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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
earth and planetary sciences
A transient relativistic radio jet from Cygnus X-1
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 369, No. 2, Year 2006
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Description
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 d before this brightening, corresponding to projected velocities of , and an intrinsic velocity of . 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. © 2006 RAS.
Authors & Co-Authors
Fender, Robert P.
United Kingdom, Southampton
University of Southampton
Spencer, Ralph E.
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Brown, Ian S.
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Pooley, Guy G.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Muxlow, Thomas W.B.
United Kingdom, Manchester
The University of Manchester
Miller-Jones, James C.A.
Netherlands, Amsterdam
Universiteit Van Amsterdam
Statistics
Citations: 66
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10193.x
ISSN:
00358711
Research Areas
Environmental