A multiwavelength study of Cygnus X-1: the first mid-infrared spectroscopic detection of compact jets

TL;DR

This study uses simultaneous multiwavelength observations to identify the origin of mid-infrared emission in Cygnus X-1, revealing the presence and properties of compact jets and their spectral features.

Contribution

First mid-infrared spectroscopic detection of compact jets in Cygnus X-1, linking jet emission to spectral breaks and wind interactions.

Findings

Jet spectral break at ~2.9×10^{13} Hz during the first observation.

Jet's optically thin synchrotron emission explains >400 keV emission.

Mid-infrared emission during the last observation is dominated by the companion star.

Abstract

We report on a Spitzer/IRS (mid-infrared), RXTE/PCA+HEXTE (X-ray), and Ryle (radio) simultaneous multiwavelength study of the microquasar Cygnus X-1, which aimed at an investigation of the origin of its mid-infrared emission. Compact jets were present in two out of three observations, and we show that they strongly contribute to the mid-infrared continuum. During the first observation, we detect the spectral break - where the transition from the optically thick to the optically thin regime takes place - at about 2.9e13 Hz. We then show that the jet's optically thin synchrotron emission accounts for the Cygnus X-1's emission beyond 400 keV, although it cannot alone explain its 3-200 keV continuum. A compact jet was also present during the second observation, but we do not detect the break, since it has likely shifted to higher frequencies. In contrast, the compact jet was absent during the last observation, and we show that the 5-30 micron mid-infrared continuum of Cygnus X-1 stems from the blue supergiant companion star HD 226868. Indeed, the emission can then be understood as the combination of the photospheric Raleigh-Jeans tail and the bremsstrahlung from the expanding stellar wind. Moreover, the stellar wind is found to be clumpy, with a filling factor f {\infty}~0.09-0.10. Its bremsstrahlung emission is likely anti-correlated to the soft X-ray emission, suggesting an anti-correlation between the mass-loss and mass-accretion rates. Nevertheless, we do not detect any mid-infared spectroscopic evidence of interaction between the jets and the Cygnus X-1's environment and/or companion star's stellar wind.