Exploring the Broadband Spectral and Timing Characteristics of GRS 1915+105 with AstroSat and NICER Observations

Abstract In this study, we undertake a spectral-timing analysis of the black hole X-ray binary source GRS 1915+105 using simultaneous observations carried out by AstroSat (Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter, LAXPC and Soft X-ray Telescope, SXT) and Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) in 2017. The source showed two flux levels (high and low), whose energy spectra can be described by the thermal comptonization of disk photons. The spectral parameters obtained by the joint fitting of SXT/LAXPC and NICER/LAXPC were consistent. The power density spectra from LAXPC and NICER revealed a broad, prominent feature at ∼2 Hz. The energy dependence of the fractional rms and time lag of this feature cannot be explained by only variations of coronal spectral parameters. Instead, a model where the coronal heating rate varies first and induces a change in the disk temperature and inner radius can explain the variation. Our results underline the importance of simultaneous observations by AstroSat and NICER and highlight the need for more sophisticated models to explain the spectral-temporal behavior of black hole systems.