Bimodality of Wind-fed Accretion in High Mass X-ray Binaries

Abstract

We study an influence of X-ray photo-ionization from an accreting neutron star in a high mass X-ray binary. Our aim is to unveil a new principle governing X-ray luminosities of X-ray binaries, with a simple analysis of fluid equations simulating line-driven wind flow under influence of X-ray irradiation. In this study, we solve equation of motion of the accretion flow taking into account the line-driven acceleration and X-ray photo-ionization. Under the influence of X-ray irradiation, we find the flow equations take two types of solutions. The first solution is characterized by a slow wind velocity which causes a large accretion rate. The second solution is a fast wind flow which results in a small accretion rate. We find that only the solution with a fast wind and faint X-ray luminosity is a steady solution. On the other hand, slow wind solution with a large X-ray luminosity is not a realizable solution. In bright X-ray binary systems, X-ray luminosity would increase until strong X-ray reduces the line-driven acceleration and causes a stagnation of the wind. This result implies an important consequence that the X-ray luminosity of the wind-fed, X-ray emitting binary will be settled by the wind stagnation limit. At the same time, the fast wind solution with small X-ray luminosity also can be a steady state. Bright X-ray sources, such as Vela X-1, would have limiting luminosities of wind stagnation, while faint systems such a quiescent Super giant Fast X-ray Transients could be on the faint solutions.