Stratified wind from a super-Eddington X-ray binary is slower than expected
Accretion disks in strong gravity ubiquitously produce winds, seen as blueshifted absorption lines in the X-ray band of both stellar mass X-ray binaries (black holes and neutron stars)<sup>1-4</sup> and supermassive black holes<sup>5</sup>. Some of the most powerful winds (termed Eddington winds) are expected to arise from systems in which radiation pressure is sufficient to unbind material from the inner disk (L ≳ L<sub>Edd</sub>). These winds should be extremely fast and carry a large amount of kinetic power, which, when associated with supermassive black holes, would make them a prime contender for the feedback mechanism linking the growth of those black holes with their host galaxies<sup>6</sup>. Here we show the XRISM Resolve spectrum of the galactic neutron star X-ray binary, GX 13+1, which reveals one of the densest winds ever seen in absorption lines. This Compton-thick wind significantly attenuates the flux, making it appear faint, although it is intrinsically more luminous than usual (L ≳ L<sub>Edd</sub>). However, the wind is extremely slow, more consistent with the predictions of thermal-radiative winds launched by X-ray irradiation of the outer disk than with the expected Eddington wind driven by radiation pressure from the inner disk. This puts new constraints on the origin of winds from bright accretion flows in binaries, but also highlights the very different origin required for the ultrafast (v ~ 0.3c) winds seen in recent Resolve observations of a supermassive black hole at a similarly high Eddington ratio<sup>7</sup>.
Authors
- Kotaro Fukushima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8055-7113)
- Lía Corrales (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5466-3817)
- Chris Done (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1065-7239)
- Katsuhiro Hayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6922-6583)
- Ehud Behar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9735-4873)
- Aya Kubota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5413-6304)
- Kyoko Matsushita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2907-0902)
- Kouichi Hagino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4235-5304)
- M. Shidatsu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8195-6546)
- Hirokazu Odaka
- M. Audard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4721-034X)
- J. S. Kaastra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5540-2822)
- Paul P. Plucinsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1415-5823)
- Kazuhiro Nakazawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2930-350X)
- Erin Kara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0172-0854)
- Joey Neilsen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8247-786X)
- S. Eguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2814-9336)
- Luigi Gallo
- Hideki Uchiyama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4580-4021)
- Takayoshi Kohmura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4403-4512)
- Hirofumi Noda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6020-517X)
- Kosuke Sato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5774-1633)
- Ayşegül Tümer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3132-8776)
- Y. Terada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2359-1857)
- Jacco Vink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4708-4219)
- K. Mukai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8286-8094)
- María Díaz Trigo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7796-4279)
- Aya Bamba (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0890-4920)
- Eric D. Miller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3031-2326)
- Yoshiaki Kanemaru (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4541-1044)
- J. M. Mïller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2869-7682)
- Ryuichi Fujimoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2374-7073)
- Satoshi Yamada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9754-3081)
- Yutaka Fujita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0058-9719)
- Javier A. García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3828-2448)
- Andrew E. Szymkowiak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4974-687X)
- Kenji Hamaguchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7515-2779)
- Takayuki Hayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6665-2499)
- M. Mehdipour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4992-4664)
- T. R. Kallman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5779-6906)
- Anna Ogorzałek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4504-2557)
- A. Simionescu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9714-3862)
- Megan E. Eckart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3894-5889)
- S. Paltani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8108-9179)
- Edmund Hodges‐Kluck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2397-206X)
- Renata Cumbee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9894-295X)
- Toshiki Sato
- Hiroyuki Uchida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1518-2188)
- Hironori Matsumoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4637-7781)
- A. E. Hornschemeier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8667-2681)
- Mai Takeo
- Gregory V. Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6338-9445)
- Adam Foster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3462-8886)
- Laura Brenneman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2663-1954)
- Masahiro Tsujimoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9184-5556)
- Yoshitomo Maeda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9099-5755)
- Liyi Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9911-7038)
- Noriko Y. Yamasaki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4885-5537)
- D. McCammon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5170-4567)
- Toru Tamagawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8801-6263)
- Ryota Tomaru (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6797-2539)
- Shōgo Kobayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7773-9266)
- K. Yamaoka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3841-0980)
- Jan‐Uwe Ness (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0440-7193)
- Michael Loewenstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1661-4029)
- Hiromasa Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8152-6172)
- Naomi Ota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2784-3652)
