X-rays from Quiescent Low-Mass X-ray Binary Transients

Abstract

I argue that it is very unlikely that X-rays from quiescent black-hole low-mass X-ray binary transients are emitted by coronae of companion stars. I show that in a simple model in which these X-rays are emitted by an ADAF filling the inner part of an unsteady, dwarf-nova type disc, the X-ray luminosity is correlated with the orbital period. I predict what values of X-ray luminosities from black-hole transient systems should be observed by Chandra and XMM-Newton.

9 pages, 2 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, in press. Slightly revised version