arXiv subjects

Pei Jin

Publications and source records attributed to Pei Jin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Cross-spectral Analysis of the Type-C Quasi-periodic Oscillation Shoulder Component in GX 339-4

We revisit Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of GX~339$-$4 during the rising phase of its 2006/2007 outburst and apply a joint power-density-spectrum (PDS)--cross-spectrum (CS) decomposition to the type-C quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) region. Within this framework, the QPO region is described by a narrow QPO fundamental and a neighboring high-frequency shoulder, whose amplitudes and phase lags can be measured separately. The shoulder is first detected at MJD~54142.04, mainly through the imaginary part of the CS and a narrow local structure in the phase-lag spectrum, before becoming a resolved high-frequency shoulder in the PDS. It follows the QPO frequency evolution on the high-frequency side, with $R_{\nu}=\nu_{\rm sh}/\nu_{\rm QPO}\simeq1.04$--$1.18$. The QPO lag remains small, typically below $\sim0.17$~rad, whereas the shoulder carries a larger hard lag of $\sim0.5$--$0.8$~rad. Energy-resolved fits show the same separation: the QPO lag is close to zero or only weakly positive across most of the energy band, while the shoulder lag is systematically larger and generally increases with photon energy. The two components have broadly similar rms--energy shapes, although their relative strengths evolve during the observed sequence. Although the shoulder remains broad, with $Q\sim2$--$4$, its lag and rms--energy behavior resemble those of the type-B QPO detected shortly after our observations. This similarity raises the interesting possibility that the shoulder is related to an earlier, broader stage of the variability later seen as the type-B QPO.

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arXiv2026

Discovery of a quasi-periodic oscillation non-harmonically related to the Type-C QPO in the hard intermedidate state of MAXI J1820+070

We present a detailed timing analysis of the transition from the hard-intermediate state (HIMS) to the soft-intermediate state (SIMS) in MAXI J1820+070 using NICER observations. This transition is marked by a sharp drop of the broadband noise across both the soft and hard X-ray bands, the disappearance of the Type-C quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO), the quenching of the steady, optically thick, compact jet, the appearance of a Type-B QPO, and the detection of discrete, optically thin, radio ejections. For the first time, we detect a QPO at 3.5-5.9 Hz in the 2-12 keV power density spectrum of MAXI J1820+070 roughly half a day before the transition, which appears to evolve smoothly into the Type-B QPO observed immediately after the transition. The location of this additional QPO component in the broadband rms vs. QPO frequency plot is consistent with that of the Type-B QPOs in GX 339-4 and GRO J1655-40, suggesting a possible connection between this additional QPO in the HIMS and the Type-B QPO in the SIMS. This result, together with recent findings in Swift J1727.8-1613, suggests that QPOs with these characteristics can emerge prior to the HIMS-to-SIMS transition and are not confined exclusively to the SIMS. If this additional QPO feature is the precursor of the Type-B QPO in the SIMS, its presence before the transition, whereas the bright discrete, optically thin, radio ejections appear at the transition, would imply that there may be no direct physical connection between the Type-B QPO and the discrete radio ejections. Our results further suggest a link between the disappearance of the Type-C QPO, the drop of the broadband noise, and the emergence of discrete radio ejections at the HIMS-to-SIMS transition. We speculate that the simultaneous presence of such a QPO, non-harmonically related to the Type-C QPO in the HIMS, could be compatible with a spine-sheath outflow structure.

