A radio and infrared exploration of the Cygnus X-3 environments

Abstract

To confirm, or rule out, the possible hot spot nature of two previously detected radio sources in the vicinity of the Cygnus X-3 microquasar. We present the results of a radio and near infrared exploration of the several arc-minute field around the well known galactic relativistic jet source Cygnus X-3 using the Very Large Array and the Calar Alto 3.5~m telescope. The data this paper is based on do not presently support the hot spot hypothesis. Instead, our new observations suggest that these sources are most likely background or foreground objects. Actually, none of them appears to be even barely extended as would be expected if they were part of a bow shock structure. Our near infrared observations also include a search for extended emission in the Bracket $\gamma$ (2.166 $\mu$m) and $H_{2}$ (2.122 $\mu$m) lines as possible tracers of shocked gas in the Cygnus X-3 surroundings. The results were similarly negative and the corresponding upper limits are reported.