A Study on the Periodicity of Hardness Ratio of the X-ray Binary Cyg X-1 as a Black Hole Candidate

Using the All-Sky Monitor (ASM, 1.5∼12 keV) data of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) from January 1996 to October 2011, we have analyzed in detail the power spectrum of the hardness ratio (HR) (5∼12 keV/3∼5 keV) of the X-ray binary Cyg X-1 as a black hole candidate. The results show that the HR exhibits the following periodical variations: (1) During MJD = 50087∼55841, the HR presented the the periods T ≈ 5.6 d, T ≈ 40.0 d, T ≈ 78.4 d, T ≈ 173.8 d, and T ≈ 400/800 d; (2) When Cyg X-1 was in the hard state, the HR exhibited the periods T ≈ 5.6 d, T ≈ 33.7/67.6 d, T ≈ 45.3 d, and T ≈ 165.3 d; (3) When Cyg X-1 was in the soft state, the HR exhibited the periods T ≈ 38.5 d, T ≈ d, and T ≈ 128.3 d. Moreover, using the viscosity theory and Zdziarski accretion disk model, we have made a discussion on the physical mechanism of this kind of periodicity.