AI Article Synopsis
- A black hole X-ray binary system consists of a black hole that pulls gas from a normal star, heating it up to emit X-rays.
- Recent observations of the XRB Cygnus X-1 show that the electric field's angle aligns with the jet produced by the black hole, suggesting the jet originates from the heated region around the black hole.
- The findings indicate that the polarization degree of the emitted X-rays is around 4.01%, and the accretion disk is viewed more edge-on, with hot plasma extending in a plane that's perpendicular to the jet rather than parallel to it.
Article Abstract
A black hole x-ray binary (XRB) system forms when gas is stripped from a normal star and accretes onto a black hole, which heats the gas sufficiently to emit x-rays. We report a polarimetric observation of the XRB Cygnus X-1 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The electric field position angle aligns with the outflowing jet, indicating that the jet is launched from the inner x-ray-emitting region. The polarization degree is 4.01 ± 0.20% at 2 to 8 kiloelectronvolts, implying that the accretion disk is viewed closer to edge-on than the binary orbit. These observations reveal that hot x-ray-emitting plasma is spatially extended in a plane perpendicular to, not parallel to, the jet axis.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.add5399 | DOI Listing |
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