Veledina, Alexandra;
Muleri, Fabio;
Poutanen, Juri;
Podgorný, Jakub;
Dovčiak, Michal;
Capitanio, Fiamma;
Churazov, Eugene;
... Zane, Silvia; + view all
(2024)
Cygnus X-3 revealed as a Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source by IXPE.
Nature Astronomy
, 8
pp. 1031-1046.
10.1038/s41550-024-02294-9.
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Abstract
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 due to the geometric beaming of radiation by an outflow. The outflow half-opening angle, which determines the amplification due to beaming, has never been robustly constrained. Using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, we measured the X-ray polarization in the Galactic X-ray binary Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3). We found high, >20%, nearly energy-independent linear polarization orthogonal to the direction of the radio ejections. These properties unambiguously indicate the presence of a collimating outflow from the X-ray binary Cyg X-3 and constrain its half-opening angle to ≲15°. Thus, the source can be used as a laboratory for studying the supercritical accretion regime. This finding underscores the importance of X-ray polarimetry in advancing our understanding of accreting sources.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Cygnus X-3 revealed as a Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source by IXPE |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41550-024-02294-9 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02294-9 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Compact astrophysical objects, High-energy astrophysics |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Space and Climate Physics |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10196156 |
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