81 research outputs found
Energetics of jets from X-ray binaries
I discuss the energetics of synchrotron-emitting outflows, increasingly found
to be present in many different classes of X-ray binary systems. It is shown
that the outflow is likely to be comparable in power to the integrated X-ray
luminosity, traditionally taken to be an indicator of the global mass-transfer
rate. This is especially found to be the case in the (low/)hard states of black
hole candidate systems. I conclude that jets are extremely important,
energetically and dynamically, for the accretion process in the majority of
known X-ray binary systems.Comment: To be published in `Proceedings of the Third Microquasar Workshop:
Granada Workshop on galactic relativistic jet sources', Eds A. J.
Castro-Tirado, J. Greiner and J. M. Paredes, Astrophysics and Space Science,
in pres
Sources of Relativistic Jets in the Galaxy
Black holes of stellar mass and neutron stars in binary systems are first
detected as hard X-ray sources using high-energy space telescopes. Relativistic
jets in some of these compact sources are found by means of multiwavelength
observations with ground-based telescopes. The X-ray emission probes the inner
accretion disk and immediate surroundings of the compact object, whereas the
synchrotron emission from the jets is observed in the radio and infrared bands,
and in the future could be detected at even shorter wavelengths. Black-hole
X-ray binaries with relativistic jets mimic, on a much smaller scale, many of
the phenomena seen in quasars and are thus called microquasars. Because of
their proximity, their study opens the way for a better understanding of the
relativistic jets seen elsewhere in the Universe. From the observation of
two-sided moving jets it is inferred that the ejecta in microquasars move with
relativistic speeds similar to those believed to be present in quasars. The
simultaneous multiwavelength approach to microquasars reveals in short
timescales the close connection between instabilities in the accretion disk
seen in the X-rays, and the ejection of relativistic clouds of plasma observed
as synchrotron emission at longer wavelengths. Besides contributing to a deeper
comprehension of accretion disks and jets, microquasars may serve in the future
to determine the distances of jet sources using constraints from special
relativity, and the spin of black holes using general relativity.Comment: 39 pages, Tex, 8 figures, to appear in vol. 37 (1999) of Annual
Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysic
On the role of magnetic reconnection in jet/accretion disk systems
The most accepted model for jet production is based on the
magneto-centrifugal acceleration out off an accretion disk that surrounds the
central source (Blandford & Payne, 1982). This scenario, however, does not
explain, e.g., the quasi-periodic ejection phenomena often observed in
different astrophysical jet classes. de Gouveia Dal Pino & Lazarian (2005)
(hereafter GDPL) have proposed that the large scale superluminal ejections
observed in microquasars during radio flare events could be produced by violent
magnetic reconnection (MR) episodes. Here, we extend this model to other
accretion disk systems, namely: active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and young stellar
objects (YSOs), and also discuss its role on jet heating and particle
acceleration.Comment: To be published in the IAU Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 15, XXVII
IAU General Assembly, August 2009, Ian F. Corbett et al., eds., 201
Molecular gas in nearby powerful radio galaxies
We report the detection of CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) emission from the central
region of nearby 3CR radio galaxies (z 0.03). Out of 21 galaxies, 8 have
been detected in, at least, one of the two CO transitions. The total molecular
gas content is below 10 \msun. Their individual CO emission exhibit, for 5
cases, a double-horned line profile that is characteristic of an inclined
rotating disk with a central depression at the rising part of its rotation
curve. The inferred disk or ring distributions of the molecular gas is
consistent with the observed presence of dust disks or rings detected optically
in the cores of the galaxies. We reason that if their gas originates from the
mergers of two gas-rich disk galaxies, as has been invoked to explain the
molecular gas in other radio galaxies, then these galaxies must have merged a
long time ago (few Gyr or more) but their remnant elliptical galaxies only
recently (last 10 years or less) become active radio galaxies. Instead, we
argue the the cannibalism of gas-rich galaxies provide a simpler explanation
for the origin of molecular gas in the elliptical hosts of radio galaxies (Lim
et al. 2000). Given the transient nature of their observed disturbances, these
galaxies probably become active in radio soon after the accretion event when
sufficient molecular gas agglomerates in their nuclei.Comment: 6 pages, including 2 figures,in "QSO Hosts and Their Environments",
ed. I. Marquez, in pres
A smoother end to the dark ages
Independent lines of evidence suggest that the first stars, which ended the
cosmic dark ages, came in pairs, rather than singly. This could change the
prevailing view that the early Universe had a Swiss-cheese-like appearance.Comment: Nature News and Views, April 7, 201
Observational Properties of Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei
Parsec scale jet properties are shortly presented and discussed.
