MAXI, LOFAR and Microquasars - All-sky monitoring of X-ray binaries in X-rays and radio

Abstract

In this paper I will discuss future synergies between the Japanese MAXI X-ray all-sky monitor, to be placed on the International Space Station in 2009, and the next-generation radio astronomy array LOFAR, currently under construction in The Netherlands. The wide fields of view and multiple beams of LOFAR will allow, in combination with MAXI, simultaneous all-sky monitoring of the sky in both the X-ray and radio bands. Focussing on microquasars, X-ray binary jet systems, I discuss how the combination of MAXI and LOFAR will help us to further understand the accretion--outflow coupling in such systems.