Cygnus X-3It is an X-ray binary system located about 7,400 parsecs (24,136 light years) away in the constellation Cygnus, and analysis of the data indicates that it is a type of extremely luminous X-ray source. NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Probe (IXPE).
“X-ray binaries are interesting systems that consist of two objects: a normal star and a compact object such as a black hole or neutron star that sucks material from the companion star,” explained astronomer Aleksandra Beredina from the University of Turku and her colleagues.
“To date, several hundred such sources have been identified in our Milky Way galaxy.”
“When it comes to the most powerful phenomena in the Universe, the release of gravitational energy in binary X-ray systems stands out as an extremely efficient process.”
“Among the first X-ray binary systems discovered in the Universe is the Cygnus X-3 system,” the researchers added.
“Since the early 1970s, this binary system has been noted for its ability to briefly appear as one of the most powerful radio sources, only to fade or disappear completely after a few days.”
“This unique feature prompted early efforts to coordinate astronomical observations around the world through telephone coordination.”
“The peculiar behaviour of this system during this short-lived, high-energy event contrasts with its normal nature and led to it being named ‘Astronomical Mystery Cygnus X-3’ by R.M. Helming in 1973.”
“Since then, there have been numerous efforts to understand its properties.”
Dr. Veredina and her co-authors used the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer to measure the X-ray polarization of Cygnus X-3.
“The X-ray polarization images provide insight into the composition of matter surrounding the compact object in Cygnus X-3,” the researchers said.
“We found that this compact object is surrounded by a dense, opaque membrane of material.”
“The light we see is a reflection from the inner walls of a funnel formed by the surrounding gas, similar to a cup with a mirror on the inside.”
“Cygnus X-3 is a type of Ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), which consumes material at such a rate that a significant portion of the infalling material does not fall within the event horizon, but rather is ejected out of the system.”
“ULXs are usually observed as points of light in images of distant galaxies, and their radiation is amplified by the focusing effect of the funnel around the compact object, acting like a megaphone,” said Professor Juri Poutanen from the University of Turku.
“But these sources are so far away – thousands of times the extent of the Milky Way – that they appear relatively faint to X-ray telescopes.”
“This discovery reveals that luminous counterparts to these distant ULXs exist within our own Galaxy.”
“This important discovery marks a new chapter in our investigation into the source of this extraordinary universe, providing an opportunity to study its extreme matter consumption in detail.”
of result Published in the journal Natural Astronomy.
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A. Veredina othersIXPE discovered Cygnus X-3 as an ultra-luminous X-ray source in the galaxy. Nat AstronPublished online June 21, 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02294-9
Source: www.sci.news