- M. Guainazzi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1094-3147)
- Takaaki Tanaka (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4383-0368)
- Satoru Katsuda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1104-7205)
- Tsunefumi Mizuno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7263-0296)
- Randall K. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4284-4167)
- Yoshihiro Ueda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7821-6715)
- M. Tashiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5097-1257)
- M. Yamauchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1100-1423)
- Ikuyuki Mitsuishi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9901-233X)
- Teruaki Enoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1244-3100)
- Takeshi Go Tsuru (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5504-4903)
- Isamu Hatsukade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3518-3049)
- Hiroshi Murakami (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2917-8721)
- Ken Ebisawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5352-7178)
- Maurice A. Leutenegger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3331-7595)
- Takashi Okajima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6054-3432)
- F. S. Porter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6374-1119)
- D. Eckert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7917-3892)
- Maxim Markevitch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0144-4052)
- R. F. Mushotzky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7962-5446)
- Natalie Hell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3057-1536)
- Kumiko Nobukawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0726-7862)
- Ralf Ballhausen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1118-8470)
- Mihoko Yukita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6366-3459)
- B. R. McNamara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2622-2627)
- Brian J. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2063-381X)
- Masayoshi Nobukawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1130-5363)
- Misaki Mizumoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2161-0361)
- Rozenn Boissay-Malaquin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2704-599X)
- François Mernier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7031-4772)
- K. Pottschmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4656-6881)
- Shunji Kitamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8948-7983)
- T. Yoneyama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2683-6856)
- Robert Petre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3850-2041)
- E. Costantini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8470-749X)
- H. Takahashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6314-5897)
- S. Yamada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4808-893X)
- Yuusuke Uchida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7962-4136)
- Yuto Ichinohe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6102-1441)
- A. Tanimoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0114-5581)
- Caroline A. Kilbourne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9464-4103)
- Shoji Ogawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5701-0811)
- Nagomi Uchida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5641-745X)
- Koji Mori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0018-0369)
- Y. Tsuboi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9943-0024)
- Shin Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0441-7404)
- Shinichiro Uno
- Kumi Ishikawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2845-5843)
- Hiromi Seta
- Hiroshi Nakajima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6988-3938)
- H. Tsunemi
- Hisamitsu Awaki
- Hiroya Yamaguchi
- Richard L. Kelley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2283-3336)
- Yuichi Terashima
- Akihiro Furuzawa
- Yuichiro Ezoe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9232-3717)
- Makoto Sawada
- Keisuke Tamura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6677-3917)
- M. Ishida
- Tessei Yoshida
- Yoshitaka Ishisaki
- Yasushi Fukazawa
- Tahir Yaqoob
- Tadayasu Dotani
Institutions
- Tohoku Institute of Technology (JP)
- Kagoshima University (JP)
- Hiroshima University (JP)
- University of Geneva (CH)
- University of Miyazaki (JP)
- Kumamoto Gakuen University (JP)
- Leiden University (NL)
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Nihon Fukushi University (JP)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
- Space Telescope Science Institute (US)
- Shizuoka University (JP)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Rikkyo University (JP)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Fujita Health University (JP)
- Nara University of Education (JP)
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Konan University (JP)
- Tokyo University of Science (JP)
- Meiji University (JP)
- Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (JP)
- Shibaura Institute of Technology (JP)
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (IL)
- Durham University (GB)
- Kanto Gakuin University (JP)
- Kyoto University (JP)
- University of Michigan (US)
- University of Teacher Education Fukuoka (JP)
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JP)
- Tohoku Gakuin University (JP)
- Yale University (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- European Space Astronomy Centre (ES)
- RIKEN (JP)
- Osaka Health Science University (JP)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (NL)
- Astrophysics Science Division (US)
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JP)
- RIKEN Nishina Center (JP)
- Ehime University (JP)
- Leiden Observatory
- European Space Research and Technology Centre (NL)
- Space Research Organisation Netherlands (NL)
- Nagoya University (JP)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Saint Mary's University (CA)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Tokyo Metropolitan University (JP)
- Saitama University (JP)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
- Villanova University (US)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
- Kindai University (JP)
- Chuo University (JP)
- The University of Osaka (JP)
- Nara Women's University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature
- Published
- 2025-09-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09495-w
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.77
Funders
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science