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P. G. Jonker

Publications and source records attributed to P. G. Jonker.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

CXOGBS J174954.5-294335: A New Deeply-Eclipsing Intermediate Polar

We present the results of a photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the Galactic Bulge Survey X-ray source CXOGBS J174954.5-294335 (hereafter, referred to as CX19). CX19 is a long period, eclipsing intermediate polar type cataclysmic variable with broad, single-peaked Balmer and Paschen emission lines along with HeII $\lambda4686$ and Bowen blend emission features. With coverage of one full and two partial eclipses and archival photometry, we determine the ephemeris for CX19 to be HJD(eclipse) = 2455691.8581(5) + 0.358704(2)$\times$N. We also recovered the white dwarf spin period of P$_{\rm spin}$ = 503.32(3) seconds which gives a P$_{\rm spin}$/P$_{\rm orb}$ = 0.016(6), comparable to several confirmed, long period intermediate polars. CX19 also shows a clear X-ray eclipse in the 0.3-8.0 keV range observed with Chandra. Two optical outbursts were observed lasting between 6-8 hours (lower limits) reaching $\sim$1.3 mags in amplitude. The outbursts, both in duration and magnitude, the accretion disc dominated spectra and hard X-ray emission are reminiscent of the intermediate polar V1223 Sgr sharing many of the same characteristics. If we assume a main sequence companion, we estimate the donor to be an early G-type star and find a minimum distance of $d \approx$ 2.1 kpc and a 0.5-10.0 keV X-ray luminosity upper limit of 2.0 $\times$ 10$^{33}$ erg s$^{-1}$. Such an X-ray luminosity is consistent with a white dwarf accretor in a magnetic cataclysmic variable system. To date, CX19 is only the second deeply-eclipsing intermediate polar with X-ray eclipses and the first which is optically accessible.

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The 2015 Decay of the Black Hole X-ray Binary V404 Cygni: Robust Disk-Jet Coupling and a Sharp Transition into Quiescence

We present simultaneous X-ray and radio observations of the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cygni at the end of its 2015 outburst. From 2015 July 11-August 5 we monitored V404 Cygni with Chandra, Swift, and NuSTAR in the X-ray, and with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and the Very Long Baseline Array in the radio, spanning a range of luminosities that were poorly covered during its previous outburst in 1989 (our 2015 campaign covers 2e33<Lx<1e34 erg/s). During our 2015 campaign, the X-ray spectrum evolved rapidly from a hard photon index of Gamma~1.6 (at Lx~1e34 erg/s) to a softer Gamma~2 (at Lx~3e33 erg/s). We argue that V404 Cygni reaching Gamma~2 marks the beginning of the quiescent spectral state, which occurs at a factor of ~3-4 higher X-ray luminosity than the average pre-outburst luminosity of ~8e32 erg/s. V404 Cygni falls along the same radio/X-ray luminosity correlation that it followed during its previous outburst in 1989, implying a robust disk-jet coupling. We exclude the possibility that a synchrotron cooled jet dominates the X-ray emission in quiescence, leaving synchrotron self-Compton from either a hot accretion flow or from a radiatively cooled jet as the most likely sources of X-ray radiation, and/or particle acceleration along the jet becoming less efficient in quiescence. Finally, we present the first indications of correlated radio and X-ray variability on minute timescales in quiescence, tentatively measuring the radio emission to lag the X-ray by 15+/-4 min, suggestive of X-ray variations propagating down a jet of length <3.0 AU.

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OGLE16aaa - a Signature of a Hungry Super Massive Black Hole

We present the discovery and first three months of follow-up observations of a currently on-going unusual transient detected by the OGLE-IV survey, located in the centre of a galaxy at redshift z=0.1655. The long rise to absolute magnitude of -20.5 mag, slow decline, very broad He and H spectral features make OGLE16aaa similar to other optical/UV Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs). Weak narrow emission lines in the spectrum and archival photometric observations suggest the host galaxy is a weak-line Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), which has been accreting at higher rate in the past. OGLE16aaa, along with SDSS J0748, seems to form a sub-class of TDEs by weakly or recently active super-massive black holes (SMBHs). This class might bridge the TDEs by quiescent SMBHs and flares observed as "changing-look QSOs", if we interpret the latter as TDEs. If this picture is true, the previously applied requirement for identifying a flare as a TDE that it had to come from an inactive nucleus, could be leading to observational bias in TDE selection, thus affecting TDE-rate estimations.

