What are the Composition and Power of the Jet in Cyg X-1?

TL;DR

This study calculates the pair production rate at the base of Cyg X-1's jet, suggesting the jet is likely pair-dominated, and revises the jet power considering the influence of electron-positron pairs.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed calculation linking gamma-ray spectra to jet composition in Cyg X-1, demonstrating the universality of pair-dominated jets in certain astrophysical objects.

Findings

Jet likely pair-dominated based on production rate and synchrotron emission.

Revised jet power calculations show pairs reduce the required power in ions.

The mechanism may be universal across different relativistic jets.

Abstract

We calculate the electron-positron pair production rate at the base of the jet of Cyg X-1 by collisions of photons from its hot accretion flow using the measurement of its average soft gamma-ray spectra by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory and INTEGRAL satellites. We have found that this rate approximately equals the flow rate of the leptons emitting the observed synchrotron radio-to-IR spectrum of the jet, calculated using an extended jet model following that of Blandford \& Koenigl. This coincidence shows the jet composition is likely to be pair-dominated. The same coincidences were found before in the microquasar MAXI J1820+070 and in the radio galaxy 3C 120, which shows that the considered mechanism can be universal for at least some classes of relativistic jets. Furthermore, we recalculate the jet power of Cyg X-1. The presence of pairs can strongly reduces the power in the bulk motion of ions, which then limits the parameter space at which the jet can power the $\sim$5-pc nebular structure present in its vicinity.