Outburst of the unique X-ray transient CI Cam and its impact on the system
Abstract
We argue that the outburst of CI Cam (XTE J0421+560), probably containing a black hole, was caused by the thermal instability of the accretion disk. Applying the model of King & Ritter (1998), we obtain a realistic disk mass and radius. The differences from soft X-ray transients belonging to the low-mass X-ray binaries can be explained if the disk in CI Cam heats up an extended envelope and/or a strong jet is formed. We resolve several spectral components in the optical colors in quiescence after the outburst; they vary in a complicated way during a possible 1350 d cycle.
- Publication:
-
Black Holes from Stars to Galaxies -- Across the Range of Masses
- Pub Date:
- April 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921307005881
- Bibcode:
- 2007IAUS..238..447S
- Keywords:
-
- Accretion;
- accretion disks;
- instabilities;
- stars: variables: other;
- X-rays: binaries