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A radio pulsing white dwarf binary star

White dwarfs are compact stars, similar in size to Earth but ~200,000 times more massive. Isolated white dwarfs emit most of their power from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths, but when in close orbits with less dense stars, white dwarfs can strip material from their companions, and the resulting mass transfer can generate atomic line and X-ray emission, as well as near- and mid-infrared radiation if the white dwarf is magnetic. However, even in binaries, white dwarfs are rarely detected at far-infrared or radio frequencies. Here we report the discovery of a white dwarf / cool star binary that emits from X-ray to radio wavelengths. The star, AR Scorpii (henceforth AR Sco), was classified in the early 1970s as a delta-Scuti star, a common variety of periodic variable star. Our observations reveal instead a 3.56 hr period close binary, pulsing in brightness on a period of 1.97 min. The pulses are so intense that AR Sco's optical flux can increase by a factor of four within 30 s, and they are detectable at radio frequencies, the first such detection for any white dwarf system. They reflect the spin of a magnetic white dwarf which we find to be slowing down on a 10^7 yr timescale. The spin-down power is an order of magnitude larger than that seen in electromagnetic radiation, which, together with an absence of obvious signs of accretion, suggests that AR Sco is primarily spin-powered. Although the pulsations are driven by the white dwarf's spin, they originate in large part from the cool star. AR Sco's broad-band spectrum is characteristic of synchrotron radiation, requiring relativistic electrons. These must either originate from near the white dwarf or be generated in situ at the M star through direct interaction with the white dwarf's magnetosphere.

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Discovery of a high state AM CVn binary in the Galactic Bulge Survey

We report on the discovery of a hydrogen-deficient compact binary (CXOGBS J175107.6-294037) belonging to the AM CVn class in the Galactic Bulge Survey. Deep archival X-ray observations constrain the X-ray positional uncertainty of the source to 0.57 arcsec, and allow us to uniquely identify the optical and UV counterpart. Optical spectroscopic observations reveal the presence of broad, shallow He i absorption lines while no sign of hydrogen is present, consistent with a high state system. We present the optical lightcurve from Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment monitoring, spanning 15 years. It shows no evidence for outbursts; variability is present at the 0.2 mag level on timescales ranging from hours to weeks. A modulation on a timescale of years is also observed. A Lomb-Scargle analysis of the optical lightcurves shows two significant periodicities at 22.90 and 23.22 min. Although the physical interpretation is uncertain, such timescales are in line with expectations for the orbital and superhump periods. We estimate the distance to the source to be between 0.5 - 1.1 kpc. Spectroscopic follow-up observations are required to establish the orbital period, and to determine whether this source can serve as a verification binary for the eLISA gravitational wave mission.

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Discovery of a Long-Lived, High Amplitude Dusty Infrared Transient

We report the detection of an infrared selected transient which has lasted at least 5 years, first identified by a large mid-infrared and optical outburst from a faint X-ray source detected with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In this paper we rule out several scenarios for the cause of this outburst, including a classical nova, a luminous red nova, AGN flaring, a stellar merger, and intermediate luminosity optical transients, and interpret this transient as the result of a Young Stellar Object (YSO) of at least solar mass accreting material from the remains of the dusty envelope from which it formed, in isolation from either a dense complex of cold gas or massive star formation. This object does not fit neatly into other existing categories of large outbursts of YSOs (FU Orionis types) which may be a result of the object's mass, age, and environment. It is also possible that this object is a new type of transient unrelated to YSOs.

