Magnetic Field Measurement in Black Hole X-Ray Binary Cygnus X-1

TL;DR

This study reports the first direct measurement of a magnetic field in the Cygnus X-1 system, confirming theoretical predictions and providing insights into accretion processes around black holes.

Contribution

The paper presents the first reliable detection of a magnetic field in Cygnus X-1, measuring approximately 130 G on the optical component and 600 G in the accretion structure.

Findings

Detected magnetic field of ~130 G on the optical star surface

Estimated magnetic field of ~600 G in the accretion structure

Magnetic field strength sufficient to explain X-ray flickering phenomena

Abstract

X-ray binary Cygnus X-1 is microquasar containing historically first candidate to black hole. Paradigm of magnetic disc accretion dominates in theoretical models describing processes taking place in objects containing black holes such as microquasars and active galactic nuclei. Nevertheless up to now there were no reliable measurements of magnetic fields in these systems. The first prediction of the Cyg X-1 magnetic field was done by V.F.Shvartsman. He wrote that Cyg X-1 X-ray emission millisecond flickering evidences the presence of a black hole and points to the magnetic field role in accretion onto a black hole. From that times there were many of attempts to search for the Cyg X-1 magnetic field but all of these efforts indicated upper limits only. Our VLT FORS1 2007 and 2008 observations revealed a presence of a magnetic field in the system. For the first time we obtained on the level of 6 standard deviations a magnetic field of the order of 130 G on the surface of the Cyg X-1 optical component (O-supergiant) and observational estimation on a 4 sigma level of a magnetic field on a outer part of accretion structure (about 600 G) in accordance with theoretical prediction. Scaling this field value to black hole vicinity we showed that the field is strong enough to explain the X-ray millisecond flickering and can explain it. Our result presents the first direct determination of magnetic field in accreting disk around a black hole.