Disc-jet coupling changes as a possible indicator for outbursts from GX 339-4 remaining within the X-ray hard state

We present quasi-simultaneous radio, (sub-)millimetre, and X-ray observations of the Galactic black hole X-ray binary GX 339-4, taken during its 2017-2018 outburst, where the source remained in the hard X-ray spectral state. During this outburst, GX 339-4 showed no atypical X-ray behaviour that may act as an indicator for an outburst remaining within the hard state. However, quasi-simultaneous radio and X-ray observations showed a flatter than expected coupling between the radio and X-ray luminosities (with a best-fitting relation of L-radio proportional to L-X(0.39 +/- 0.06)), when compared to successful outbursts from this system (L-radio proportional to L-X(0.62 +/- 0.02)). While our 2017-2018 outburst data only span a limited radio and X-ray luminosity range (similar to 1 order of magnitude in both, where more than 2 orders of magnitude in L-X is desired), including data from other hard-only outbursts from GX 339-4 extends the luminosity range to similar to 1.2 and similar to 2.8 orders of magnitude, respectively, and also results in a flatter correlation (where L-radio proportional to L-X(0.46 +/- 0.04)). This result is suggestive that for GX 339-4 a flatter radio-X-ray correlation, implying a more inefficient coupling between the jet and accretion flow, could act as an indicator for a hard-only outburst. However, further monitoring of both successful and hard-only outbursts over larger luminosity ranges with strictly simultaneous radio and X-ray observations is required from different single sources to explore if this applies generally to the population of black hole X-ray binaries, or even GX 339-4 at higher hard-state luminosities.