A highly polarized radio jet during the 1998 outburst of the black hole transient XTE J1748–288 |
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| Authors: | C Brocksopp J C A Miller-Jones R P Fender B W Stappers |
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| Institution: | Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT;Astronomical Institute 'Anton Pannekoek', University of Amsterdam Kruislaan 403, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, the Netherlands;School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hants SO17 1BJ;Stichting ASTRON, Postbus 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, the Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | XTE J1748?288 is a black hole X-ray transient which went into outburst in 1998 June. The X-ray light curves showed canonical morphologies, with minor variations on the 'fast rise exponential decay' profile. The radio source, however, reached an unusually high flux density of over 600 mJy. This high radio flux was accompanied by an exceptional (>20 per cent) fractional linear polarization, the variability of which was anticorrelated with the flux density. We use this variability to discuss possible depolarization mechanisms and to predict the underlying behaviour of the (unresolved) core/jet components. |
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| Keywords: | accretion accretion discs stars: individual: XTE J1748?288 ISM: jets and outflows X-rays: binaries |
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