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arXiv2025

Black-hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 shows simultaneous Type-B and Type-C quasi-periodic oscillations across the hard-intermediate and soft-intermediate states

We present a timing analysis of \textit{Insight}-HXMT observations of the black-hole X-ray binary Swift J1727.8$-$1613 across a bright soft X-ray flare on 2023 September 19 (MJD 60206). At the peak of the flare, the source undergoes a brief transition from the hard-intermediate state (HIMS) into the soft-intermediate state (SIMS), marked by the simultaneous appearance of three discrete radio jet ejections, a drop in broadband noise in the 2$-$10 keV band, and the presence of a narrow quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) with a characteristic ``U''-shaped phase-lag spectrum and a quality factor of $Q \geq 6$, features that robustly identify it as a Type-B QPO. The Type-C QPO, which was clearly detected in the HIMS prior to the flare, is not observed at the flare's peak and only reappears afterward. Most notably, we find that the Type-B QPO is not restricted to the SIMS: it is present throughout all our observations, including those taken in the HIMS, where it appears as a broad shoulder of the Type-C QPO. During the flare, the Type-B and Type-C QPOs exhibit distinct evolutionary trends in frequency, fractional rms amplitude, and phase lag. These results challenge the traditional view that Type-B QPOs are exclusive to the SIMS, a state that is, in fact, defined by their appearance in the power spectrum, and directly linked to discrete jet ejections. Instead, our findings suggest that the physical conditions giving rise to Type-B QPOs occur more broadly within the inner accretion flow.

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arXiv2025

A Hidden Pulse: Uncovering a New Timing Signal in Cygnus X-1 with AstroSat

The study of fast variability properties in X-ray binaries advances our understanding of the physical processes and geometric properties of the accretion flow around the compact object. In this work, we study the evolution of the timing properties of Cygnus X-1 with AstroSat/LAXPC, during the transition of the source from the hard to soft state in 2017. We use a novel frequency-segmented technique to fit simultaneously the cross spectra and parts of the power spectra and coherence function with a multi-Lorentzian model and predict the phase-lags and the complementary parts of the power spectra and coherence function. We study the evolution of the frequency and power of the main variability components that are present throughout all the states. In particular, we identify previously undetected variability components, one of which manifests as a narrow dip in the coherence function and a broad drop in the phase-lag spectrum at the same frequency. This dip in coherence, which we detected for the first time in Cygnus X-1 at energies above 3 keV, appears in a state in which the source shows high-amplitude radio variability and significant hard X-ray polarization. While the contribution of the compact jet in X-rays is debated in the literature, this study provides a new avenue for investigating jet properties as well as the geometry of the Comptonizing medium.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Timing analysis of the black-hole candidate Swift J1727.8-1613: detection of a dip-like feature in the high-energy cross spectrum

We present a timing analysis of observations with the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope of the black hole X-ray transient Swift J1727.8-1613 during its 2023 outburst. We detect, for the first time in a black hole X-ray binary, a prominent dip at ~ 3-15 Hz in the real part of the cross spectrum between high-energy (>25 keV) and low-energy (<10 keV) photons in the Low Hard and Hard Intermediate States, during which the QPO frequency rapidly increases and then stabilizes at ~ 1.0-1.5 Hz. Remarkably, the real part of the cross spectrum reaches negative values at the frequencies around the minimum of the dip, indicative of a phase lag ranging between $π/2$ and $π$ in this frequency range. We fit the power spectra and the real and imaginary parts of the cross spectra simultaneously using a multi-Lorentzian model. Among the lag models, the Gaussian phase-lag model provides a slightly better reduced $χ^2$ than the constant phase-lag and constant time-lag models, while it also alleviates the degeneracy associated with those models. From the parameters of the Lorentzian that fits the dip, we estimate the size of the accretion flow, which consistently exceeds 10,000 km as the QPO frequency increases from 0.13 Hz to 2.0 Hz. Furthermore, both the energy-dependent phase-lag and fractional-rms spectra of the dip exhibit a change in trend around 15 keV, with the phase lag dropping and rms reaching a local minimum. These spectra closely resemble the shapes predicted by the time-dependent Comptonization model, vKompth, for a low feedback factor, offering a pathway to explain the radiative properties of the corona. Additionally, the coherence function suggests a diversity of variability components, potentially arising from different parts of the corona.

