# Quenching of the radio jet during the X-ray high state of GX 339-4

## 1 Introduction

GX 339-4 is one of only a handful of persistent black hole candidate X-ray binaries known (Tanaka & Lewin 1995). The system lies at a distance of several kpc in direction of the Galactic centre (e.g. Zdziarski et al. 1998) and exhibits a possible orbital modulation with a 14.8 hr period in optical photometry (Callanan et al. 1992), although this may in fact be half the true orbital period (Soria, Wu & Johnston 1999a). GX 339-4 shares X-ray timing and spectral properties with the classical black hole candidate Cyg X-1, although exhibiting more frequent state changes and a larger dynamic range of soft X-ray luminosity (Harmon et al. 1994; Tanaka & Lewin 1995; Méndez & van der Klis 1997; Rubin et al. 1998; Zdziarski et al. 1998; Nowak, Wilms & Dove 1999; Wilms et al. 1999; Belloni et al. 1999). The system is also a weak and persistent radio source with flux densities typically in the range 5 – 10 mJy at cm wavelengths and a flat (spectral index $`\alpha 0`$ where flux density $`S_\nu \nu ^\alpha `$) spectrum (Fender et al. 1997; Corbel et al. 1997; Hannikainen et al. 1998). The radio emission is roughly correlated with both the soft (as observed with RXTE ASM) and hard (as observed with CGRO BATSE) X-ray flux in the X-ray low/hard state (Hannikainen et al. 1998). As discussed in Wilms et al. (1999) the radio emission almost certainly arises in a region larger than the binary separation, supporting an interpretation of its origin in a compact partially self-absorbed jet, possibly of the type considered by Hjellming & Johnston (1988). Additional supporting evidence comes from the recent resolution of a compact jet in VLBA observations of Cyg X-1 (Stirling et al. 1998, de la Force et al. 1999), a source whose radio, as well as X-ray, properties appear to parallel those of GX 339-4 (Hannikainen et al. 1998; Pooley, Fender & Brocksopp 1999)

## 2 Observations

### 2.1 MOST

Occasional monitoring of GX 339-4 wth the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) at 36 cm has been carried out for several years. All the observations were calibrated, imaged and CLEANed with the standard MOST imaging pipeline (McIntyre & Cram, 1999). To moderate any errors in the calibration we followed the procedure of Hannikainen et al. (1998), fitting three sources besides GX339-4 in each observation, and scaling the fluxes so that the sum of these three reference sources remained constant, on the assumption that these sources do not vary. The IMFIT task in the MIRIAD software package (Sault, Teuben & Wright 1995) was used to make point source fits to the synthesised maps. Further details, an observing log and tabulated flux densities will be presented in Corbel et al. (1999); see also Hannikainen et al. (1998). The MOST flux density measurements are plotted in the top panels of Figs 1 and 2.

### 2.2 ATCA

Observations of GX 339-4 have been carried out at wavelengths of 21.7, 12.7, 6.2 and 3.5 cm with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). Observational procedures are similar to those described in Fender et al. (1997) and will be discussed more fully in Corbel et al. (1999). Data reduction was performed with the MIRIAD software package. The ATCA flux density measurements are plotted in the top panels of Figs 1 and 2.

### 2.3 CGRO BATSE

The BATSE experiment aboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory monitors the various hard X-ray sources in the sky using the Earth occultation technique (Harmon et al. 1994). An optically thin thermal bremsstrahlung model (with a fixed kT = 60 keV) has been used to fit the data (following Rubin et al. 1998) and to produce the light curve in the 20-100 keV energy band. We have checked for the presence of bright interfering sources in the limb which could have biased the measurement of the flux and have flagged suspicious data. The 20-100 keV BATSE data are plotted in the middle panels of Figs 1 and 2.

### 2.4 RXTE ASM

GX 339-4 is monitored up to several times daily by the Rossi X-ray Timing Experiment (RXTE) All-Sky Monitor (ASM) in the 2-12 keV range. See e.g. Levine et al. (1996) for more details. The 2-12 keV ASM data are plotted in the lower panels of Figs 1 and 2.

