Multi-messenger signature of cosmic rays from the microquasar V4641 Sgr propagating along a Galactic Magnetic Field line

TL;DR

This paper suggests that gamma-ray structures around the microquasar V4641 Sgr are caused by cosmic rays escaping along Galactic Magnetic Field lines, offering a new way to study the Galaxy's magnetic field.

Contribution

It introduces a novel interpretation of gamma-ray emissions as cosmic-ray interactions along magnetic field lines, linking high-energy astrophysics with Galactic magnetic field measurements.

Findings

Gamma-ray structures can be explained by cosmic-ray escape along magnetic field lines.

Future neutrino detectors could observe signals from these cosmic-ray interactions.

Gamma-ray features can serve as probes of the Galactic Magnetic Field components.

Abstract

The recently detected extended, very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the microquasar V4641 Sgr reveals a puzzling 200-parsec-long jet-like structure significantly misaligned with its radio jet. We propose that this gamma-ray structure is produced by high-energy cosmic-ray particles escaping from the microquasar along ordered field lines of the Galactic Magnetic Field and interacting with the interstellar medium. We show that if the gamma-ray emission is produced by interactions of high-energy cosmic ray nuclei, the system is detectable by future multi-km3 neutrino detectors. We argue that gamma-ray observations of jet-like features adjacent to high-energy sources in the Milky Way provide a new method to measure the regular and turbulent components of the Galactic magnetic field at different locations in the Milky Way.