_version_ 1866912584349777920
author Kravtsov, Vadim
Bocharova, Anastasiia
Veledina, Alexandra
Poutanen, Juri
Hughes, Andrew K.
Dovčiak, Michal
Egron, Elise
Muleri, Fabio
Podgorny, Jakub
Svoboda, Jiři
Forsblom, Sofia V.
Berdyugin, Andrei V.
Blinov, Dmitry
Bright, Joe S.
Carotenuto, Francesco
Green, David A.
Ingram, Adam
Liodakis, Ioannis
Mandarakas, Nikos
Nitindala, Anagha P.
Rhodes, Lauren
Trushkin, Sergei A.
Tsygankov, Sergey S.
Brigitte, Maimouna
Di Marco, Alessandro
Iacolina, Noemi
Krawczynski, Henric
La Monaca, Fabio
Loktev, Vladislav
Mastroserio, Guglielmo
Petrucci, Pierre-Olivier
Pilia, Maura
Tombesi, Francesco
Zdziarski, Andrzej A.
author_facet Kravtsov, Vadim
Bocharova, Anastasiia
Veledina, Alexandra
Poutanen, Juri
Hughes, Andrew K.
Dovčiak, Michal
Egron, Elise
Muleri, Fabio
Podgorny, Jakub
Svoboda, Jiři
Forsblom, Sofia V.
Berdyugin, Andrei V.
Blinov, Dmitry
Bright, Joe S.
Carotenuto, Francesco
Green, David A.
Ingram, Adam
Liodakis, Ioannis
Mandarakas, Nikos
Nitindala, Anagha P.
Rhodes, Lauren
Trushkin, Sergei A.
Tsygankov, Sergey S.
Brigitte, Maimouna
Di Marco, Alessandro
Iacolina, Noemi
Krawczynski, Henric
La Monaca, Fabio
Loktev, Vladislav
Mastroserio, Guglielmo
Petrucci, Pierre-Olivier
Pilia, Maura
Tombesi, Francesco
Zdziarski, Andrzej A.
contents We present the results of a three-year X-ray, optical, and radio polarimetric monitoring campaign of the prototypical black hole X-ray binary Cyg X-1, conducted from 2022 to 2024. The X-ray polarization of Cyg X-1 was measured 13 times with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), covering both hard and soft spectral states. The X-ray polarization degree (PD) in the hard state was found to be $\approx4.0\%$, roughly twice as high as in the soft state, where it was around $2.2\%$. In both states, a statistically significant increase of PD with the energy was found. Moreover, a linear relation between PD and spectral hardness suggests a gradual and continuous evolution of the polarization properties, rather than an abrupt change of polarization production mechanism between states. The polarization angle (PA) was independent of the spectral state and showed no trend with the photon energy. The X-ray PA is well aligned with the orientation of the radio jet, as well as the optical and radio PAs. We find significant orbital changes of PA in the hard state, which we attribute to scattering of X-ray emission at intrabinary structure. No significant superorbital variability in PD or PA was found at the period $P_{\rm{so}}$ = 294 d. We also find no correlation between the X-ray and optical polarization; if any, there is a long-term anti-correlation between the X-ray PD and the radio PD.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_03942
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Variability of X-ray polarization of Cyg X-1
Kravtsov, Vadim
Bocharova, Anastasiia
Veledina, Alexandra
Poutanen, Juri
Hughes, Andrew K.
Dovčiak, Michal
Egron, Elise
Muleri, Fabio
Podgorny, Jakub
Svoboda, Jiři
Forsblom, Sofia V.
Berdyugin, Andrei V.
Blinov, Dmitry
Bright, Joe S.
Carotenuto, Francesco
Green, David A.
Ingram, Adam
Liodakis, Ioannis
Mandarakas, Nikos
Nitindala, Anagha P.
Rhodes, Lauren
Trushkin, Sergei A.
Tsygankov, Sergey S.
Brigitte, Maimouna
Di Marco, Alessandro
Iacolina, Noemi
Krawczynski, Henric
La Monaca, Fabio
Loktev, Vladislav
Mastroserio, Guglielmo
Petrucci, Pierre-Olivier
Pilia, Maura
Tombesi, Francesco
Zdziarski, Andrzej A.
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
We present the results of a three-year X-ray, optical, and radio polarimetric monitoring campaign of the prototypical black hole X-ray binary Cyg X-1, conducted from 2022 to 2024. The X-ray polarization of Cyg X-1 was measured 13 times with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), covering both hard and soft spectral states. The X-ray polarization degree (PD) in the hard state was found to be $\approx4.0\%$, roughly twice as high as in the soft state, where it was around $2.2\%$. In both states, a statistically significant increase of PD with the energy was found. Moreover, a linear relation between PD and spectral hardness suggests a gradual and continuous evolution of the polarization properties, rather than an abrupt change of polarization production mechanism between states. The polarization angle (PA) was independent of the spectral state and showed no trend with the photon energy. The X-ray PA is well aligned with the orientation of the radio jet, as well as the optical and radio PAs. We find significant orbital changes of PA in the hard state, which we attribute to scattering of X-ray emission at intrabinary structure. No significant superorbital variability in PD or PA was found at the period $P_{\rm{so}}$ = 294 d. We also find no correlation between the X-ray and optical polarization; if any, there is a long-term anti-correlation between the X-ray PD and the radio PD.
title Variability of X-ray polarization of Cyg X-1
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.03942