Observational data are used to derive constraints on the jet velocity and
orientation, the presence of velocity structures, and the connection between
the pc and kpc scale. Two peculiar sources with limb-brightened jets: 1144+35
and Mkn 501 are discussed in detail.Comment: 13 pages with 7 figures. To appear in "Virtual Astrophysical Jets"
APSS, Kluwer Academic Publisher - Massaglia, Bodo, Rossi eds - in pres
Positron annihilation signatures associated with the outburst of the microquasar V404 Cygni
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Thomas Siegert, et al, âPositron annihilation signatures associated with the outburst of the microquasar V404 Cygniâ, Nature: International Journal of Science, Vol. 531: 341-343, March 2016, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16978. Content in the UH Research Archive is made available for personal research, educational, and non-commercial purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, all content is protected by copyright, and in the absence of an open license, permissions for further re-use should be sought from the publisher, the author, or other copyright holder.Microquasars1, 2, 3, 4 are stellar-mass black holes accreting matter from a companion star5 and ejecting plasma jets at almost the speed of light. They are analogues of quasars that contain supermassive black holes of 106 to 1010 solar masses. Accretion in microquasars varies on much shorter timescales than in quasars and occasionally produces exceptionally bright X-ray flares6. How the flares are produced is unclear, as is the mechanism for launching the relativistic jets and their composition. An emission line near 511 kiloelectronvolts has long been sought in the emission spectrum of microquasars as evidence for the expected electronâpositron plasma. Transient high-energy spectral features have been reported in two objects7, 8, but their positron interpretation9 remains contentious. Here we report observations of Îł-ray emission from the microquasar V404 Cygni during a recent period of strong flaring activity10. The emission spectrum around 511 kiloelectronvolts shows clear signatures of variable positron annihilation, which implies a high rate of positron production. This supports the earlier conjecture that microquasars may be the main sources of the electronâpositron plasma responsible for the bright diffuse emission of annihilation Îł-rays in the bulge region of our Galaxy11. Additionally, microquasars could be the origin of the observed megaelectronvolt continuum excess in the inner Galaxy.Peer reviewe
An unusually massive stellar black hole in the Galaxy
Here we report a measurement of the orbital period and mass function of GRS
1915+105 which allow us to deduce a mass of 14 +- 4 solar masses for its black
hole. This large mass provides a challenge for black hole formation scenarios
in binaries, since black holes with masses above 5-7 solar masses are hard to
explain. Also, the mass estimate allows us to understand the unique X-ray
variability of GRS 1915+105 as being due to instabilities of a
radiation-pressure dominated disk radiating near the Eddington limit. Finally,
several models are constrained which relate observable X-ray properties to the
spin of black holes in microquasars. Once further calibrated, these relations
may soon turn into a valuable tool to study relativistic effects in strong
gravitational fields.Comment: appeared in Nature 414, p. 522 (Nov. 29, 2001
A high-velocity black hole on a Galactic-halo orbit in the solar neighborhood
Only a few of the dozen or so stellar-mass black holes have been observed
away from the plane of the Galaxy. Those few could have been ejected from
the plane as a result of a ``kick'' received during a supernova explosion, or
they could be remnants of the population of massive stars formed in the early
stages of evolution of the Galaxy. Determining their orbital motion should help
to distinguish between these options. Here we report the transverse motion (in
the plane of the sky) for the black hole X-ray nova XTE J1118+480 (refs 2-5),
from which we derive a large space velocity. This X-ray binary has an eccentric
orbit around the Galactic Centre, like most objects in the halo of the Galaxy,
such as ancient stars and globular clusters. The properties of the system
suggest that its age is comparable to or greater than the age of the Galactic
disk. Only an extraordinary ``kick'' from a supernova could have launched the
black hole into an orbit like this from a birth place in the disk of the
Galaxy.Comment: 8 pages including 2 color figures. Additional figures and animation
in http://www.iafe.uba.ar/astronomia/FM/mirabel.htm
A Hard X-Ray View of Scorpius X-1 with INTEGRAL: Nonthermal Emission?
We present here simultaneous INTEGRAL/RXTE observations of Sco X-1 and in particular a study of the hard X-ray emission of the source and its correlation with the position in the Z track of the X-ray color-color diagram. We find that the hard X-ray (above about 30 keV) emission of Sco X-1 is dominated by a power-law component with a photon index of ~3. The flux in the power-law component slightly decreases when the source moves in the color-color diagram in the sense of increasing inferred mass accretion rate from the horizontal branch to the normal branch/flaring branch vertex. It becomes not significantly detectable in the flaring branch, where its flux has decreased by about an order of magnitude. These results present close analogies to the behavior of GX 17+2, one of the so-called Sco-like Z sources. Finally, the hard power law in the spectrum of Sco X-1 does not show any evidence of a high-energy cutoff up to 100-200 keV, strongly suggesting a nonthermal origin of this component
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