E.P.J. van den Heuvel University of Amsterdam George Miley and the discovery of Micro-quasars (X-ray...
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- Slide 1
- E.P.J. van den Heuvel University of Amsterdam George Miley and
the discovery of Micro-quasars (X-ray binaries with bimodal
relativistic jets) Leiden, June 11, 2013
- Slide 2
- Early in 1971 Braes and Miley started observing X-ray sources
with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), at 1415
MHz
- Slide 3
- 1973 Cambridge Conference on the Physics and Astrophysics of
Compact Objects: Luc Braes is in the 2 nd row, 4 th from the
left
- Slide 4
- In 1971, the only known X-ray source that showed (variable)
radio emission was Scorpius X-1, discovered by Andrew and Purton,
1968, and further studied by Ables (1969). Observations by
Hjellming and Wade (1971,ApL 164,L1) and confirmed by Braes and
Miley (1971, A&A 14, 160) showed it to have a triple structure,
resembling a little Quasar
- Slide 5
- Braes & Miley 1972 IUA Symp.
- Slide 6
- Braes and Miley (1971,Nature 232,246, 1415 MHz) and Hjellming
and Wade, 1971, ApJ 168, L21, 2695 MHz) independently discovered a
weak radio source that had appeared in the X-ray error box of Cyg
X-1 in early April 1971. The precise WSRT position left the 9 th
magnitude star HD226868 as the sole possible optical candidate of
the RADIO Source. BUT WAS THIS THE X-RAY SOURCE?
- Slide 7
- Webster and Murdin (1971, Nature) identified the radio source
with the 9 th magnitude O9.7 Iab blue supergiant star HD 226868,
and discovered in Nov. 1971 this star to be a 5.6 day period
spectroscopic binary with a radial velocity amplitude of 64 km/sec
(now: 72km/s) [Nature, 7 Jan.1972]. Assuming a normal mass of 30
Msun for the supergiant, one finds (since there are no X-ray
eclipses), that the minimum mass of the unseen companion is > 6
Msun. As this is larger than the upper mass limit of 3.4 Msun of
neutron stars, the companion, if it is the X-ray source, must be a
BLACK HOLE.(In the paper they still allow also a supergiant mass
10Msun, which gives a companion>2 Msun)
- Slide 8
- From B.Louise Webster and Paul Murdin, Nature 235,37 (7 Jan
1972), Received 17 Nov. 1971. Orb. Period 5.6 days, velocity ampl.
64 km/s
- Slide 9
- The first pulsating and eclipsing binary X-ray source,
Centaurus X-3, was discovered in November 1971 by the UHURU team.
The doppler motion showed the companion to be a massive star >
16Msun, and the eclipse duration indicated that the star is a blue
supergiant, like HD 226868. This made the possibility that Cyg X-1
is a black hole in a similar binary system, suddenly very
likely.
- Slide 10
- Slide 11
- The appearance of the radio source of Cyg X-1 just after the
X-ray transition
- Slide 12
- The discovery of this coincidence, made by the UHURU team in
the spring of 1972, showed that the radio and the X-ray source are
the same object, and that Cyg X-1 indeed is a High-Mass X-ray
binary, and that it most likely contains a black hole
- Slide 13
- Nature The second great discovery of Braes and Miley: the
strong and highly variable radio source Cygnus X-3. As its radio
spectral evolution after a large radio outburst exactly follows a
van der Laan-modelfor an expanding bubble of relativistic electrons
with magnetic fields, this is the first Micro-Quasar ( 22 years
before this name was invented) Nature 237, 506, 30 June 1972
- Slide 14
- Cyg X-3 is a 4.8- hour period X-ray binary, and is a 4.8 hour
period IR source, at a distance of 10 Kpc. In 1993 van Kerkwijk et
al. (Nature) found it to have a Wolf-Rayet (He *) companion. It has
radio jets. It is at times the brightest radio source in the
sky.
- Slide 15
- March 27 April 03 April 09 April 16 April 23 April 27 Radio
outburst of the black-hole X-ray binary GRS1915+105 in 1994: Blobs
moving on the sky with apparently super-luminal velocities 1,2c to
1,7c (VLA). This is a well-known relativisitic projection effect,
seen in quasar jets. This led to the name Micro-quasar (Mirabel and
Rodriguez, 1994, Nature 371,46)
- Slide 16
- Microquasar GRS 1915+105: Black hole >10 solar masses with
an ~2 solar mass K-giant companion in 33,5 day orbit
- Slide 17
- The black-hole X-ray binary GRS 1915+105: radio blobs moving
out with relativistic velocities (VLA) The blobs move on the sky
with apparently superluminal velocities (1,2c to 1,7c), this is a
well-known relativistic projectioneffect seen also in quasar-jets.
This led to the name Micro-quasar (Mirabel and Rodriguez
1994,Nature 371,46)
- Slide 18
- SS433 Vermeulen,Schilizzi Multi-wavelength campaign on the
May/June 1987 outburst WSRT, with NHO and Calar Alto (Spain),
Russian 6m Telescope, Bologna, NRAO, Sydney Univ., NRL, etc.
(Vermeulen et al.A&A 270,177,1993) SS 433 The Mother of all
Micro-quasars A ~10 Msun Black hole with ~15 Msun donor, in 13d
orbit (Fabrika &Cherepaschuk 2013) Discovered by Bruce Margon
(1978)
- Slide 19
- Westerhout 50, thebeam bag produced by the precessing beams of
SS433
- Slide 20
- Optical behaviour of SS 433 during the May/June 1987 campaign,
Aslanov, Cherepaschuck, Goranskij, Rakhimov and Vermeulen, AA 270,
200, 1993 [13-day binary]
- Slide 21
- Gallo, Fender, Kaiser, Russell, Morganti, Oosterloo and Heintz,
2005, Nature 436, 819: WSRT observations at 1.4 GHz: Discovery of
the Jet-powered nebula of Cygnus X-1: Cygnus X-1 is a
Micro-Quasar!
- Slide 22
- Gallo, Fender, Kaiser, Russell, Morganti, Oosterloo and Heintz
2005,Nature: WSRT Radio jet and jet-powered nebula of Cyg X-1 (1.4
GHz) [on Cover of Nature]: Cyg X-1 is a Micro- Quasar!!
- Slide 23
- H-alpha picture of the jet-powered nebula of Cyg X-1 taken with
the Isaac Newton Telsc. (Gallo et al.,2005)
- Slide 24
- The jet-powered optical nebula of Cygnus X-1 (Russell, Fender,
Gallo and Kaiser, 2008, MNRAS)
- Slide 25
- From Mirabel and Rodriguez 1999, Ann.Rev. A&A: Several
sources to be added: e.g. Cyg X-1 (black Hole) and Sco X-1
(NS)
- Slide 26
- Conclusions Braes and Miley in 1971-1972 did breakthrough work
with the new WSRT on the discovery of the radio emission of
accreting neutron stars and black holes in X-ray binaries: -
Discovery of the triple micro-quasar structure of Sco X-1 (1971)
-Discovery of the sudden radio appearance of Cyg X-1 in 1971,
allowing its definitive identification with the first ever
established black hole in an X-ray binary: HD226868 (1972), (In
2005 found with WSRT to be a micro-quasar). -Discovery of the
second Micro-Quasar Cygnus X-3 (1972) George: Many Thanks!