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- Kantzas, D., et al.
(author)
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A new lepto-hadronic model applied to the first simultaneous multiwavelength data set for Cygnus X-1
- 2020
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 500:2, s. 2112-2126
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cygnus X-1 is the first Galactic source confirmed to host an accreting black hole. It has been detected across the entire electromagnetic spectrum from radio to GeV gamma-rays. The source's radio through mid-infrared radiation is thought to originate from the relativistic jets. The observed high degree of linear polarization in the MeV X-rays suggests that the relativistic jets dominate in this regime as well, whereas a hot accretion flow dominates the soft X-ray band. The origin of the GeV non-thermal emission is still debated, with both leptonic and hadronic scenarios deemed to be viable. In this work, we present results from a new semi-analytical, multizone jet model applied to the broad-band spectral energy distribution of Cygnus X-1 for both leptonic and hadronic scenarios. We try to break this degeneracy by fitting the first-ever high-quality, simultaneous multiwavelength data set obtained from the CHOCBOX campaign (Cygnus X-1 Hard state Observations of a Complete Binary Orbit in X-rays). Our model parametrizes dynamical properties, such as the jet velocity profile, the magnetic field, and the energy density. Moreover, the model combines these dynamical properties with a self-consistent radiative transfer calculation including secondary cascades, both of leptonic and hadronic origin. We conclude that sensitive TeV gamma-ray telescopes like Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will definitively answer the question of whether hadronic processes occur inside the relativistic jets of Cygnus X-1.
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2. |
- Lucchini, M., et al.
(author)
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Bhjet: a public multizone, steady state jet plus thermal corona spectral model
- 2022
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 517:4, s. 5853-5881
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Accreting black holes are sources of major interest in astronomy, particular those launching jets because of their ability to accelerate particles, and dramatically affect their surrounding environment up to very large distances. The spatial, energy, and time-scales at which a central active black hole radiates and impacts its environment depend on its mass. The implied scale-invariance of accretion/ejection physics between black hole systems of different central masses has been confirmed by several studies. Therefore, designing a self-consistent theoretical model that can describe such systems, regardless of their mass, is of crucial importance to tackle a variety of astrophysical sources. We present here a new and significantly improved version of a scale invariant, steady-state, multizone jet model, which we rename BHJet, resulting from the efforts of our group to advance the modelling of black hole systems. We summarize the model assumptions and basic equations, how they have evolved over time, and the additional features that we have recently introduced. These include additional input electron populations, the extension to cyclotron emission in near-relativistic regime, an improved multiple inverse-Compton scattering method, external photon seed fields typical of active galactic nucleus, and a magnetically dominated jet dynamical model as opposed to the pressure-driven jet configuration present in older versions. In this paper, we publicly release the code on GitHub and, in order to facilitate the user's approach to its many possibilities, showcase a few applications as a tutorial.
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