TY - JOUR
T1 - An evolving jet from a strongly magnetized accreting X-ray pulsar
AU - van den Eijnden, J.
AU - Degenaar, N.
AU - Russell, T. D.
AU - Wijnands, R.
AU - Miller-Jones, J. C. A.
AU - Sivakoff, G. R.
AU - Hernández Santisteban, J. V.
PY - 2018/10/11
Y1 - 2018/10/11
N2 - Relativistic jets are observed throughout the Universe and strongly
affect their surrounding environments on a range of physical scales,
from Galactic binary systems1 to galaxies and clusters of
galaxies2. All types of accreting black hole and neutron star
have been observed to launch jets3, with the exception of
neutron stars with strong magnetic fields4,5 (higher than
1012 gauss), leading to the conclusion that their magnetic
field strength inhibits jet formation6. However, radio
emission recently detected from two such objects could have a jet
origin, among other possible explanations7,8, indicating that
this long-standing idea might need to be reconsidered. But definitive
observational evidence of such jets is still lacking. Here we report
observations of an evolving jet launched by a strongly magnetized
neutron star accreting above the theoretical maximum rate given by the
Eddington limit. The radio luminosity of the jet is two orders of
magnitude fainter than those seen in other neutron stars with similar
X-ray luminosities9, implying an important role for the
properties of the neutron star in regulating jet power. Our result also
shows that the strong magnetic fields of ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars do
not prevent such sources from launching jets.
AB - Relativistic jets are observed throughout the Universe and strongly
affect their surrounding environments on a range of physical scales,
from Galactic binary systems1 to galaxies and clusters of
galaxies2. All types of accreting black hole and neutron star
have been observed to launch jets3, with the exception of
neutron stars with strong magnetic fields4,5 (higher than
1012 gauss), leading to the conclusion that their magnetic
field strength inhibits jet formation6. However, radio
emission recently detected from two such objects could have a jet
origin, among other possible explanations7,8, indicating that
this long-standing idea might need to be reconsidered. But definitive
observational evidence of such jets is still lacking. Here we report
observations of an evolving jet launched by a strongly magnetized
neutron star accreting above the theoretical maximum rate given by the
Eddington limit. The radio luminosity of the jet is two orders of
magnitude fainter than those seen in other neutron stars with similar
X-ray luminosities9, implying an important role for the
properties of the neutron star in regulating jet power. Our result also
shows that the strong magnetic fields of ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars do
not prevent such sources from launching jets.
U2 - 10.1038/s41586-018-0524-1
DO - 10.1038/s41586-018-0524-1
M3 - Article
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 562
SP - 233
EP - 235
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 7726
ER -