Search Publications
Cygnus X-3 revealed as a Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source by IXPE
Ingram, Adam; Kaaret, Philip; Wu, Kinwah +127 more
The accretion of matter by compact objects can be inhibited by radiation pressure if the luminosity exceeds a critical value known as the Eddington limit. The discovery of ultraluminous X-ray sources has shown that accretion can proceed even when the apparent luminosity considerably exceeds this limit. A high apparent luminosity might be produced …
An assessment of the association between a fast radio burst and binary neutron star merger
Zhang, Bing; Moroianu, Alexandra; Wen, Linqing +4 more
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright millisecond-duration radio bursts at cosmological distances. While young magnetars are the leading source candidate, recent observations suggest that there may be multiple FRB progenitor classes. Here we investigate a potential coincidence between a binary neutron star merger event, GW190425, and a bright, non-r…
Mapping of shadows cast on a protoplanetary disk by a close binary system
van der Plas, G.; Avenhaus, H.; Girard, J. +47 more
For a comprehensive understanding of planetary formation and evolution, we need to investigate the environment in which planets form: circumstellar disks. Here we present high-contrast imaging observations of V4046 Sagittarii, a 20-Myr-old close binary known to host a circumbinary disk. We have discovered the presence of rotating shadows in the di…
Non-thermal X-rays from colliding wind shock acceleration in the massive binary Eta Carinae
Hamaguchi, Kenji; Corcoran, Michael F.; Russell, Christopher M. P. +9 more
Cosmic-ray acceleration has been a long-standing mystery1,2 and, despite more than a century of study, we still do not have a complete census of acceleration mechanisms. The collision of strong stellar winds in massive binary systems creates powerful shocks that have been expected to produce high-energy cosmic rays through Fermi acceler…
An elevation of 0.1 light-seconds for the optical jet base in an accreting Galactic black hole system
Harrison, F. A.; Stern, D.; Altamirano, D. +25 more
Relativistic plasma jets are observed in many systems that host accreting black holes. According to theory, coiled magnetic fields close to the black hole accelerate and collimate the plasma, leading to a jet being launched1-3. Isolating emission from this acceleration and collimation zone is key to measuring its size and understanding …
Gamma-ray observatory INTEGRAL reloaded
van den Heuvel, Edward P. J.
The scientific aims of the European Space Agency's International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory are considerably extended because of its unique capability to identify electromagnetic counterparts to sources of gravitational waves and ultra-high-energy neutrinos.