Log-Normal Distributions in Cygnus X-1: Possible Physical Link with Gamma-Ray Bursts and Blazars

Abstract

Prompted by recent discoveries of log-normal distributions in gamma-ray/X-ray temporal variabilities of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and blazars, we re-examine the X-ray variability of Cygnus X-1 in the hard/low state using Ginga data in 1990. It was previously reported that the distributions of the time intervals between X-ray shots (flares) deviated from the Poisson distributions at short time intervals: the occurrence of shots tended to be suppressed for several seconds before and/or after a shot event. Detailed analyses show that this deviation is larger for shots with larger peaks, and that the time-interval distributions for large shots approach log-normal distributions with a peak at the interval of 7--8 s. Furthermore, we also show that the peak-intensity distribution for the shots is consistent with the log-normal distribution, though no typical peak intensity can be seen. This might indicate the presence of a physical link connecting the physics of black hole accretion flow and that of jet/GRB formation.