XMM-Newton Resolves Parsec-scale X-ray Jets in the PeVatron Microquasar V4641 Sgr

@misc{tsuji2026xmmnewton,
  title = {{XMM-Newton Resolves Parsec-scale X-ray Jets in the PeVatron Microquasar V4641 Sgr}},
  author = {Naomi Tsuji and Caterina Tresoldi and Kaya Mori and Hiromasa Suzuki and Matthew Lundy and Dmitry Khangulyan and Samar Safi-Harb and Laura Olivera-Nieto and Felix Aharonian and Shotaro Abe and Zhen Cao and Sabrina Casanova and Maria Chernyakova and Yi-Heng Chi and Stephane Corbel and E. de la Fuente and Hua Feng and Tatsuki Fujiwara and Noa Grollimund and Dezhi Huang and Yoshiyuki Inoue and Ryohei Kanazashi and Shigeo S. Kimura and Marianne Lemoine-Goumard and Jonathan Mackey and Alessio Marino and Samaresh Mondal and Kai Morita and Maxime Parra and Gabriele Ponti and Brian Reville and Megumi Shidatsu and Shunya Takekawa and Michelle Tsirou and Xiaojie Wang and Heshou Zhang and Ping Zhou},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.02966},
  eprint = {2610.02966},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.02966},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - XMM-Newton Resolves Parsec-scale X-ray Jets in the PeVatron Microquasar V4641 Sgr
AU  - Naomi Tsuji
AU  - Caterina Tresoldi
AU  - Kaya Mori
AU  - Hiromasa Suzuki
AU  - Matthew Lundy
AU  - Dmitry Khangulyan
AU  - Samar Safi-Harb
AU  - Laura Olivera-Nieto
AU  - Felix Aharonian
AU  - Shotaro Abe
AU  - Zhen Cao
AU  - Sabrina Casanova
AU  - Maria Chernyakova
AU  - Yi-Heng Chi
AU  - Stephane Corbel
AU  - E. de la Fuente
AU  - Hua Feng
AU  - Tatsuki Fujiwara
AU  - Noa Grollimund
AU  - Dezhi Huang
AU  - Yoshiyuki Inoue
AU  - Ryohei Kanazashi
AU  - Shigeo S. Kimura
AU  - Marianne Lemoine-Goumard
AU  - Jonathan Mackey
AU  - Alessio Marino
AU  - Samaresh Mondal
AU  - Kai Morita
AU  - Maxime Parra
AU  - Gabriele Ponti
AU  - Brian Reville
AU  - Megumi Shidatsu
AU  - Shunya Takekawa
AU  - Michelle Tsirou
AU  - Xiaojie Wang
AU  - Heshou Zhang
AU  - Ping Zhou
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/02
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.02966
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.02966
AB  - The microquasar V4641 Sagittarii (V4641 Sgr) has recently been established as one of the most powerful Galactic PeV cosmic-ray accelerators (PeVatrons) through the detection of degree-scale gamma-ray emission to 0.8 PeV. Using XMM-Newton, we performed an X-ray survey of its gamma-ray-emitting regions during the quiescent phase. We discovered extended X-ray emission to the north and south of V4641 Sgr, aligned with the radio-jet axis, revealing X-ray jet structures extending over several tens of parsecs for the first time. The northern and southern knot-like features, dubbed n1 and s1, are located approximately 20 pc from the central binary and spatially coincident with the gamma-ray emission. The X-ray emission from each knot, characterized by a photon index of Γ_X = 1.9 ± 0.1_stat ± 0.5_syst and an energy flux of ∼(2--4)×10^−13~erg~cm^−2~s^−1 in the 2--10 keV band, is likely non-thermal in origin, indicating synchrotron radiation from accelerated electrons. The morphological coincidence between the X-ray and gamma-ray emission favors a leptonic scenario for the gamma rays, although the X-ray emission is more compact than the gamma-ray-emitting region and the hadronic scenario cannot be excluded. Through X-ray to gamma-ray modeling, we obtain a weak magnetic field strength of 3--5~μG. We propose that the newly detected X-ray knots represent particle-acceleration sites, such as jet termination or (re-)collimation regions powered by V4641 Sgr, or downstream structures analogous to the knots of the outer jets in SS~433/W50. This discovery suggests that extended X-ray emission along jets would be a key signature, yet previously overlooked, in PeVatron microquasars.
ER  -