The black hole candidate MAXIJ1659-152 in and towards quiescence in X-ray and radio

Understand

In this paper we report on Expanded Very Large Array radio and Chandra and Swift X-ray observations of the outburst decay of the transient black hole candidate MAXI J1659-152 in 2011.

• We discuss the distance to the source taking the high inclination into account and we conclude that the source distance is probably 6+-2 kpc.
• The lowest observed flux corresponds to a luminosity of 2x10^31 (d/6 kpc)^2 erg/s This, together with the orbital period of 2.4 hr reported in the literature, suggests that the quiescent X-ray luminosity is higher than predicted on the basis of the orbital period -- quiescent X-ray luminosity relationship.
• The relation between the accretion and ejection mechanisms can be studied using the observed correlation between the radio and X-ray luminosities as these evolve over an outburst.