Application of the Thermal Wind Model to Absorption Features in the Black Hole X-ray Binary H 1743-322

M. Shidatsu, C. Done

Published 2019-06-06Version 1

High inclination black hole X-ray binaries exhibit blueshifted ionized absorption lines from disk winds, whose launching mechanism is still in debate. The lines are predominantly observed in the high/soft state and disappear in the low/hard state. We have tested if the thermal winds, which are driven by the irradiation of the outer disk by the X-rays from the inner disk, can explain these observed properties, by comparing the model developed by Done et al. (2018) and actual X-ray data of H 1743-322 in previous outbursts. Applying the model to the broad-band X-ray continuum profiles determined with the data from RXTE monitoring, we have calculated observable quantities of thermal winds (the column density and the ionization parameter) over the outburst periods. We performed spectral simulations using these quantities, to predict the absorption feature at the epochs of Chandra high resolution spectroscopy in the high/soft state and the low/hard state. The model was found to well reproduce the observed lines in the high/soft state, and also successfully predicted their disappearance in the low/hard state. These results indicate that the evolution of observed wind properties during outbursts can be explained by the thermal wind model.