Origin of Quasi-Periodic Oscillations and Accretion Process in X-Ray Binaries around Quantum Lee-Wick Black Hole

TL;DR

The paper studies accretion dynamics and test-particle motion around a non-rotating Lee-Wick black hole characterized by parameters $S_1$ and $S_2$, examining how higher-derivative gravity modifies orbital stability and QPOs in X-ray binaries.Analytically, it derives an effective potential and epicyclic frequencies, ISCOs, and local/distant frequency measures, highlighting sensitivity to $S_1$ and $S_2$.Numerically, GR hydrodynamics simulations of Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion reveal that Block-1 (weak corrections) yields Schwarzschild-like shock cones with LFQPOs, while Block-2 (strong corrections) produces dense, bow-shaped cones with HFQPOs and rich harmonic structure.The results suggest that future multi-wavelength observations, including X-ray timing and EHT-scale imaging, could constrain Lee-Wick gravity and test higher-derivative theories.

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the accretion dynamics and test particle motion around a non-rotating, spherically symmetric Lee-Wick black hole (BH) to reveal how the model parameters affect orbital stability and the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) observed in X-ray binary systems. The spacetime geometry, characterized by the BH mass and the coupling parameters $S_1$ and $S_2$, includes exponential and oscillatory corrections arising from the Lee-Wick terms. Using the effective potential approach, we derive specific energy, angular momentum, epicyclic frequencies, and the locations of the innermost stable circular orbits (ISCOs) of test particles. In addition to the analytical analysis, we explore the effects of the Lee-Wick spacetime parameters on the shock-cone morphology produced by Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (BHL) accretion. To this end, we perform general relativistic hydrodynamic simulations in two characteristic regimes: Block-1 (weak Lee-Wick regime) and Block-2 (strong Lee-Wick regime). The results show that Block-1 solutions closely resemble the Schwarzschild case, while Block-2 models develop denser and asymmetric shock cones accompanied by stronger QPOs activity, shifting from low-frequency to high-frequency QPOs. These variations yield distinct observational signatures that may be detectable in high-resolution X-ray timing data. Our analytical and numerical findings demonstrate that the Lee-Wick parameters $S_1$ and $S_2$ cause measurable changes in the morphology of the accretion flow and in the frequency ratios near the BH. This suggests that future multi-wavelength observations could provide an important avenue to test higher-derivative gravity theories.

Figures (18)

• Figure 1: Behaviour of lapse function of the spacetime of non-rotating Lee-Wick BH.
• Figure 2: Plots of the effective potential of particles moving around a non-rotating Lee-Wick BH.
• Figure 3: Plots of angular momentum of particles moving non-rotating Lee-Wick BH.
• Figure 4: Plots of energy of particles moving around a non-rotating Lee-Wick BH.
• Figure 5: Plots for ISCOs of particles moving around a non-rotating Lee-Wick BH.