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arXiv2025

Insight-HXMT observations of the 2023 outburst in Aql X-1

We conducted an analysis of the continuum during the onset and initial decline phases of the 2023 outburst in transient neutron star low-mass X-ray binary Aql X$-$1 using broadband observations from the \textit{Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT)} instrument. To determine the most appropriate model for the continuum of this outburst, we employed three models to explore the evolution of the spectral component. These observations revealed that the source transitions from the hard state to the soft state. The disk-corona and sphere-corona models both adequately described the spectra of the hard state, while the double blackbody model became preferable after the hard X-ray emission ($>$25 keV) disappeared during the state transition. In the soft state, the total emission is dominated by changes in the disk and other blackbody components. The combination of the sphere-corona model and the double blackbody model is the most suitable model for this outburst. The results suggest that as the source transitioned into the soft state, the emission from the boundary layer was enhanced, and a hot spot occurred. Notably, we identified two type-I X-ray bursts, one of which exhibited a significant hard X-ray deficit (significance $\sim$ 4.82 $σ$), which indicates that \textit{Insight-HXMT} has the capability to capture the evolution of the corona in a single burst.

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arXiv2024

The bright black hole X-ray binary 4U 1543-47 during 2021 outburst. A clear state transition from super-Eddington to sub-Eddington accretion revealed by Insight-HXMT

We present a detailed analysis of the observations with the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope of the black hole X-ray transient 4U~1543-47 during its outburst in 2021. We find a clear state transition during the outburst decay of the source. Using previous measurements of the black-hole mass and distance to the source, the source luminosity during this transition is close to the Eddington limit. The light curves before and after the transition can be fitted by two exponential functions with short ($\sim 16$ days) and long ($\sim 130$ days) decay time scales, respectively. We detect strong reflection features in all observations that can be described with either the RelxillNS or Reflionx_bb reflection models, both of which have a black-body incident spectrum. In the super-Eddington state, we observe a Comptonized component characterized by a low electron temperature of approximately 2.0 keV. We suggest that this component appears exclusively within the inner radiation-pressure dominated region of the supercritical disk as a part of the intrinsic spectrum of the accretion disk itself. This feature vanishes as the source transitions into the sub-Eddington state. The emissivity index of the accretion disk in the reflection component is significantly different before and after the transition, $\sim3.0$-$5.0$ and $\sim7.0$-$9.0$ in the super- and sub-Eddington states, respectively. Based on the reflection geometry of returning disk radiation, the geometrically thicker the accretion disk, the smaller the emissivity index. Therefore, we propose that the transition is primarily driven by the change of the accretion flow from a supercritical to a thin disk configuration.

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arXiv2023

The mHz quasi-regular modulations of 4U 1630--47 during its 1998 outburst

We present the results of a detailed timing and spectral analysis of the quasi-regular modulation (QRM) phenomenon in the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630--47 during its 1998 outburst observed by Rossi X-ray Timing Explore (RXTE). We find that the $\sim$ 50-110 mHz QRM is flux dependent, and the QRM is detected with simultaneous low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs). According to the behavior of the power density spectrum, we divide the observations into four groups. In the first group, namely behavior A, LFQPOs are detected, but no mHz QRM. The second group, namely behavior B, a QRM with frequency above $\sim$ 88 mHz is detected and the $\sim$ 5 Hz and $\sim$ 7 Hz LFQPOs are almost overlapping. In the third group, namely behavior C, the QRM frequency below $\sim$ 88 mHz is detected and the LFQPOs are significantly separated. In the forth group, namely behavior D, neither QRM nor LFQPOs are detected. We study the energy-dependence of the fractional rms, centroid frequency, and phase-lag of QRM and LFQPOs for behavior B and C. We then study the evolution of QRM and find that the frequency of QRM increases with hardness, while its rms decreases with hardness. We also analyze the spectra of each observation, and find that the QRM rms of behavior B has a positive correlation with $\rm F_{\rm powerlaw}$ / $\rm F_{\rm total}$. Finally, we give our understanding for this mHz QRM phenomena.

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