## 3 Quenching of the radio emission

Fig 1 plots the radio, hard- and soft-X-ray observations of GX 339-4 prior to, during and following the transition from the low/hard state to the high/soft state in early 1998 January, and the transition back to the low/hard state just over one year later (see Belloni et al. 1999 for X-ray spectral and timing properties). It is immediately obvious that the radio and hard X-ray flux are strongly anticorrelated with the soft X-rays and are consistent with zero measured flux for the majority of the observations during the high/soft state. In particular, there was no significant radio detection of GX 339-4 between MJD 50844 and the reappearance of the radio flux on MJD 51222, despite eight observations with MOST at 843 MHz and three observations with ATCA simultaneously at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz. The strongest limits on the radio flux in the high state are the ATCA measurements which had a typical $`3\sigma `$ flux density limit of $`0.2`$ mJy, constraining the emitted flux density to be more than a factor of 25 weaker than observed in the low/hard state. The single most stringent upper limit, of 0.12 mJy ($`3\sigma `$), from the ATCA observation on MJD 51129, constrained the radio flux to be more than forty times weaker than in the low/hard state.

In Fig 2 we examine in more detail the period of state transition. In addition we plot the low (1.3-3.0 keV) and high (5.0-12.2 keV) XTE ASM channels, instead of simply the total intensity as in Fig 1; this illustrates clearly the dramatic increase in the soft (disc) component during the state transition. Note that from XTE PCA timing observations we can only be certain that by MJD 50828 the source was in the high/soft state (Belloni et al. 1999). The most dramatic decrease in the hard X-ray flux and corresponding increase in the soft X-rays occur around MJD 50812 – 50816 (centred on New Year 1997/1998). By MJD 50822 the radio flux density had dropped to levels undetectable with either MOST or ATCA ($`3\sigma `$ limit at 4.8 GHz of $`0.1`$ mJy with ATCA) ; i.e. the timescale for decay from ‘normal’ to ‘quenched’ levels is $`10`$ d. This is consistent with the timescales for radio : X-ray correlations reported by Hannikainen et al. (1998). However, subsequent radio observations revealed a small resurgence in the radio flux density between MJD 50828 – 50840 with an unusually optically thin spectral index of $`0.4`$ (as measured on MJD 50828). By MJD 50844 the radio flux had again dropped to undetectable levels and was not detected again until over one year later. The quenching of the radio emission simultaneously with a large drop in the hard X-ray flux as observed with BATSE is reminiscent of that observed in the radio-jet X-ray binary Cyg X-3 (McCollough et al. 1999 and references therein).

## 4 Reappearance of the radio emission

Observations of GX 339-4 on MJD 51222 detected the radio source for the first time in over a year (Fig 1). The reappearance of the radio source was coincident with the end of a long ($`100`$ d) decline in the soft X-ray flux and a sharper increase in the hard X-ray emission. This return to the low/hard state was slow compared to the corresponding transition by Cyg X-1 in 1996 which took $`20`$ d (Zhang et al. 1997a). As in the small pre-quenching flare event, the spectral index immediately after the reapparance of the radio source was unusually optically thin at around $`0.4`$ (measured on MJD 51222). Subsequent observations have revealed a return to the flat spectrum and steady flux densities previously observed in the low/hard state. The timescale for the return from ‘quenched’ to ‘normal’ radio states can only be constrained to be $`20`$ d.

## 5 Discussion

Our observations have revealed that the radio emission from GX 339-4 is strongly suppressed during the high/soft X-ray state. This observation is in qualitative agreement with observations of an increase in the strength of radio emission from Cyg X-1 during transitions from the high/soft or intermediate states back to the more common low/hard state (Tananbaum et al. 1972; Braes & Miley 1976, Zhang et al. 1997b). In addition, Corbel et al. (1999) present evidence for previous periods of quenched radio emission in GX 339-4 which appear to correspond to periods of weak BATSE emission. We assert that it is a characteristic of the high/soft state in black hole X-ray binaries that radio emission is suppressed with respect to the low/hard state. At least one model already exists for the suppression of jet formation at high accretion rates in X-ray binaries (Meier 1996), and may be relevant to this phenomenon. It is unclear at present how these findings relate to observations of radio emission associated with X-ray transients in outburst (e.g. Hjellming & Han 1995; Kuulkers et al. 1999) as (a) these sources may reach the physically distinct Very High state (Miyamoto et al. 1991; Ebisawa et al. 1994), and (b) the radio emission in these cases appears to originate in discrete ejections, probably produced at points of X-ray state change, and as such are decoupled from the system. We note that Miyamoto & Kitamoto (1991) have proposed a jet model for the Very High state of GX 339-4.

