The black hole candidate XTE J1752-223 towards and in quiescence: Optical and simultaneous X-ray-radio observations

E. M. Ratti, Peter G Jonker, James C A Miller-Jones, Manuel A P Torres, Jeroen Homan, Sera B Markoff, J. A. Tomsick, P Kaaret, Rudy A D Wijnands, Laura E Gallo, F. Özel, D. T H Steeghs, R. P. Fender

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Abstract

We present optical, X-ray and radio observations of the black hole transient (BHT) XTE J1752-223 towards and in quiescence. Optical photometry shows that the quiescent magnitude of XTE J1752-223 is fainter than 24.4mag in the i′ band. A comparison with measurements of the source during its 2009-2010 outburst shows that the outburst amplitude is more than 8 mag in the i′ band. Known X-ray properties of the source combined with the faintness of the quiescence optical counterpart and the large outburst optical amplitude point towards a short orbital-period system (P orb≲ 6.8h) with an M type (or later) mass donor, at a distance of 3.5 ≲d≲ 8kpc. Simultaneous X-ray and radio data were collected with Chandra and the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA), allowing constraints to be placed on the quiescent X-ray and radio flux of XTE J1752-223. Furthermore, using data covering the final stage of the outburst decay, we investigated the low-luminosity end of the X-ray-radio correlation for this source and compared it with other BHTs. We found that XTE J1752-223 adds to the number of outliers with respect to the 'standard' X-ray-radio luminosity relation. Furthermore, XTE J1752-223 is the second source, after the BHT H1743-322, that shows a transition from the region of the outliers towards the 'standard' correlation at low luminosity. Finally, we report on a faint, variable X-ray source we discovered with Chandra at an angular distance of ~2.9arcsec to XTE J1752-223 and at a position angle consistent with that of the radio jets previously observed from the BHT. We discuss the possibility that we detected X-ray emission associated with a jet from XTE J1752-223.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2656-2667
Number of pages12
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume423
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Accretion, accretion discs
  • Binaries: general
  • Stars: individual: XTE J1752-223
  • X-rays: binaries

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