Revision of the properties of the GRS 1915+105 jets: Clues from the large-scale structure

Abstract

The jets of GRS 1915+105 carry a considerable energy away from the central source into the ISM. The similarity of the jets of this source and jets in radio galaxies or radio-loud quasars suggests that we should detect large-scale, synchrotron emitting radio structures surrounding GRS 1915+105. However, these large structures have not been found. We show that by adapting a model for the radio lobes of extragalatic jet sources we predict a radio surface brightness of the equivalent structures of GRS 1915+105 below the current detection limits. The model uses an energy transport rate of the jets averaged over the jet lifetime. This transport rate is found to be considerably lower than the power of the jets during the rare major ejection events. Thus the lobes contain less energy than would be inferred from these events and produce a lower radio luminosity. The model also predicts a lifetime of the jets of order $10^6$ years and a gas density of the ISM in the vicinity of GRS 1915+105 of $\sim 150$ cm${}^{-3}$. The impact sites of the jets are identified with two {\sc iras} regions with a flat radio spectrum located on either side of GRS 1915+105. Observations of molecular lines and dust emission from these objects are consistent with our interpretation. Distance estimates for the {\sc iras} regions give 6.5 kpc and our model implies that this is also the distance to GRS 1915+105. This low distance estimate in combination with the observed motions of jet ejections on small scales yields a jet velocity of about 0.7 c and an angle of $53^{\circ }$ of the jets to our line of sight.

replaced with shorter (10 pages) emulateapj version

References in corpus (5)

• Radio Lobe Dynamics and the Environment of Microquasars
• Uses and limitations of relativistic jet proper motions: lessons from galactic microquasars
• On the optical extinction and distance of GRS 1915+105
• Formation and Evolution of Microquasar GRS 1915+105
• Modelling Oscillations in the Jet Emission from Microquasar GRS 1915+105

Cited by in corpus (36)

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• A Parallax Distance to the Microquasar GRS 1915+105 and a Revised Estimate of its Black Hole Mass
• Jet-dominated advective systems: radio and X-ray luminosity dependence on the accretion rate
• Disk-Jet Coupling in Black Hole Accretion Systems I: General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamical Models
• The jet-powered optical nebula of Cygnus X-1
• Measuring mass and angular momentum of black holes with high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations
• Opening angles, Lorentz factors and confinement of X-ray binary jets
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• Radio lobes and X-ray hot spots in the microquasar S26
• GRS 1915+105: the distance, radiative processes and energy-dependent variability
• Three episodes of jet activity in the FRII radio galaxy B0925+420
• Observational constraints on the spin of the most massive black holes from radio observations
• Kinematics of Black Hole X-ray Binary GRS 1915+105
• Non thermal emission from microquasar/ISM interaction
• Microquasar interaction with the surrounding medium
• Estimating the kinetic luminosity function of jets from Galactic X-ray binaries
• 3D simulations of wind-jet interaction in massive X-ray binaries
• Large Scale Cavities Surrounding Microquasars Inferred from Evolution of their Relativistic Jets
• Mapping Jet-ISM Interactions in X-ray Binaries with ALMA: A GRS 1915$+$105 Case Study
• Blazing trails: Microquasars as head-tail sources and the seeding of magnetized plasma into the ISM
• Evidence for deceleration in the radio jets of GRS1915+105?
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• Jet-ISM Interactions near the Microquasars GRS 1758-258 and 1E 1740.7-2942
• New observations of ULX supershells, and their implications
• The BLAST View of the Star Forming Region in Aquila (ell=45deg,b=0deg)
• MeerKAT discovers a jet-driven bow shock near GRS 1915+105. How an invisible large-scale jet sculpts a microquasar's environment
• Possible hot spots excited by the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-3
• Spectacular Trailing Streamers near LMC X-1: The First Evidence of a Jet?
• Quantifying jet-interstellar medium interactions in Cyg X-1: Insights from dual-frequency bow shock detection with MeerKAT
• Is GRS 1915+105 a microquasar?
• Interaction of a high-mass X-ray binary with the interstellar medium through stellar wind. The case of GX 301-2
• Multiple relativistic outbursts of GRS 1915+105: radio emission and internal shocks
• Fermi-LAT detection of extended gamma-ray emission in the vicinity of SNR G045.7$-$00.4: evidence for escaping cosmic rays interacting with the surrounding molecular clouds