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The Chandra Galactic Bulge Survey: optical catalogue and point-source counterparts to X-ray sources

As part of the Chandra Galactic Bulge Survey (GBS), we present a catalogue of optical sources in the GBS footprint. This consists of two regions centered at Galactic latitude b = 1.5 degrees above and below the Galactic Centre, spanning (l x b) = (6x1) degrees. The catalogue consists of 2 or more epochs of observations for each line of sight in r', i' and Hα filters. It is complete down to r' = 20.2 and i' = 19.2 mag; the mean 5σ depth is r' = 22.5 and i' = 21.1 mag. The mean root-mean-square residuals of the astrometric solutions is 0.04 arcsec. We cross-correlate this optical catalogue with the 1640 unique X-ray sources detected in Chandra observations of the GBS area, and find candidate optical counterparts to 1480 X-ray sources. We use a false alarm probability analysis to estimate the contamination by interlopers, and expect ~ 10 per cent of optical counterparts to be chance alignments. To determine the most likely counterpart for each X-ray source, we compute the likelihood ratio for all optical sources within the 4σ X-ray error circle. This analysis yields 1480 potential counterparts (~ 90 per cent of the sample). 584 counterparts have saturated photometry (r'<17, i'<16), indicating these objects are likely foreground sources and the real counterparts. 171 candidate counterparts are detected only in the i'-band. These sources are good qLMXB and CV candidates as they are X-ray bright and likely located in the Bulge.

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A Joint Chandra and Swift View of the 2015 X-Ray Dust Scattering Echo of V404 Cygni

We present a combined analysis of the Chandra and Swift observations of the 2015 X-ray echo of V404 Cygni. Using stacking analysis, we identify eight separate rings in the echo. We reconstruct the soft X-ray lightcurve of the June 2015 outburst using the high-resolution Chandra images and cross-correlations of the radial intensity profiles, indicating that about 70% of the outburst fluence occurred during the bright flare at the end of the outburst on MJD 57199.8.By deconvolving the intensity profiles with the reconstructed outburst lightcurve, we show that the rings correspond to eight separate dust concentrations with precise distance determinations. We further show that the column density of the clouds varies significantly across the field of view, with the centroid of most of the clouds shifted toward the Galactic plane, relative to the position of V404 Cyg, invalidating the assumption of uniform cloud column typically made in attempts to constrain dust properties from light echoes. We present a new XSPEC spectral dust scattering model that calculates the differential dust scattering cross section for a range of commonly used dust distributions and compositions and use it to jointly fit the entire set of Swift echo data. We find that a standard Mathis-Rumpl-Nordsieck model provides an adequate fit to the ensemble of echo data. The fit is improved by allowing steeper dust distributions, and models with simple silicate and graphite grains are preferred over models with more complex composition.

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A millisecond pulsar in an extremely wide binary system

We report on 22 yrs of radio timing observations of the millisecond pulsar J1024$-$0719 by the telescopes participating in the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA). These observations reveal a significant second derivative of the pulsar spin frequency and confirm the discrepancy between the parallax and Shklovskii distances that has been reported earlier. We also present optical astrometry, photometry and spectroscopy of 2MASS J10243869$-$0719190. We find that it is a low-metallicity main-sequence star (K7V spectral type, $\mathrm{[M/H]}=-1.0$, $T_\mathrm{eff}=4050\pm50$ K) and that its position, proper motion and distance are consistent with those of PSR J1024$-$0719. We conclude that PSR J1024$-$0719 and 2MASS J10243869$-$0719190 form a common proper motion pair and are gravitationally bound. The gravitational interaction between the main-sequence star and the pulsar accounts for the spin frequency derivatives, which in turn resolves the distance discrepancy. Our observations suggest that the pulsar and main-sequence star are in an extremely wide ($P_\mathrm{b}>200$ yr) orbit. Combining the radial velocity of the companion and proper motion of the pulsar, we find that the binary system has a high spatial velocity of $384\pm45$ km s$^{-1}$ with respect to the local standard of rest and has a Galactic orbit consistent with halo objects. Since the observed main-sequence companion star cannot have recycled the pulsar to millisecond spin periods, an exotic formation scenario is required. We demonstrate that this extremely wide-orbit binary could have evolved from a triple system that underwent an asymmetric supernova explosion, though find that significant fine-tuning during the explosion is required. Finally, we discuss the implications of the long period orbit on the timing stability of PSR J1024$-$0719 in light of its inclusion in pulsar timing arrays.

