An accurate position for the black hole candidate XTE J1752-223: re-interpretation of the VLBI data
Using high-precision astrometric optical observations from the Walter Baade Magellan Telescope in conjunction with high-resolution very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) radio imaging with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), we have located the core of the X-ray binary system XTE J1752-223. Comp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
2011
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18704.x/abstract http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/8748 |
| Summary: | Using high-precision astrometric optical observations from the Walter Baade Magellan Telescope in conjunction with high-resolution very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) radio imaging with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), we have located the core of the X-ray binary system XTE J1752-223. Compact radio emission from the core was detected following the state transition from the soft to the hard X-ray state. Its position to the south-east of all previously detected jet components mandated a re-analysis of the existing VLBI data. Our analysis suggests that the outburst comprised at least two ejection events prior to 2010 February 26. No radio-emitting components were detected to the south-east of the core at any epoch, suggesting that the receding jets were Doppler-deboosted below our sensitivity limit. From the ratio of the brightness of the detected components to the measured upper limits for the receding ejecta, we constrain the jet speed ß > 0.66 and the inclination angle to the line of sight ? < 49°. Assuming that the initial ejection event occurred at the transition from the hard intermediate state to the soft intermediate state, an initial period of ballistic motion followed by a Sedov phase (i.e. self-similar adiabatic expansion) appears to fit the motion of the ejecta better than a uniform deceleration model. The accurate core location can provide a long time baseline for a future proper motion determination should the system show a second outburst, providing insights into the formation mechanism of the compact object. |
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