Superorbital variability in hard X-rays

Abstract

We present the results of a study with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope in the 14-195 keV range of the long-term variability of five low-mass X-ray binaries with reported or suspected superorbital periods - 4U 1636-536, 4U 1820-303, 4U 1916-053, Cyg X-2 and Sco X-1. No significant persistent periodic modulation was detected around the previously reported periods in the 4U 1916-053, Cyg X-2 or Sco X-1 light curves. The ~170-d period of 4U 1820-303 was detected up to 24 keV, consistent with variable accretion due to the previously proposed triple system model. The ~46-d period in 4U 1636-536 was detected up to 100 keV, with the modulation in the low- and high-energy bands found to be phase shifted by ~180° with respect to each other. This phase shift, when taken together with the near-coincident onset of the ~46-d modulation and the low/hard X-ray state, leads us to speculate that the modulation could herald transient jet formation.