Science with an ngVLA: Accretion and Jets in Local Compact Objects

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of jets in accreting systems and their impact on the surrounding medium, the fundamental physics of how they are launched and collimated is not fully understood. Radio observations of local compact objects, including accreting stellar mass black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs, probe their jet emission. Coupled with multi-wavelength observations, this allows us to test the underlying accretion-outflow connection and to establish the relationship between the accretor properties and the jet power, which is necessary to accurately model jets. Compact accretors are nearby, numerous and come in a range of accretor properties, and hence are ideal probes for the underlying jet physics. Despite this there are a number of key outstanding questions regarding accretion-driven outflows in these objects that cannot be answered with current radio observations. The vastly improved sensitivity, polarization capabilities, spatial resolution and high-frequency coverage of the ngVLA will be crucial to answering these, and subsequently determining the fundamental physics behind accretion and jets at all physical scales.

The case for jets in cataclysmic variables

“…Looking beyond this, the SKA will have unparalleled sensitivity and resolution. The science case for the ngVLA (Murphy et al, 2018) is currently being reviewed -its high-frequency coverage, sensitivity and resolution will drive key advances in this field (Coppejans et al, 2018). For complementary observations of the accretion flow (probed mainly by EUV, X-ray and optical wavelengths) telescopes such as Chandra, Evryscope, LSST, WFIRST, LUVOIR, Athena, STROBE-X, FINESSE and the Lynx X-ray Surveyor will be important.…”