Compelling evidence of a link between the lags of the quasi-periodic oscillations and the radio jet in the black-hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105
Abstract
GRS 1915+105 is one of the most studied black-hole X-ray binaries, known for its extreme variability and rich phenomenology. Previous studies of this source with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer reported a transition of the phase-lags of type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) from soft, where low-energy photons lag the high-energy ones, when the QPO frequency is higher than ∼ 2 Hz, to hard when the QPO frequency decreases below ∼ 2 Hz. The hard-lags of the QPO coincide with episodes of strong radio emission. We analyse NICER observations of GRS 1915+105 obtained between 2018 and 2020, during a period in which the source flux decreased steadily, and perform a detailed spectral-timing study of the detected type-C QPOs. We find a type-C QPO with frequencies in the range of ∼ 1.3-3.9 Hz, which displays soft lags and, contrary to the RXTE observations, shows no evidence of hard phase lags at frequencies below 2 Hz. Quasi-simultaneous AMI-LA radio observations show consistently low radio flux (≲ 5 mJy) during this period. These results appear to show that the hard QPO lags in GRS 1915+105 are linked to the presence of strong radio activity, suggesting that the relativistic jet is responsible for the hard phase lags, supporting a scenario in which QPO phase lags trace changes in coronal geometry and accretion-ejection coupling in GRS 1915+105.
Related
- Dynamics, ringdown, and accretion-driven multiple quasi-periodic oscillations of Kerr–Bertotti–Robinson black holes
- Gamma-ray Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the Changing Look Blazar B2 1420+326 (OQ 334)
- Estimation Of The Mass And The Spin Of The Neutron Star 4U 1728-34 Using Triples Of X-Ray Quasi-Periodic Oscillations
- Electromagnetic alignment and jet precession around supermassive black holes: Quasi-periodic oscillations in tidal disruption events
- Can MHD Oscillations Modulate Quasi-periodic Plasma Release from Coronal Streamers?
BibTeX
@misc{bellavita2026compelling,
title = {{Compelling evidence of a link between the lags of the quasi-periodic oscillations and the radio jet in the black-hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105}},
author = {Candela Bellavita and Mariano Méndez and Federico García and Sara Motta and Pengcheng Yang and Wyncko Tonckens and Liang Zhang and Rob Fender},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.15672},
eprint = {2609.15672},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15672},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Compelling evidence of a link between the lags of the quasi-periodic oscillations and the radio jet in the black-hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105
AU - Candela Bellavita
AU - Mariano Méndez
AU - Federico García
AU - Sara Motta
AU - Pengcheng Yang
AU - Wyncko Tonckens
AU - Liang Zhang
AU - Rob Fender
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.15672
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15672
AB - GRS 1915+105 is one of the most studied black-hole X-ray binaries, known for its extreme variability and rich phenomenology. Previous studies of this source with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer reported a transition of the phase-lags of type-C quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) from soft, where low-energy photons lag the high-energy ones, when the QPO frequency is higher than ∼ 2 Hz, to hard when the QPO frequency decreases below ∼ 2 Hz. The hard-lags of the QPO coincide with episodes of strong radio emission. We analyse NICER observations of GRS 1915+105 obtained between 2018 and 2020, during a period in which the source flux decreased steadily, and perform a detailed spectral-timing study of the detected type-C QPOs. We find a type-C QPO with frequencies in the range of ∼ 1.3-3.9 Hz, which displays soft lags and, contrary to the RXTE observations, shows no evidence of hard phase lags at frequencies below 2 Hz. Quasi-simultaneous AMI-LA radio observations show consistently low radio flux (≲ 5 mJy) during this period. These results appear to show that the hard QPO lags in GRS 1915+105 are linked to the presence of strong radio activity, suggesting that the relativistic jet is responsible for the hard phase lags, supporting a scenario in which QPO phase lags trace changes in coronal geometry and accretion-ejection coupling in GRS 1915+105.
ER -