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Keck/MOSFIRE spectroscopy of five ULX counterparts

We present H-band spectra of the candidate counterparts of five ULXs (two in NGC 925, two in NGC 4136, and Holmberg II X-1) obtained with Keck/MOSFIRE. The candidate counterparts of two ULXs (J022721+333500 in NGC 925 and J120922+295559 in NGC 4136) have spectra consistent with (M-type) red supergiants (RSGs). We obtained two epochs of spectroscopy of the candidate counterpart to J022721+333500, separated by 10 months, but discovered no radial velocity variations with a 2-$σ$ upper limit of 40 km/s. If the RSG is the donor star of the ULX, the most likely options are that either the system is seen at low inclination (< 40$^\circ$), or the black hole mass is less than 100 M$_\odot$, unless the orbital period is longer than 6 years, in which case the obtained limit is not constraining. The spectrum of the counterpart to J120922+295559 shows emission lines on top of its stellar spectrum, and the remaining three counterparts do not show absorption lines that can be associated with the atmosphere of a star; their spectra are instead dominated by emission lines. Those counterparts with RSG spectra may be used in the future to search for radial velocity variations, and, if those are present, determine dynamical constraints on the mass of the accretor.

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New methods to constrain the radio transient rate: results from a survey of four fields with LOFAR

We report on the results of a search for radio transients between 115 and 190\,MHz with the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR). Four fields have been monitored with cadences between 15 minutes and several months. A total of 151 images were obtained, giving a total survey area of 2275 deg$^2$. We analysed our data using standard LOFAR tools and searched for radio transients using the LOFAR Transients Pipeline (TraP). No credible radio transient candidate has been detected; however, we are able to set upper limits on the surface density of radio transient sources at low radio frequencies. We also show that low-frequency radio surveys are more sensitive to steep-spectrum coherent transient sources than GHz radio surveys. We used two new statistical methods to determine the upper limits on the transient surface density. One is free of assumptions on the flux distribution of the sources, while the other assumes a power-law distribution in flux and sets more stringent constraints on the transient surface density. Both of these methods provide better constraints than the approach used in previous works. The best value for the upper limit we can set for the transient surface density, using the method assuming a power-law flux distribution, is 1.3$\cdot$10$^{-3}$ deg$^{-2}$ for transients brighter than 0.3 Jy with a time-scale of 15 min, at a frequency of 150 MHz. We also calculated for the first time upper limits for the transient surface density for transients of different time-scales. We find that the results can differ by orders of magnitude from previously reported, simplified estimates.

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Discovery of a red supergiant counterpart to RX~J004722.4-252051, a ULX in NGC 253

We present two epochs of near-infrared spectroscopy of the candidate red supergiant counterpart to RX~J004722.4-252051, a ULX in NGC 253. We measure radial velocities of the object and its approximate spectral type by cross-correlating our spectra with those of known red supergiants. Our VLT/X-shooter spectrum is best matched by that of early M-type supergiants, confirming the red supergiant nature of the candidate counterpart. The radial velocity of the spectrum, taken on 2014, August 23, is $417 \pm 4$ km/s. This is consistent with the radial velocity measured in our spectrum taken with Magellan/MMIRS on 2013, June 28, of $410 \pm 70$ km/s, although the large error on the latter implies that a radial velocity shift expected for a black hole of tens of $M_\odot$ can easily be hidden. Using nebular emission lines we find that the radial velocity due to the rotation of NGC 253 is 351 $\pm$ 4 km/s at the position of the ULX. Thus the radial velocity of the counterpart confirms that the source is located in NGC 253, but also shows an offset with respect to the local bulk motion of the galaxy of 66 $\pm$ 6 km/s. We argue that the most likely origin for this displacement lies either in a SN kick, requiring a system containing a $\gtrsim 50$ $M_\odot$ black hole, and/or in orbital radial velocity variations in the ULX binary system, requiring a $\gtrsim 100$ $M_\odot$ black hole. We therefore conclude that RX~J004722.4-252051 is a strong candidate for a ULX containing a massive stellar black hole.