In the low/hard X-ray state GX 339-4, in common with other black hole candidates, does not display a strong soft (disc) component (e.g. Wilms et al. 1999 and references therein). The inner regions of the accretion flow may be described by an ADAF, ADIOS or ‘sphere + disc’ geometry (e.g. Narayan & Yi 1995; Esin et al. 1998; Blandford & Begelman 1999; Wilms et al. 1999), all models in which the standard, thin, accretion disc is truncated some distance from the central black hole. A hot corona closer to the black hole Comptonises soft photons to produce the observed hard X-ray emission. In the high/soft state the disc is believed to extend to within a few gravitational radii of the black hole, resulting in a much increased soft, thermal X-ray component with $`kT1`$ keV. Simultaneously the Comptonising corona is believed to shrink and cool, resulting in a decrease and softening of the hard X-ray flux. Spectral fits to GX 339-4 data before and after the state transition under discussion are in agreement with this scenario (Belloni et al. 1999). In addition Soria, Wu & Johnston (1999b) present evidence that the outer accretion disc/flow, responsible for optical emission lines, is present in both the low/hard and high/soft states.

Adding our new observational constraint that the low/hard state produces a radio-emitting outflow, and the high/soft state does not, these models can be summarised qualitatively by a sketch such as Fig 3. The extremely strong correspondence between the hard X-rays and radio emission in GX 339-4 and other X-ray binaries (e.g. GRO J1655-40 (sometimes), Harmon et al. 1995; GRS 1915+105, Harmon et al. 1997, Fender et al. 1999; Cyg X-3, McCollough et al. 1999; Cyg X-1, Brocksopp et al. 1999) suggests that the regions responsible for the emission in the two energy regimes are strongly physically coupled. We consider it likely therefore that the corona is simply the base of the jet, and that the population of relativistic electrons responsible for the radio emission (at some point further downstream in the outflow when it becomes partially optically thin to cm radio emission) may be the high-energy tail of the population of hot electrons responsible, via Comptonisation, for the hard X-rays.

We note that it is possible that the outflow continues in the high/soft state but that radio emission is not observed because of greatly increased losses suffered by the relativistic electrons before the flow becomes (partially) optically thin to radio emission. In order for this to occur as a result of adiabatic expansion losses, the ratio of lateral expansion rate to jet width would need to be $`25`$ times more in the high/soft state than in the low/hard state. In order for synchrotron or inverse Compton losses to be responsible, an increase by a factor of $`25`$ would be required in the magnetic ($`B^2`$) or radiation energy densities respectively. As current models suggest adiabatic expansion is the dominant loss process in conical jets (e.g. Hjellming & Johnston 1988) the required increase in the magnetic or radiation energy densities would probably need to be even larger for these processes to result in quenching of the jet.

## 6 Conclusions

The radio emission from GX 339-4 is found to be strongly quenched in the high/soft X-ray state, by a factor of $`25`$, in comparison to the low/hard state. This quenching in radio emission is found to be extremely well correlated with a decrease in hard ($`20`$ keV) X-ray emission, suggesting a strong physical coupling between the regions responsible for hard X-ray and radio emission. We propose that high/soft states in black hole candidate X-ray binaries do not produce radio-emitting outflows. Optically thin radio emission at the time of transition to and from the high/soft state implies discrete ejections of material at the point of state change, in agreement with observations of X-ray transients and more unusual sources such as GRS 1915+105. However, many of those systems are observed in the Very High or poorly-defined states, and the exact relation between their radio emission and that of GX 339-4 is not well understood at present. In addition, the optically thin emission observed at these periods of state transition is further evidence that the flat-spectrum radio emission generally observed in the low/hard state results from partially optically thick emission from a quasi-continuous jet. The dramatic coupling between the emission from the inner ($``$ few 100 km) accretion disc and the radio emission is further confirmation that jets are generated close to the compact object.

Physical models developed to interpret the low/hard states (ADAF, ADIOS, sphere + disc) clearly need to take into account the direct evidence for a continuous outflow in these states. Models for jet formation need to consider why such accretion geometries produce outflows whereas those envisaged to explain the high/soft state do not, and why discrete ejection events are often, perhaps always, observed at the point of state transitions in X-ray binaries.

RPF thanks Mariano Méndez, Eric Ford, Tomaso Belloni and Michiel van der Klis for useful discussions. The Australia Telescope is funded by the Commonwealth of Australia for operation as a National Facility managed by CSIRO. MOST is operated by the University of Sydney and funded by grants from the Australian Research Council. RXTE ASM results provided by the ASM/RXTE teams at MIT and at the RXTE SOF and GOF at NASA’s GSFC. RPF was funded during the period of this research by ASTRON grant 781-76-017 and EC Marie Curie Fellowship ERBFMBICT 972436. MN was supported in part by NASA Grant NAG5-3225 and NSF Grant PHY94-07194.