Long-term stability of continuous jet directions in black hole X-ray binaries

Determine whether the position angle of continuous jets in black hole X-ray binaries remains stable over long timescales by establishing the long-term behavior of jet orientation with high–angular–resolution observations.

Background

The paper reports a large and recurrent misalignment between the continuous jet and discrete ejecta in GRS 1915+105 during its obscured phase, with the continuous jet aligned near the historical position angle while discrete ejecta deviated significantly. This motivates a broader consideration of jet-launching geometry and its temporal stability in black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs).

The authors note that continuous jets are commonly observed in the hard state of BHXRBs, yet high–angular–resolution monitoring over long baselines is sparse. As a result, the persistence and stability of the continuous jet direction over long timescales is not well established.

References

However, due to the lack of sufficient high angular resolution observations, it remains unclear whether their continuous jet direction is generally stable over long timescales.

— A large misalignment between continuous jet and discrete ejecta in microquasar GRS 1915+105 during its obscured phase  (2604.00357 - Jiang et al., 1 Apr 2026) in Section 4.1 (Scenario of warped disk)