Global Jet Watch

Abstract:

We analysed the long-term variability of four microquasars (GRS 1915+105, Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3, and Sco X-1) in radio and X rays. The results of our analysis indicate the existence of two distinct modes of energy output, which we refer to as the 'coupled' mode and the 'flaring' mode. The coupled mode is responsible for mildly fluctuating, flat-spectrum radio emission, coupled with the X-ray emission; the flaring mode produces powerful, steep-spectrum radio flares, with no significant counterpart in X rays. We find that the fraction of time spent by a typical microquasar in the flaring mode is similar to the fraction of quasars that are radio-loud. This is consistent with the hypothesis that radio-loudness of quasars is a function of the epoch at which the source is observed.

Abstract:

We present results of a multi-wavelength program to study the faint discrete X-ray source population discovered by Chandra in the Galactic Centre (GC). From IR imaging obtained with the VLT we identify candidate K-band counterparts to 75% of the X-ray sources in our sample. By combining follow-up VLT K-band spectroscopy of a subset of these candidate counterparts with the magnitude limits of our photometric survey, we suggest that only a small percentage of the sources are HMXBs, while the majority are likely to be canonical LMXBs and CVs at the distance of the GC. In addition, we present our discovery of highly structured small-scale (5-15′′) extinction towards the Galactic Centre. This is the finest-scale extinction study of the Galactic Centre to date. Finally, from these VLT observationswe are able to place constraints on the stellar counterpart to the "bursting pulsar" GRO J1744-28.

Abstract:

We present results of a multi-wavelength program to study the faint discrete X-ray source population discovered by Chandra in the Galactic Centre (GC). From IR imaging obtained with the VLT we identify candidate K-band counterparts to 75% of the X-ray sources in our sample. By combining follow-up VLT K-band spectroscopy of a subset of these candidate counterparts with the magnitude limits of our photometric survey, we suggest that only a small percentage of the sources are HMXBs, while the majority are likely to be canonical LMXBs and CVs at the distance of the GC. In addition, we present our discovery of highly structured small-scale (5-15′′) extinction towards the Galactic Centre. This is the finest-scale extinction study of the Galactic Centre to date. Finally, from these VLT observationswe are able to place constraints on the stellar counterpart to the "bursting pulsar" GRO J1744-28.

Abstract:

We present the results from a large observing campaign where we obtained 61 medium resolution spectra spread over three months. We thus cover roughly five orbits and about half a precession phase. In this paper we describe the analysis of the so-called "stationary" emission lines, which we use to compute Doppler-maps of the emission distribution in the SS433-system. The radial velocities of the individual line components have been analysed. Periodic variations with the orbital period are confirmed, but also variations on longer timescales are found. These long-term variation might be either either related to the precession phase or to some transient phenomen.