THE 2010 MAY FLARING EPISODE OF CYGNUS X-3 IN RADIO, X-RAYS, AND {gamma}-RAYS
- Department of Astronomy, 601 Campbell Hall 3411, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)
- Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Way, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 (United States)
- The University of Cambridge, Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory, Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom)
- CRESST and NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, Astrophysics Science Division, Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
- AIM-Astrophysique Instrumentation Modelisation (UMR 7158 CEA/CNRS/Universite Paris 7 Denis Diderot), CEA Saclay, DSM/IRFU/Service d'Astrophysique, Bat. 709, L'Orme des Merisiers, FR-91 191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)
- Dr. Karl Remeis-Sternwarte and Erlangen Center for Astroparticle Physics, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Sternwartstr. 7, 96049 Bamberg (Germany)
- Departament d'Astronomia i Meteorologia (DAM) and Institut de Ciences del Cosmos (ICC), Universitat de Barcelona, Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)
In 2009, Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3) became the first microquasar to be detected in the GeV {gamma}-ray regime, via the satellites Fermi and AGILE. The addition of this new band to the observational toolbox holds promise for building a more detailed understanding of the relativistic jets of this and other systems. We present a rich data set of radio, hard and soft X-ray, and {gamma}-ray observations of Cyg X-3 made during a flaring episode in 2010 May. We detect a {approx}3 day softening and recovery of the X-ray emission, followed almost immediately by a {approx}1 Jy radio flare at 15 GHz, followed by a 4.3{sigma} {gamma}-ray flare (E > 100 MeV) {approx}1.5 days later. The radio sampling is sparse, but we use archival data to argue that it is unlikely the {gamma}-ray flare was followed by any significant unobserved radio flares. In this case, the sequencing of the observed events is difficult to explain in a model in which the {gamma}-ray emission is due to inverse Compton scattering of the companion star's radiation field. Our observations suggest that other mechanisms may also be responsible for {gamma}-ray emission from Cyg X-3.
- OSTI ID:
- 21562663
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 733, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/733/2/L20; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
EPISODIC TRANSIENT GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM THE MICROQUASAR CYGNUS X-1
GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF THE MICROQUASARS CYGNUS X-1, CYGNUS X-3, GRS 1915+105, AND GX 339–4 WITH THE FERMI LARGE AREA TELESCOPE
Related Subjects
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COMPTON EFFECT
EMISSION
GAMMA RADIATION
HARD X RADIATION
QUASARS
SOFT X RADIATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INTERACTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING
X RADIATION