The large-scale jet-powered radio nebula of Circinus X-1

Abstract

We present multi-epoch observations of the radio nebula around the neutron star X-ray binary Circinus X-1 made at 1.4 and 2.5 GHz with the Australia Telescope Compact Array between October 2000 and September 2004. The nebula can be seen as a result of the interaction between the jet from the system and the interstellar medium and it is likely that we are actually looking toward the central X-ray binary system through the jet-powered radio lobe. The study of the nebula thus offers a unique opportunity to estimate for the first time using calorimetry the energetics of a jet from an object clearly identified as a neutron star. An extensive discussion on the energetics of the complex is presented: a first approach is based on the minimum energy estimation, while a second one employs a self-similar model of the interaction between the jets and the surrounding medium. The results suggest an age for the nebula of \leq 10^5 years and a corresponding time-averaged jet power \geq 10^{35} erg s^{-1}. During periodic flaring episodes, the instantaneous jet power may reach values of similar magnitude to the X-ray luminosity.

Accepted to MNRAS

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• Large Scale Cavities Surrounding Microquasars Inferred from Evolution of their Relativistic Jets
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• The first resolved imaging of milliarcsecond-scale jets in Circinus X-1
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• Detection of a Radio Bubble around the Ultraluminous X-ray Source Holmberg IX X-1
• A newly discovered double-double candidate microquasar in NGC 300
• A return to strong radio flaring by Circinus X-1 observed with the Karoo Array Telescope test array KAT-7
• LMC X-1: A New Spectral Analysis of the O-star in the binary and surrounding nebula
• A complete X-ray spectral coverage of the 2010 May-June outbursts of Circinus X-1
• First e-VLBI observations of GRS 1915+105
• A parsec scale X-ray extended structure from the X-ray binary Circinus X-1
• Radio observations of Circinus X-1 over a complete orbit at an historically faint epoch
• e-VLBI observations of Circinus X-1: monitoring of the quiescent and flaring radio emission on AU scales
• Radio emission and jets from microquasars
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