A unified accretion-ejection paradigm for black hole X-ray binaries

I. The dynamical constituents

¹ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique, Observatoire de Grenoble, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France e-mail: Jonathan.Ferreira@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr
² Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon, 43 Bd 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France

Received: 12 January 2005
Accepted: 19 October 2005

Abstract

We present a new picture for the central regions of Black Hole X-ray Binaries. In our view, these central regions have a multi-flow configuration which consists in (1) an outer standard accretion disc down to a transition radius r_J; (2) an inner magnetized accretion disc below r_J driving (3) a non relativistic self-collimated electron-proton jet surrounding, when adequate conditions for pair creation are met; (4) a ultra relativistic electron-positron beam.
This accretion-ejection paradigm provides a simple explanation to the canonical spectral states, from radio to X/γ-rays, by varying the transition radius r_J and disc accretion rate independently. Large values of r_J correspond to the Quiescent state for low and the Hard state for larger . These states are characterized by the presence of a steady electron-proton MHD jet emitted by the disc below r_J. The hard X-ray component is expected to form at the jet basis. When r_I becomes smaller than the marginally stable orbit r_i, the whole disc resembles a standard accretion disc with no jet, characteristic of the Soft state. Intermediate states correspond to situations where . At large , an unsteady pair cascade process is triggered within the jet axis, giving birth to flares and ejection of relativistic pair blobs. This would correspond to the luminous intermediate state, sometimes referred to as the Very High state, with its associated superluminal motions.
The variation of r_J independently of is a necessary ingredient in this picture. It arises from the presence of a large scale vertical magnetic field threading the disc. Features such as possible hysteresis and the presence of quasi-periodic oscillations would naturally fit within this new framework.