An ALMA view of the Jet-Arc CO clouds toward the TeV $γ$-ray source HESS J1023-575 and Westerlund 2; Evidence for the footprints of microquasar jets, the very powerful cosmic-ray accelerator in the Galactic disk
ALMA 视角下的 HESS J1023-575 / Westerlund 2 方向 Jet-Arc CO 云:微类星体喷流足迹与银盘最强宇宙线加速器证据
The TeV $γ$-ray source HESS J1023-575 (HESSJ 1023 hereafter) is one of the brightest H.E.S.S. sources near the young massive cluster Westerlund 2. HESS J1023 shows a remarkable positional alignment with the Jet and Arc CO clouds on its eastern and western sides over 170 pc length. We have carried out sub-pc scale observations of the CO clouds with ALMA and have discovered that the clouds consist of numerous thin filamentary features of $\sim$0.5 pc width and 10--20 pc length at distance of 7.5 kpc, which are well aligned with the Jet-Arc axis. Based on the magneto-hydrodynamical model of microquasar jets launched from {the center of the $γ$-ray source} HESS J1023-575, we present an interpretation that the thin filamentary clouds are the footprints of the microquasar jets on the HI gas. The model also explains the dissimilar Jet vs. Arc clouds in terms of HI density difference on each side. By using the density of the CO and HI gas and the $γ$-ray luminosity, we have calculated the cosmic ray proton energy $W_{\rm p}$ to be 7$\times$10$^{48}$ erg under the hadronic scheme, which is ten times larger than those derived in the TeV $γ$-ray SNRs RX J1713.7-3946 and RX J0852.0-4622. It is likely that HESS~J1023 has been active over 1-10 Myr, which is significantly longer than the duration of cosmic ray acceleration of the SNRs. HESS~J1023 is therefore an outstanding source of cosmic rays equivalent to at least 1000 SNRs, and is possibly the most powerful CR accelerator in the Galactic disk. A high energy compact source in HESS~J1023, which is likely a Myr-old black hole or neutron star, remains veiled due to heavy extinction.
展开 ▾首次以 0.5 pc 尺度揭示 TeV 源两侧分子云的细丝结构,为微类星体喷流与星际介质相互作用提供形态学证据;宇宙线能量比 RX J1713.7-3946、RX J0852.0-4622 等 SNR 高约一个量级,可能相当于至少 1000 个 SNR。
以往对 TeV γ 射线源与分子云关联的研究多集中于超新星遗迹(SNR)场景,HESS J1023-575 与 Westerlund 2 附近 Jet/Arc CO 云的特殊成协虽已被注意到,但缺乏亚秒差距尺度的结构约束。本文通过 ALMA 高角分辨率观测,把这些云分解为宽约 0.5 pc、长 10–20 pc 且沿 Jet–Arc 轴排列的细丝,提出它们不是普通湍流碎片,而是微类星体喷流与周围 HI 气体相互作用的“足迹”。这一解释把 TeV 辐射、分子云形态与致密天体的长期能量注入连成一体,使 HESS J1023 从单纯的 γ 射线源候选变为可能的银盘最强宇宙线加速器。后续若能用更高灵敏度与分辨率的 CO、HI 及 X 射线/射电观测追踪喷流-气体界面,并结合时域监测寻找被重消光掩埋的致密天体,将有助于检验微类星体宇宙线加速模型,也可能改变银河系宇宙线预算主要由 SNR 贡献的传统图像。
预印本 2026-08-15 · 收录 2026-08-20