple outflow ejections or energy injection episodes are common.

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arXiv2024

The variable radio jet of the accreting neutron star the Rapid Burster

The Rapid Burster is a unique neutron star low-mass X-ray binary system, showing both thermonuclear Type-I and accretion-driven Type-II X-ray bursts. Recent studies have demonstrated how coordinated observations of X-ray and radio variability can constrain jet properties of accreting neutron stars - particularly when the X-ray variability is dominated by discrete changes. We present a simultaneous VLA, Swift, and INTEGRAL observing campaign of the Rapid Burster to investigate whether its jet responds to Type-II bursts. We observe the radio counterpart of the X-ray binary at its faintest-detected radio luminosity, while the X-ray observations reveal prolific, fast X-ray bursting. A time-resolved analysis reveals that the radio counterpart varies significantly between observing scans, displaying a fractional variability of $38 \pm 5$%. The radio faintness of the system prevents the robust identification of a causal relation between individual Type-II bursts and the evolution of the radio jet. However, based on a comparison of its low radio luminosity with archival Rapid Burster observations and other accreting neutron stars, and on a qualitative assessment of the X-ray and radio light curves, we explore the presence of a tentative connection between bursts and jet: i.e., the Type-II bursts may weaken or strengthen the jet. The former of those two scenarios would fit with magneto-rotational jet models; we discuss three lines of future research to establish this potential relation between Type-II bursts and jets more confidently.

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arXiv2024

Rapid Mid-Infrared Spectral-Timing with JWST. I. The prototypical black hole X-ray Binary GRS 1915+105 during a MIR-bright and X-ray-obscured state

We present mid-infrared (MIR) spectral-timing measurements of the prototypical Galactic microquasar GRS 1915+105. The source was observed with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) onboard JWST in June 2023 at a MIR luminosity L(MIR)~10^{36} erg/s exceeding past IR levels by about a factor of 10. By contrast, the X-ray flux is much fainter than the historical average, in the source's now-persistent 'obscured' state. The MIRI low-resolution spectrum shows a plethora of emission lines, the strongest of which are consistent with recombination in the hydrogen Pfund (Pf) series and higher. Low amplitude (~1%) but highly significant peak-to-peak photometric variability is found on timescales of ~1,000 s. The brightest Pf(6-5) emission line lags the continuum. Though difficult to constrain accurately, this lag is commensurate with light-travel timescales across the outer accretion disc or with expected recombination timescales inferred from emission line diagnostics. Using the emission line as a bolometric indicator suggests a moderate (~5-30% Eddington) intrinsic accretion rate. Multiwavelength monitoring shows that JWST caught the source close in-time to unprecedentedly bright MIR and radio long-term flaring. Assuming a thermal bremsstrahlung origin for the MIRI continuum suggests an unsustainably high mass-loss rate during this time unless the wind remains bound, though other possible origins cannot be ruled out. PAH features previously detected with Spitzer are now less clear in the MIRI data, arguing for possible destruction of dust in the interim. These results provide a preview of new parameter space for exploring MIR spectral-timing in XRBs and other variable cosmic sources on rapid timescales.

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arXiv2024

Variable radio emission of neutron star X-ray binary Ser X-1 during its persistent soft state

Ser X-1 is a low mass neutron star X-ray binary and has been persistently accreting since its discovery in the 1960s. It has always been observed to be in a soft spectral state and has never showed substantial long-term X-ray variability. Ser X-1 has one previous radio observation in the literature in which radio emission was detected during this soft state, which is contrary to the behavior of black hole X-ray binaries. We have recently obtained 10 randomly sampled radio epochs of Ser X-1 in order to further investigate its anomalous soft state radio emission. Out of 10 epochs, we find 8 non-detections and 2 detections at 10 GHz flux densities of 19.9 +/- 4.2 uJy and 32.2 +/- 3.6 uJy. We do not detect polarization in either epoch, ruling out very high polarization levels (< 63% and 34%). We compare these Ser X-1 results to other X-ray binaries and consider explanations for its long term variable radio behavior.

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arXiv2024

Rapid evolution of the recurrence time in the repeating partial tidal disruption event eRASSt J045650.3-203750

In this letter, we present the results from further X-ray and UV observations of the nuclear transient eRASSt J045650.3-203750 (hereafter J0456-20). We detected five repeating X-ray and UV flares from J0456-20, making it one of the most promising repeating partial tidal disruption event (pTDE) candidates. More importantly, we also found rapid changes in the recurrence time $T_\text{recur}$ of the X-ray flares by modelling the long-term X-ray light curve of J0456-20. $T_\text{recur}$ first decreased rapidly from about 300 days to around 230 days. It continued to decrease to around 190 days with an indication of a constant $T_\text{recur}$ evidenced from the latest three cycles. Our hydrodynamic simulations suggest that, in the repeating pTDE scenario, such rapid evolution of $T_\text{recur}$ could be reproduced if the original star is a $1~\mathrm{M}_\odot$ main-sequence star near the terminal age and loses nearly 80-90% of its mass during the initial encounter with a supermassive black hole (SMBH) of mass around $10^5~\mathrm{M}_\odot$. The inferred mass loss of 0.8-0.9 $\mathrm{M}_\odot$ is higher than the estimated value of around 0.13 $\mathrm{M}_\odot$ from observation, which could be explained if the radiation efficiency is low (i.e. $\ll0.1$). Our results indicate that repeating pTDEs could be effective tools to explore the dynamics around supermassive black holes beyond our own Galaxy.

