Jet Suppression by Accretion Disk Winds in the Microquasar GRS 1915+105
arXiv:0903.4173
Abstract
Stellar-mass black holes with relativistic jets, also known as microquasars, mimic the behavior of quasars and active galactic nuclei. Because timescales around stellar-mass black holes are orders of magnitude smaller than those around more distant supermassive black holes, microquasars are ideal nearby `laboratories' for studying the evolution of accretion disks and jet formation in black-hole systems. Although studies of black holes have revealed a complex array of accretion activity, the mechanisms that trigger and suppress jet formation remain a mystery. Here we report the discovery of a broad emission line during periods of intense hard X-ray flux in the microquasar GRS 1915+105, and highly ionized narrow absorption lines during softer states. We argue that the broad emission line arises when the inner accretion disk is illuminated by hard X-rays, possibly from the jet. In contrast, during softer states, when the jet is weak or absent, absorption lines appear as the powerful radiation field around the black hole drives a hot wind off the accretion disk. Our analysis strongly suggests that this wind carries enough mass away from the disk to halt the flow of matter into the radio jet.
To appear in the March 26 issue of Nature. This is the version accepted to Nature, Feb. 5, 2009
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