Elena Gallo (Astronomical Institute, Amsterdam)

Jet-Accretion Coupling in Black Hole X-ray Binaries - Elena Gallo Colloquium

ATNF Marsfield Lecture Theatre

Abstract

Stellar mass black holes in binary systems are known to emit the bulk of
their radiation in the X-ray waveband by means of accretion. At the same
time, they are capable of producing powerful collimated outflows of
energy and material, which may extend far beyond the binary system itself.
There are reasons to believe that these radiatively inefficient jets may
carry away a significant - if not the dominant - fraction of the total power
output available in low luminosity systems, while a standard disc-corona
system may still be responsible for the radiated luminosity. Simultaneous
radio and X-ray monitoring of the Galactic X-ray binary system GX 339-4
offers a unique laboratory for investigating the the relation between
accretion and the production of relativistic jets in accreting black
holes as a whole.