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arXiv2024

The more the merrier: SRG/eROSITA discovers two further galaxies showing X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions

X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are a novel addition to the group of extragalactic transients. In this work, we report the discovery of two further galaxies showing QPEs, eRO-QPE3 and eRO-QPE4, with the eROSITA X-ray telescope on board the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma observatory. Among the properties in common with those of known QPEs are: the thermal-like spectral shape in eruption (up to $kT\sim110-120$ eV) and quiescence ($kT\sim50-90$ eV) and its evolution during the eruptions (with a harder rise than decay); the lack of strong canonical signatures of active nuclei (from current optical, UV, infrared and radio data); and the low-mass nature of the host galaxies ($\log M_*\approx 9-10$) and their massive central black holes ($\log M_{\rm BH}\approx 5-7$). These discoveries also bring several new insights into the QPE population: i) eRO-QPE3 shows eruptions on top of a decaying quiescence flux, providing further evidence for a connection between QPEs and a preceding tidal disruption event; ii) eRO-QPE3 exhibits the longest recurrence times and faintest peak luminosity of QPEs, compared to the known QPE population, excluding a correlation between the two; iii) we find evidence, for the first time, of a transient component that is harder, albeit much fainter, than the thermal QPE spectrum in eRO-QPE4; and iv) eRO-QPE4 displays the appearance (or significant brightening) of the quiescence disk component after the detection of QPEs, supporting its short-lived nature against a preexisting active galactic nucleus. Overall, the newly discovered properties (e.g., recent origin and/or transient nature of the quiescent accretion disk; lack of correlation between eruption recurrence timescales and luminosity) are qualitatively consistent with recent models that identify QPEs as extreme mass-ratio inspirals.

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arXiv2024

A radio flare associated with the nuclear transient eRASSt J234403-352640: an outflow launched by a potential tidal disruption event

We present an extensive radio monitoring campaign of the nuclear transient eRASSt J234403-352640 with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, one of the most X-ray luminous TDE candidates discovered by the SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey. The observations reveal a radio flare lasting more than 1000 d, coincident with the X-ray, UV, optical, and infra-red flare of this transient event. Through modelling of the 10 epochs of radio spectral observations obtained, we find that the radio emission is well-described by an expanding synchrotron emitting region, consisting of a single ejection of material launched coincident with the optical flare. We conclude that the radio flare properties of eRASSt J234403-352640 are consistent with the population of radio-emitting outflows launched by non-relativistic tidal disruption events, and that the flare is likely due to an outflow launched by a tidal disruption event (but could also be a due to a new AGN accretion event) in a previously turned-off AGN.

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arXiv2023

SAX J1810.8-2609: An Outbursting Neutron Star X-ray Binary with Persistent Spatially Coincident Radio Emission

Here we report on joint X-ray and radio monitoring of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary SAX J1810.8-2609. Our monitoring covered the entirety of its ~5 month outburst in 2021, revealing a temporal correlation between its radio and X-ray luminosity and X-ray spectral properties consistent with a `hard-only' outburst. During the outburst, the best-fit radio position shows significant variability, suggesting emission from multiple locations on the sky. Furthermore, our 2023 follow-up observations revealed a persistent, unresolved, steep spectrum radio source ~2 years after SAX J1810.8-2609 returned to X-ray quiescence. We investigated potential origins of the persistent emission, which included an unrelated background source, long-lasting jet ejection(s), and SAX J1810 as a transitional millisecond pulsar. While the chance coincidence probability is low (<0.16%), an unrelated background source remains the most likely scenario. SAX J1810.8-2609 goes into outburst every ~5 years, so monitoring of the source during its next outburst at higher sensitivities and improved spatial resolutions (e.g., with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array or Square Kilometre Array) should be able to identify two components (if the persistent emission originates from a background source). If only one source is observed, this would be strong evidence that the persistent emission is local SAX J1810.8-2609, and future monitoring campaigns should focus on understanding the underlying physical mechanisms, as no neutron star X-ray binary has shown a persistent radio signal absent any simultaneous X-ray emission.

astro-ph.HE↗