Discovery of Unusual Jet Orientation Variations in the Microquasar GRS 1915+105

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Authors: Xi Yan, Lang Cui, Wu Jiang, Zhen Yan, S. Frey, Sergei Anatolevich Trushkin, Т. В. Муфахаров, Ruchika Dhaka, Shuangjing Xu
Cited by: 1
References: 36

Abstract

Abstract We report large day-timescale variations in the orientation of the southeast–northwest jet in the prototype microquasar GRS 1915+105. These results are based on three-epoch East Asia VLBI Network (EAVN) observations at 6.7 GHz, obtained during giant radio flares in 2025 detected by the RATAN-600 monitoring program. Our observations reveal the smallest position angle (PA) of 118 ∘ ± 7 ∘ ever measured for the jet in GRS 1915+105, which increases to 152 ∘ ± 2 ∘ within 37 days. Based on the literature results, we further suggest that the jet orientation has exhibited significant variations over a PA range of 118 ∘ –188 ∘ since 2023. This unusual jet orientation behavior in GRS 1915+105 during its current X-ray-obscured state may arise from a warped, precessing inner accretion disk, as implied by recent X-ray spectroscopy. Notably, one image reveals a peculiar morphology in GRS 1915+105, which likely indicates lateral spreading of the approaching southeast jet. Future observations are essential to clarify the issues raised in this work.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies Astronomy and Astrophysical Research

Publication details

Journal / source
The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Publisher
American Astronomical Society
Volume
1006
Issue
1
Pages
L15–L15
Publication date
16 July 2026
Language
EN