Non-thermal emission from microquasar/ISM interaction

Abstract

The high kinetic energy outflowing in the jets of microquasars is delivered to the surrounding interstellar medium. This energy input can cause the formation of bow shocks and cocoons that may be detectable from radio to gamma-ray energies. Evidences or hints of emission from jet/medium interactions have been reported for some sources, but little has been done regarding the theoretical modeling of the resulting non-thermal emission. We have developed an analytical model based on those successfully applied to extragalactic sources or the interaction of AGN jets with their surroundings. Focusing on the adiabatic phase of the growing structures, we give estimations of the expected luminosities through synchrotron, relativistic Bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton processes. We conclude that the interaction structures may be detectable at radio wavelengths, while extreme values for the jet kinetic power, the source age and the medium density are required to make the emission at high and very high energies detectable.