314 research outputs found
A transient relativistic radio jet from Cygnus X-1
We report the first observation of a transient relativistic jet from the
canonical black hole candidate, Cygnus X-1, obtained with the Multi-Element
Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN). The jet was observed in only one
of six epochs of MERLIN imaging of the source during a phase of repeated X-ray
spectral transitions in 2004 Jan--Feb, and this epoch corresponded to the
softest 1.5-12 keV X-ray spectrum. With only a single epoch revealing the jet,
we cannot formally constrain its velocity. Nevertheless, several lines of
reasoning suggest that the jet was probably launched 0.5-4.0 days before this
brightening, corresponding to projected velocities of 0.2c < v_app < 1.6c, and
an intrinsic velocity of > 0.3c. We also report the occurrence of a major radio
flare from Cyg X-1, reaching a flux density of ~120 mJy at 15 GHz, and yet not
associated with any resolvable radio emission, despite a concerted effort with
MERLIN. We discuss the resolved jet in terms of the recently proposed 'unified
model' for the disc-jet coupling in black hole X-ray binaries, and tentatively
identify the 'jet line' for Cyg X-1. The source is consistent with the model in
the sense that a steady jet appears to persist initially when the X-ray
spectrum starts softening, and that once the spectral softening is complete the
core radio emission is suppressed and transient ejecta / shock observed.
However, there are some anomalies, and Cyg X-1 clearly does not behave like a
normal black hole transient in progressing to the canonical soft / thermal
state once the ejection event has happened.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Jet-disc coupling through a common energy reservoir in the black hole XTE J1118+480
We interpret the rapid correlated UV/optical/ X-ray variability of XTE
J1118+480 as a signature of the coupling between the X-ray corona and a jet
emitting synchrotron radiation in the optical band. We propose a scenario in
which the jet and the X-ray corona are fed by the same energy reservoir where
large amounts of accretion power are stored before being channelled into either
the jet or the high energy radiation. This time dependent model reproduces the
main features of the rapid multi-wavelength variability of XTE J1118+480.
Assuming that the energy is stored in the form of magnetic field, we find that
the required values of the model parameters are compatible with both a patchy
corona atop a cold accretion disc and a hot thick inner disc geometry. The
range of variability timescales for the X-ray emitting plasma are consistent
with the dynamical times of an accretion flow between 10 and 100 Schwarzschild
radii. On the other hand, the derived range of timescales associated with the
dissipation in the jet extends to timescales more than 10 times larger,
confirming the suggestion that the generation of a powerful outflow requires
large scale coherent poloidal field structures. A strong requirement of the
model is that the total jet power should be at least a few times larger than
the observed X-ray luminosity. This would be consistent with the overall low
radiative efficiency of the source. We present independent arguments showing
that the jet probably dominates the energetic output of all accreting black
holes in the low-hard state.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, to appear in MNRA
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis with Gaussian Inhomogeneous Neutrino Degeneracy
We consider the effect of inhomogeneous neutrino degeneracy on Big Bang
nucleosynthesis for the case where the distribution of neutrino chemical
potentials is given by a Gaussian. The chemical potential fluctuations are
taken to be isocurvature, so that only inhomogeneities in the electron chemical
potential are relevant. Then the final element abundances are a function only
of the baryon-photon ratio , the effective number of additional neutrinos
, the mean electron neutrino degeneracy parameter , and
the rms fluctuation of the degeneracy parameter, . We find that for
fixed , , and , the abundances of helium-4,
deuterium, and lithium-7 are, in general, increasing functions of .
Hence, the effect of adding a Gaussian distribution for the electron neutrino
degeneracy parameter is to decrease the allowed range for . We show that
this result can be generalized to a wide variety of distributions for .Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, added discussion of neutrino oscillations,
altered presentation of figure
Integrated Sensing and Communications for IoT: Synergies with Key 6G Technology Enablers
The Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless generations have been evolving
simultaneously for the past few decades. Built upon wireless communication and
sensing technologies, IoT networks are usually evaluated based on metrics that
measure the device ability to sense information and effectively share it with
the network, which makes Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) a pivotal
candidate for the sixth-generation (6G) IoT standards. This paper reveals
several innovative aspects of ISAC from an IoT perspective in 6G, empowering
various modern IoT use cases and key technology enablers. Moreover, we address
the challenges and future potential of ISAC-enabled IoT, including synergies
with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI),
and key updates of ISAC-IoT in 6G standardization. Furthermore, several
evolutionary concepts are introduced to open future research in 6G ISAC-IoT,
including the interplay with Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and Orthogonal
Time-Frequency Space (OTFS) modulation.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Patient enablement requires physician empathy: a cross-sectional study of general practice consultations in areas of high and low socioeconomic deprivation in Scotland
<b>Background</b> Patient 'enablement' is a term closely aligned with 'empowerment' and its measurement in a general practice consultation has been operationalised in the widely used patient enablement instrument (PEI), a patient-rated measure of consultation outcome. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the factors that influence enablement, particularly the effect of socio-economic deprivation. The aim of the study is to assess the factors influencing patient enablement in GP consultations in areas of high and low deprivation.<p></p>
<b>Methods</b> A questionnaire study was carried out on 3,044 patients attending 26 GPs (16 in areas of high socio-economic deprivation and 10 in low deprivation areas, in the west of Scotland). Patient expectation (confidence that the doctor would be able to help) was recorded prior to the consultation. PEI, GP empathy (measured by the CARE Measure), and a range of other measures and variables were recorded after the consultation. Data analysis employed multi-level modelling and multivariate analyses with the PEI as the dependant variable.<p></p>
