A Disk-Jet Interaction Model for the X-Ray Variability in Microquasars

We propose a simple dynamical model that may account for the observed spectral and temporal properties of GRS 1915+105 and XTE J1550-564. The model is based on the assumption that a fraction of the radiation emitted by a hot spot lying on the accreting disk is dynamically Comptonized by the relativistic jet that typically accompanies the microquasar phenomenon. We show that scattering by the jet produces a detectable modulation of the observed flux. In particular, we found that the phase lag between hard and soft photons depends on the radial position of the hot spot, and, if the angle between the jet and the line of sight is sufficiently large, the lags of the fundamental and its harmonics may be either positive or negative.