Infrared Jet of the Galactic Superluminal Source GRS 1915+105

Abstract

A near-infrared jet emanating from the galactic superluminal source GRS 1915+105, discovered at $λ$ = 2.2 micrometer by Sams et al. (1996) on 18-21 July 1995, was not seen later anymore, neither in the Mirabel et al. (1996) images, taken on 4 August 1995 and that we analyze here, nor by Eikenberry & Fazio (1997) on 16-17 October 1995. Therefore, the radiative lifetime of the electrons which have created this emission is $τ$ < 17 days. The detection, and the later non-detection, of this infrared jet is consistent with a synchrotron emission, provided that the magnetic field in the ejected clouds is B > 160 mG, and that the Lorentz factor of the internal motions of the electrons in the jet is $γ< 10^{4}$. The lower limit for the magnetic field suggests a magneto-hydrodynamic mechanism for the acceleration and collimation of the ejecta.