[45.12] State Transitions of Black Hole Transients

AAS 200th meeting, Albuquerque, NM, June 2002
Session 45. The New Radio Universe
Display, Tuesday, June 4, 2002, 10:00am-6:30pm, SW Exhibit Hall

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[45.12] State Transitions of Black Hole Transients

J. H. Swank (NASA/GSFC), C. B. Markwardt (UMD and NASA/GSFC)

The progression of black hole transients between low and high states shows large variety, even for the same source. The Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) has seen multiple outbursts from the black hole candidates 4U 1630-47, GRO J1655-40, GRS 1915+105, and XTE J1550-564. While some black hole candidate transients never rise out of the low, hard state, in 6 years RXTE has seen at least 8 sources that definitely have: GRS 1739-278, XTE J1755-324, XTE J1748-2848, and XTE J1859+226, in addition to those above. I will review evidence for the luminosities at the transitions and for association of radio flares with changes in the X-ray temporal as well as spectral characteristics. I will compare characteristics of the states during rises and decays.

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