  The black hole candidate (BHC) X-ray transient 4U 1630-47 continuously
produced strong X-ray emission for over 2 years during 2002-2004. We use
observations made with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) to study the
source throughout the outburst along with hard X-ray images from the
INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL). The source exhibits
extreme behaviors, including measured inner disk temperatures (Tin) between 2.7
and 3.8 keV, which are only rivaled by the brightest BHC systems. If the high
temperatures are caused by the dominance of electron scattering opacity in the
inner regions of the accretion disk, a luminosity >20% of the Eddington limit
is theoretically required. We detect several types of variability, including
hard 10-100 s flares at the highest disk luminosities in a regime where the
source deviates from the Ldisk/Tin relationship that is seen at lower
luminosities, possibly suggesting that we are seeing transitions between a
standard disk and a "slim" disk. The X-ray properties in 2002-2004 are
significantly different from those seen during the 1998 outburst, which is the
only outburst with detected radio jet emission. Our results support the
"jet-line" concept recently advanced by Fender and co-workers. Our study allows
for a test of the quantitative McClintock & Remillard spectral state
definitions. We also report on detections of the nearby sources IGR J16320-4751
and IGR J16358-4726.