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Discovery of a second outbursting hyperluminous X-ray source

We report on six Chandra and one HST/WFC3 observation of CXO J122518.6+144545, discovered by Jonker et al. (2010) as a candidate hyperluminous X-ray source (HLX), X-ray bright supernova or recoiling supermassive black hole at $L_X = 2.2 \times 10^{41}$ erg/s (if associated with the galaxy at 182 Mpc). We detect a new outburst of the source in a Chandra image obtained on Nov 20, 2014 and show that the X-ray count rate varies by a factor $> 60$. New HST/WFC3 observations obtained in 2014 show that the optical counterpart is still visible at $g' = 27.1 \pm 0.1$, $1 \pm 0.1$ magnitude fainter than in the discovery HST/ACS observation from 2003. This optical variability strongly suggests that the optical and X-ray source are related. Furthermore, these properties strongly favour an HLX nature of the source over the alternative scenarios. We therefore conclude that CXO J122518.6+144545 is most likely an outbursting HLX. It is only the second such object to be discovered, after HLX-1 in ESO 243-49. Its high X-ray luminosity makes it a strong candidate to host an intermediate mass black hole.

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Total eclipse of the heart: The AM CVn Gaia14aae / ASSASN-14cn

We report the discovery and characterisation of a deeply eclipsing AM CVn-system, Gaia14aae (= ASSASN-14cn). Gaia14aae was identified independently by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN; Shappee et al. 2014) and by the Gaia Science Alerts project, during two separate outbursts. A third outburst is seen in archival Pan-STARRS-1 (PS1; Schlafly et al. 2012; Tonry et al. 2012; Magnier et al. 2013) and ASAS-SN data. Spectroscopy reveals a hot, hydrogen-deficient spectrum with clear double-peaked emission lines, consistent with an accreting double degenerate classification. We use follow-up photometry to constrain the orbital parameters of the system. We find an orbital period of 49.71 min, which places Gaia14aae at the long period extremum of the outbursting AM CVn period distribution. Gaia14aae is dominated by the light from its accreting white dwarf. Assuming an orbital inclination of 90 degrees for the binary system, the contact phases of the white dwarf lead to lower limits of 0.78 M solar and 0.015 M solar on the masses of the accretor and donor respectively and a lower limit on the mass ratio of 0.019. Gaia14aae is only the third eclipsing AM CVn star known, and the first in which the WD is totally eclipsed. Using a helium WD model, we estimate the accretor's effective temperature to be 12900+-200 K. The three out-burst events occurred within 4 months of each other, while no other outburst activity is seen in the previous 8 years of Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS; Drake et al. 2009), Pan-STARRS-1 and ASAS-SN data. This suggests that these events might be rebrightenings of the first outburst rather than individual events.

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The evolution of a jet ejection of the ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg II X-1

We present quasi-simultaneous, multi-epoch radio and X-ray measurements of Holmberg II X-1 using the European VLBI Network (EVN), the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), and the Chandra and Swift X-ray telescopes. The X-ray data show apparently hard spectra with steady X-ray luminosities 4 months apart from each other. In the high-resolution EVN radio observations, we have detected an extended milli-arcsecond scale source with unboosted radio emission. The source emits non-thermal, likely optically thin synchrotron emission and its morphology is consistent with a jet ejection. The 9-GHz VLA data show an arcsecond-scale triple structure of Holmberg II X-1 similar to that seen at lower frequencies. However, we find that the central ejection has faded by at least a factor of 7.3 over 1.5 years. We estimate the dynamical age of the ejection to be higher than 2.1 years. We show that such a rapid cooling can be explained with simple adiabatic expansion losses. These properties of Holmberg II X-1 imply that ULX radio bubbles may be inflated by ejecta instead of self-absorbed compact jets.

