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