arXiv subjects

Prajjwal Majumder

Publications and source records attributed to Prajjwal Majumder.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Time-Lag properties associated with LFQPO in X-ray variability classes of GRS 1915+105: Findings from AstroSat

We present a comprehensive analysis of Low Frequency Quasi-periodic Oscillation (LFQPO) associated time-lags in the persistently variable black hole binary GRS 1915+105 using 441 ks of \textit{AstroSat} observations from March 2016 to March 2019. LFQPO frequency ($1.38-7.38$ Hz) are detected across the $\theta$, $\beta$, $\rho$, and $\chi$ classes, with the $\chi$ class further subdivided into $\chi_1$, $\chi_2$, $\chi_3$, and $\chi_4$ based on spectro-temporal characteristics. Class transitions occur on timescales of a few hours, appearing either as a simultaneous increase in X-ray count rate and QPO frequency, or vice versa, indicating rapid changes in the accretion flow geometry. The $\text{rms}_{\rm QPO}$ increases with QPO frequency up to $\sim 3.4$ Hz and declines at higher frequencies, a trend similar to \textit{RXTE} observations, where peak occurred at $\sim 2$ Hz. Spectro-temporal correlations reveal that increasing $F_{\rm Comp}$ drives higher $\text{rms}_{\rm QPO}$ and decreases the soft-lag magnitude, while $\nu_{\rm QPO}$ and $\Gamma$ also decline, suggesting that the observed time lag may result from the combined effects of multiple physical mechanisms. The consistent increase of $\text{rms}_{\rm QPO}$ with $F_{\rm Comp}$ provides clear evidence that modulated Comptonized photons enhance the rms power ($\text{rms}_{\rm QPO}$). Moreover, the soft-lag ($1.59-13.49$ ms) observed across all QPO frequencies, without the sign reversal at $\sim$ 2 Hz observed in \textit{RXTE} observations, is interpreted within the framework of a dynamical accretion disk model around the black hole.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Decoding the Origin of HFQPOs of GRS 1915+105 during 'Canonical' Soft States: An In-depth View using Multi-mission observations

We present a comprehensive analysis of the 'canonical' soft state ($\gamma$, $\delta$, and $\phi$ spectral variability classes) of the black hole binary GRS 1915+105, using RXTE, AstroSat, and NuSTAR data from 1996 to 2017 to investigate the origin of High Frequency Quasi-periodic Oscillations (HFQPOs). Our findings reveal that HFQPOs occur only in the $\gamma$ and $\delta$ classes, with frequencies of $65.07-71.38$ Hz and are absent in the $\phi$ class. We observe an evolution of time-lag from hard-lag (1.59$-$7.55 ms) in RXTE to a soft-lag (0.49$-$1.68 ms) in AstroSat observations. Wide-band (0.7$-$50 keV) spectral modelling suggests that HFQPOs are likely observed with a higher covering fraction ($f_{cov} \gtrsim 0.5$), i.e., the fraction of seed photons being Comptonized in the corona, enhanced Comptonized flux ($\sim$ 38%), and lower optical depth ($\tau \lesssim 8.5$ ) in contrast to observations where HFQPOs are absent. We observed similar constraints for observing HFQPOs during an inter-class ($\phi \rightarrow \delta$) transition as well as in a few intra-class ($\delta \rightarrow \delta$) variations. We also find that the time-lag decreases as $\tau$ increases, indicating that a higher $\tau$ reduces Compton up-scattering, thereby decreasing the hard-lag. Interestingly, in RXTE observations, the hard-lag ($\sim$ 7 ms) gradually decreases as optical depth and Comptonization ratio increases, eventually becoming a soft-lag ($\sim$1 ms) in AstroSat observations. These constraints on spectro-temporal parameters for the likelihood of observing HFQPOs support a 'compact' coronal oscillation mechanism for generating HFQPOs, which we attempt to explain within the framework of a possible accretion scenario.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

First detection of Soft-lag in GRS 1915+105 at HFQPO using AstroSat observations

The Galactic black hole GRS 1915+105 exhibits generic High-Frequency Quasi-periodic Oscillations (HFQPOs) at $\sim$ 67 Hz only during the radio-quiet 'softer' variability classes. We present the time-lag properties associated with HFQPOs in the wide energy band (3$-$60 keV) using all AstroSat observations. For the first time, we detect soft-lag of 6$-$25 keV band w.r.t 3$-$6 keV band for all 'softer' variability classes ($δ$, $ω$, $κ$ and $γ$). Moreover, our findings reveal that soft-lag increases gradually with the energy of the photons. These features are entirely opposite to the previous report of hard-lag obtained with the RXTE observations. The energy-dependent time-lag study exhibits a maximum soft-lag of $\sim$ 3 ms and $\sim$ 2.5 ms for the $δ$ and $ω$ classes respectively, whereas the $κ$ and $γ$ classes both exhibit a maximum soft-lag of $\sim$ 2.1 ms. We find a coherent lag-energy correlation for all four variability classes, where the amplitude of soft-lag increases with energy and becomes maximum at $\sim$ 18 keV. We interpret this observed soft-lag as the reflection of hard photons in the 'cooler' accretion disc. A generic lag-rms correlation implies that the soft-lag increases with the rms amplitude of the HFQPO. The wideband (0.7$-$50 keV) spectral study suggests a high value of the optical depth ($τ$ $\sim$ 6.90$-$12.55) of the Comptonized medium and the magnitude of the soft-lag increases linearly with the increase in optical depth ($τ$). We explain the observed time-lag features at the HFQPOs in the context of a possible accretion disc scenario.

astro-ph.HE↗