We report the discovery of extended X-ray emission around the powerful high-redshift quasar GB 1508+5714 at z=4.3, revealed in a long Chandra ACIS observation. The emission feature is 3-4 arcsec away from the quasar core, which corresponds to a projected distance of about 25 kpc. The X-ray spectrum is best fitted with a power law of photon index 1.92+-0.35 (90 per cent c.l.). The X-ray flux and luminosity reach 9.2x10^-15 ergs (0.5-8 keV) and 1.6x10^45 erg s^-1 (2.7-42.4 keV rest frame, Omega_Lambda=0.73, Omega_m=0.27, H_0=71 km s^-1 Mpc^-1), which is about 2 percent of the total X-ray emission of the quasar. We interpret the X-ray emission as inverse Compton scattering of Cosmic Microwave Background photons. The scattering relativistic electron population could either be a quasi-static diffuse cloud fed by the jet, or an outer extension of the jet with a high bulk Lorentz factor. We argue that the lack of an obvious detection of radio emission from the extended component could be a consequence of Compton losses on the electron population, or of a low magnetic field. Extended X-ray emission produced by inverse Compton scattering may be common around high redshift radio galaxies and quasars, demonstrating that significant power is injected into their surrounding by powerful jets.
Extended X-ray emission in the high redshift quasar GB 1508+5714 at z=4.3 / Yuan, W.; Fabian, A. C.; Celotti, Anna Lisa; Jonker, P.. - In: MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. - ISSN 0035-8711. - 346:1(2003), pp. L7-L10.
Titolo: | Extended X-ray emission in the high redshift quasar GB 1508+5714 at z=4.3 |
Autori: | Yuan, W.; Fabian, A. C.; Celotti, Anna Lisa; Jonker, P. |
Rivista: | |
Data di pubblicazione: | 2003 |
Volume: | 346 |
Fascicolo: | 1 |
Pagina iniziale: | L7 |
Pagina finale: | L10 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2966.2003.07234.x |
URL: | https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2966.2003.07234.x https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0309318 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 1.1 Journal article |