Open AccessOn the origin of the universal radio–X‐ray luminosity correlation in black hole candidates
Author(s) -
Robertson Stanley L.,
Leiter Darryl J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07741.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , active galactic nucleus , black hole (networking) , accretion (finance) , luminosity , astronomy , neutron star , galaxy , computer network , routing protocol , routing (electronic design automation) , computer science , link state routing protocol
In previous work, we found that the spectral state switch and other spectral properties of both neutron stars (NSs) and galactic black hole candidates (GBHCs) in low‐mass X‐ray binary systems could be explained by a magnetic propeller effect that requires an intrinsically magnetic central compact object. In later work, we showed that intrinsically magnetic GBHCs could be easily accommodated by general relativity in terms of magnetospheric eternally collapsing objects (MECOs), with lifetimes greater than a Hubble time, and examined some of their spectral properties. In this work, we show how a standard thin accretion disc and corona can interact with the central magnetic field in atoll class NSs, and GBHCs and active galactic nuclei (AGN) modelled as MECOs, to produce jets that emit radio to infrared luminosity L R that is correlated with mass and X‐ray luminosity as L R ∝ M 0.75−0.92 L 2/3 x up to a mass scale invariant cut‐off at the spectral state switch. Comparing the MECO–GBHC/AGN model to observations, we find that the correlation exponent, the mass scale invariant cut‐off and the radio luminosity ratios of AGN, GBHCs and atoll class NSs are correctly predicted, which strongly implies that GBHCs and AGN have observable intrinsic magnetic moments and hence do not have event horizons.