Discovery of optical and infrared accretion disc wind signatures in the black hole candidate MAXI J1348 630

G. Panizo-Espinar*, M. Armas Padilla, T. Muñoz-Darias, K. I.I. Koljonen, V. A. Cúneo, J. Sánchez-Sierras, D. Mata Sánchez, J. Casares, J. Corral-Santana, R. P. Fender, F. Jiménez-Ibarra, G. Ponti, D. Steeghs, M. A.P. Torres

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

MAXI J1348 630 is a low mass X-ray binary discovered in 2019 during a bright outburst. During this event, the system experienced both hard and soft states following the standard evolution. We present multi-epoch optical and near-infrared spectroscopy obtained with X-shooter at the Very Large Telescope. Our dataset includes spectra taken during the brightest phases of the outburst as well as the decay towards quiescence. We study the evolution of the main emission lines, paying special attention to the presence of features commonly associated with accretion disc winds, such as blueshifted absorptions, broad emission line wings and flat-top profiles. We find broad emission line wings in Hα during the hard-to-soft transition and blueshifted absorption troughs at 500 km s 1 in Hβ, He I 5876, Hα and Paβ during the bright soft-intermediate state. In addition, flat-top profiles are seen throughout the outburst. We interpret these observables as signatures of a cold (i.e., optical-to-infrared) accretion disc wind present in the system. We discuss the properties of the wind and compare them with those seen in other X-ray transients. In particular, the wind velocity that we observe is low when compared to those of other systems, which might be a direct consequence of the relatively low binary inclination, as suggested by several observables. This study strengthens the hypothesis that cold winds are a common feature in low mass X-ray binaries and that they can also be detected in low inclination objects via high-quality optical and infrared spectroscopy.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberA100
Number of pages9
JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics
Volume664
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Aug 2022
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • Accretion, accretion disks
  • Binaries: close
  • Stars: individual: MAXI J1348 630
  • Stars: winds, outflows
  • X-rays: binaries

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