<b>Results</b> Although numerous variables showed a univariate association with patient enablement, only four factors were independently predictive after multilevel multivariate analysis; patients with multimorbidity of 3 or more long-term conditions (reflecting poor chronic general health), and those consulting about a long-standing problem had reduced enablement scores in both affluent and deprived areas. In deprived areas, emotional distress (GHQ-caseness) had an additional negative effect on enablement. Perceived GP empathy had a positive effect on enablement in both affluent and deprived areas. Maximal patient enablement was never found with low empathy.<p></p>
<b>Conclusions</b> Although other factors influence patient enablement, the patients' perceptions of the doctors' empathy is of key importance in patient enablement in general practice consultations in both high and low deprivation settings
Energetics of a black hole: constraints on the jet velocity and the nature of the X-ray emitting region in Cyg X-1
We investigate the energetics of the jet and X-ray corona of Cyg X-1. We show
that the current estimates of the jet power obtained from Halpha and [O III]
measurements of the optical nebula surrounding the X-ray source allow one to
constrain the bulk velocity of the jet. It is definitely relativistic (v >0.1c)
and most probably in the range (0.3-0.8)c. The exact value of the velocity
depends on the accretion efficiency. These constraints are obtained
independently of, and are consistent with, previous estimates of the jet bulk
velocity based on radio measurements. We then show that the X-ray emission does
not originate in the jet. Indeed, the energy budget does not allow the corona
to be ejected to infinity at relativistic speed. Rather, either a small
fraction of the corona escapes to infinity, or the ejection velocity of the
corona is vanishingly low. Although the corona could constitute the jet
launching region, it cannot be identified with the jet itself. We discuss the
consequences for various X-ray emission models.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, to appear in MNRA
Black hole accretion disks in the canonical low-hard state
Stellar-mass black holes in the low-hard state may hold clues to jet
formation and basic accretion disk physics, but the nature of the accretion
flow remains uncertain. A standard thin disk can extend close to the innermost
stable circular orbit, but the inner disk may evaporate when the mass accretion
rate is reduced. Blackbody-like continuum emission and dynamically-broadened
iron emission lines provide independent means of probing the radial extent of
the inner disk. Here, we present an X-ray study of eight black holes in the
low-hard state. A thermal disk continuum with a colour temperature consistent
with is clearly detected in all eight sources, down to
. In six sources, disk models exclude a
truncation radius larger than 10rg. Iron-ka fluorescence line emission is
observed in half of the sample, down to luminosities of
. Detailed fits to the line profiles exclude a
truncated disk in each case. If strong evidence of truncation is defined as (1)
a non-detection of a broad iron line, {\it and} (2) an inner disk temperature
much cooler than expected from the relation, none
of the spectra in this sample offer strong evidence of disk truncation. This
suggests that the inner disk may evaporate at or below
.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 20 pages, 18 figure
The MeV spectral tail in Cyg X-1 and optically-thin emission of jets
We study the average X-ray and soft gamma-ray spectrum of Cyg X-1 in the hard
spectral state, using data from INTEGRAL. We compare these results with those
from CGRO, and find a good agreement. Confirming previous studies, we find the
presence of a high-energy MeV tail beyond a thermal-Comptonization spectrum;
however, the tail is much softer and weaker than that recently published by
Laurent et al. In spite of this difference, the observed high-energy tail could
still be due to the synchrotron emission of the jet of Cyg X-1, as claimed by
Laurent et al.
To test this possibility, we study optically-thin synchrotron and
self-Compton emission from partially self-absorbed jets. We develop formalisms
for calculating both emission of the jet base (which we define here as the
region where the jet starts its emission) and emission of the entire jet. We
require the emission to match that observed at the turnover energy. The
optically thin emission is dominated by that from the jet base, and it has to
become self-absorbed within it at the turnover frequency. We find this implies
the magnetic field strength at the jet base of B_0 prop. to z_0^4, where z_0 is
the distance of the base from the black-hole centre. The value of B_0 is then
constrained from below by the condition that the self-Compton emission is below
an upper limit in the GeV range, and from above by the condition that the
Poynting flux does not exceed the jet kinetic power. This yields B_0 of the
order of ~10^4 G and the location of the jet base at ~10^3 gravitational radii.
Using our formalism, we find the MeV tail can be due to jet synchrotron
emission, but this requires the electron acceleration at a rather hard
power-law index, p~1.3-1.6. For acceleration indices of p> 2, the amplitude of
the synchrotron component is much below that of MeV tail, and its origin is
likely to be due to hybrid Comptonization in the accretion flow.Comment: MNRAS, in press, 13 page
Superorbital variability of X-ray and radio emission of Cyg X-1. I. Emission anisotropy of precessing sources
We study theoretical interpretations of the 150-d (superorbital) modulation
observed in X-ray and radio emission of Cyg X-1 in the framework of models
connecting this phenomenon to precession. Precession changes the orientation of
the emission source (either disc or jet) relative to the observer. This leads
to emission modulation due to an anisotropic emission pattern of the source or
orientation-dependent amount of absorbing medium along the line of sight or
both. We consider, in particular, anisotropy patterns of blackbody-type
emission, thermal Comptonization in slab geometry, jet/outflow beaming, and
absorption in a coronal-type medium above the disc. We then fit these models to
the data from the RXTE/ASM, CGRO/BATSE, and the Ryle and Green Bank radio
telescopes, and find relatively small best-fit angles between the precession
and orbital planes, ~10-20 degrees. The thermal Comptonization model for the
X-ray emission explains well the observed decrease of the variability amplitude
from 1 to 300 keV as a result of a reduced anisotropy of the emission due to
multiple scatterings. Our modeling also yield the jet bulk velocity of
~(0.3-0.5)c, which is in agreement with the previous constraint from the lack
of an observed counterjet and lack of short-term X-ray/radio correlations.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures and 2 tables, accepted to MNRA
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