Swift J1727.8–1613 Has the Largest Resolved Continuous Jet Ever Seen in an X-Ray Binary

Journal article

Multiwavelength polarimetry and radio observations of Swift J1727.8–1613 at the beginning of its recent 2023 outburst suggested the presence of a bright compact jet aligned in the north–south direction, which could not be confirmed without high-angular-resolution images. Using the Very Long Baseline Array and the Long Baseline Array, we imaged Swift J1727.8–1613 during the hard/hard-intermediate state, revealing a bright core and a large, two-sided, asymmetrical, resolved jet. The jet extends in the north–south direction, at a position angle of −0.60° ± 0.07° east of north. At 8.4 GHz, the entire resolved jet structure is ∼110(d/2.7kpc)/sini au long, with the southern approaching jet extending ∼80(d/2.7kpc)/sini au from the core, where d is the distance to the source and i is the inclination of the jet axis to the line of sight. These images reveal the most resolved continuous X-ray binary jet, and possibly the most physically extended continuous X-ray binary jet ever observed. Based on the brightness ratio of the approaching and receding jets, we put a lower limit on the intrinsic jet speed of β ≥ 0.27 and an upper limit on the jet inclination of i ≤ 74°. In our first observation we also detected a rapidly fading discrete jet knot 66.89 ± 0.04 mas south of the core, with a proper motion of 0.66 ± 0.05 mas hr−1, which we interpret as the result of a downstream internal shock or a jet–interstellar medium interaction, as opposed to a transient relativistic jet launched at the beginning of the outburst.

Authors: Wood, CM; Miller-Jones, JCA; Bahramian, A; Tingay, SJ; Prabu, S

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Astronomical Society
• Journal: The Astrophysical Journal Letters
• Volume: 971
• Issue: 1
• Article number: L9
• Publication date: 2024-08-05
• Acceptance date: 2024-07-19
• DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad6572
• EISSN: 2041-8213
• ISSN: 2041-8205
• Language: English
• Keywords: Low-mass x-ray binary stars; Very long baseline interferometry; Stellar mass black holes; Relativistic jets; Radio jets; Transient sources