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SOURCES OF RELATIVISTIC JETS IN THE GALAXY
I. F. Mirabel
Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, CEA/DSM/DAPNIA/Sap, Gif-sur-Yvette, F-91191
France,
and
Instituto de Astronomía y Física del
Espacio C.C. 67, Suc. 28. 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina;
mirabel@discovery.saclay.cea.fr
L. F. Rodríguez
Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Apdo. 04510 México,
México; D.F., Postal 70-264,
luisfr@astrosmo.unam.mx
Abstract. Black
holes of stellar mass and neutron stars in binary systems are first detected
as hard X-ray sources using high-energy space telescopes. Relativistic jets
in some of these compact sources are found by means of multiwavelength
observations with ground-based telescopes. The X-ray emission probes the
inner accretion disk and immediate surroundings of the compact object,
whereas the synchrotron
emission from the jets is observed in the radio and infrared bands, and in
the future could be detected at even shorter wavelengths. Black-hole X-ray
binaries with relativistic jets mimic, on a much smaller scale, many of the
phenomena seen in quasars and are thus called microquasars. Because of their
proximity, their study opens the way for a better understanding of the
relativistic jets seen elsewhere in the Universe. From the observation
of two-sided moving
jets it is inferred that the ejecta in microquasars move with relativistic
speeds similar to those believed to be present in quasars. The simultaneous
multiwavelength approach to microquasars reveals in short timescales the
close connection between instabilities in the accretion disk seen in the
X-rays, and the ejection of relativistic clouds of plasma observed as
synchrotron emission at longer wavelengths. Besides contributing to a
deeper understanding of accretion disks and jets, microquasars may serve
in the future to determine
the distances of jet sources using constraints from special relativity, and
the spin of black holes using general relativity.
Key Words: radio continuum stars, superluminal motion, X-rays
binaries
Table of Contents
JETS IN ASTROPHYSICS
- MICROQUASARS
- SUPERLUMINAL SOURCES
- Superluminal Motions in GRS 1915+105
- Superluminal Motions in GRO J1655-40
- Superluminal Motions in XTE J1748-288
- SPECIAL RELATIVITY EFFECTS
- Parameters of the Ejection
- A Relativistic Distance Determination
- Doppler Boosting
- ACCRETION DISK INSTABILITIES AND JET FORMATION
- JET FORMATION
- SYNCHROTRON EMISSION
- POSSIBLE LABORATORIES FOR GENERAL RELATIVITY
- OTHER SOURCES OF RELATIVISTIC JETS IN THE GALAXY
- INTERACTION OF RELATIVISTIC JETS WITH THE
ENVIRONMENT
- MICROBLAZARS AND GAMMA-RAY BURSTS
- CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVES
- REFERENCES
