Bibcode
DOI
Migliari, S.; Tomsick, J. A.; Maccarone, T. J.; Gallo, E.; Fender, R. P.; Nelemans, G.; Russell, D. M.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 643, Issue 1, pp. L41-L44.
Advertised on:
5
2006
Journal
Citations
57
Refereed citations
47
Description
Spitzer observations of the neutron star (ultracompact) X-ray binary
(XRB) 4U 0614+091 with the Infrared Array Camera reveal emission of
nonthermal origin in the range 3.5-8 μm. The mid-infrared spectrum is
well fit by a power law with spectral index of α=-0.57+/-0.04
(where the flux density is Fν~να).
Given the ultracompact nature of the binary system, we exclude the
possibility that either the companion star or the accretion disk can be
the origin of the observed emission. These observations represent the
first spectral evidence for a compact jet in a low-luminosity neutron
star XRB and furthermore of the presence, already observed in two black
hole (BH) XRBs, of a ``break'' in the synchrotron spectrum of such
compact jets. We can derive a firm upper limit on the break frequency of
the spectrum of νthin=3.7×1013 Hz, which
is lower than that observed in BH XRBs by at least a factor of 10.
Assuming a high-energy cooling cutoff at ~1 keV, we estimate a total
(integrated up to X-rays) jet power to X-ray bolometric luminosity ratio
of ~5%, much lower than that inferred in BHs.