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Two fast X-ray transients in archival Chandra data

We present the discovery of two new X-ray transients in archival Chandra data. The first transient, XRT 110103, occurred in January 2011 and shows a sharp rise of at least three orders of magnitude in count rate in less than 10 s, a flat peak for about 20 s and decays by two orders of magnitude in the next 60 s. We find no optical or infrared counterpart to this event in preexisting survey data or in an observation taken by the SIRIUS instrument at the Infrared Survey Facility 2.1 yr after the transient, providing limiting magnitudes of J>18.1, H>17.6 and Ks>16.3. This event shows similarities to the transient previously reported in Jonker et al. which was interpreted as the possible tidal disruption of a white dwarf by an intermediate mass black hole. We discuss the possibility that these transients originate from the same type of event. If we assume these events are related a rough estimate of the rates gives 1.4*10^5 per year over the whole sky with a peak 0.3-7 keV X-ray flux greater than 2*10^-10 erg cm^-2 s^-1 . The second transient, XRT 120830, occurred in August 2012 and shows a rise of at least three orders of magnitude in count rate and a subsequent decay of around one order of magnitude all within 10 s, followed by a slower quasi-exponential decay over the remaining 30 ks of the observation. We detect a likely infrared counterpart with magnitudes J=16.70+/-0.06, H=15.92+/-0.04 and Ks=15.37+/-0.06 which shows an average proper motion of 74+/-19 milliarcsec per year compared to archival 2MASS observations. The JHKs magnitudes, proper motion and X-ray flux of XRT 120830 are consistent with a bright flare from a nearby late M or early L dwarf.

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VLT spectroscopy of the Black Hole Candidate Swift J1357.2-0933 in Quiescence

We present time-resolved optical spectroscopy of the counterpart to the high-inclination black hole low-mass X-ray binary Swift J1357.2-0933 in quiescence. Absorption features from the mass donor star were not detected. Instead the spectra display prominent broad double-peaked Halpha emission and weaker HeI emission lines. From the Halpha peak-to-peak separation we constrain the radial velocity semi-amplitude of the donor star to > 789 km/s. Further analysis through radial velocity and equivalent width measurements indicates that the Halpha line is free of variability due to S-wave components or disc eclipses. From our data and previous observations during outburst, we conclude that long-term radial velocity changes ascribed to a precessing disc were of low amplitude or not present. This implies that the centroid position of the line should closely represent the systemic radial velocity. Using the derived systemic velocity of -150 km/s and the best available limits on the source distance, we infer that the black hole is moving towards the Plane in its current Galactic orbit unless the proper motion is substantial. Finally, the depth of the central absorption in the double peaked profiles adds support for Swift J1357.2-0933 as a high-inclination system. On the other hand, we argue that the low hydrogen column density inferred from X-ray fitting suggests that the system is not seen edge-on.

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Radio monitoring of the hard state jets in the 2011 outburst of MAXI J1836-194

MAXI J1836-194 is a Galactic black hole candidate X-ray binary that was discovered in 2011 when it went into outburst. In this paper, we present the full radio monitoring of this system during its `failed' outburst, in which the source did not complete a full set of state changes, only transitioning as far as the hard intermediate state. Observations with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) show that the jet properties changed significantly during the outburst. The VLA observations detected linearly polarised emission at a level of ~1% early in the outburst, increasing to ~3% as the outburst peaked. High-resolution images with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) show a ~15 mas jet along the position angle $-21 \pm 2^\circ$, in agreement with the electric vector position angle found from our polarisation results ($-21 \pm 4^\circ$), implying that the magnetic field is perpendicular to the jet. Astrometric observations suggest that the system required an asymmetric natal kick to explain its observed space velocity. Comparing quasi-simultaneous X-ray monitoring with the 5 GHz VLA observations from the 2011 outburst shows an unusually steep hard-state radio/X-ray correlation of $L_{\rm R} \propto L_{\rm X}^{1.8\pm0.2}$, where $L_{\rm R}$ and $L_{\rm X}$ denote the radio and X-ray luminosities, respectively. With ATCA and Swift monitoring of the source during a period of re-brightening in 2012, we show that the system lay on the same steep correlation. Due to the low inclination of this system, we then investigate the possibility that the observed correlation may have been steepened by variable Doppler boosting.

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