Evolution of low frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in GX 339-4 during its 2021 outburst using AstroSat data

The black hole X-ray binary GX\,339-4 showed an X-ray outburst during 2021. The {\it AstroSat} captured this outburst when the source entered into the intermediate flux state while the count rate was declining. The source showed an alternating flux profile in a timescale of $\lesssim$100 ks, where the hard energy band was more variable than the soft band. The energy-dependent timing study showed that the observed quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) was prominent in the low energy bands, with its nearly sub-harmonic and harmonic components. These components appear and disappear with time, as observed in the orbit-wise QPO study. The Q-value, fractional rms, and 4.8-5.6 Hz frequency infer the QPOs as type-B and the spectral state as soft intermediate. The rms spectra of all orbits exhibiting QPOs show an increase in amplitude till $\sim$ 10 keV, beyond which it starts decreasing. This may indicate that $\sim$ 10 keV photons contributed relatively more in QPOs than other energy band photons. The Lorentzian normalization of the type-B QPO in different energy bands is consistent with the 10 keV peak. The energy-dependent time lag is complex and could be associated with the Comptonizing corona or jet. Finally, we discuss possible reasons behind the origin of different timing properties observed.
Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS