The discovery of broad p cygni x-ray lines from circinus x-1 with the Chandra high-energy transmission grating spectrometer

We present the first grating-resolution X-ray spectra of the X-ray binary Circinus X-1, obtained with the High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer on Chandra. These reveal a rich set of lines from H-like and/or Helike Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe detected with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The lines are broad (±2000 km s^-1) and show P Cygni profiles. The absorption components of the lines extend to low velocity, and they have about the same widths and strengths as the corresponding emission components. The widths of the X-ray P Cygni lines are comparable to that of the broad component of the strong, asymmetric Hα line from Cir X-1. suggesting that the two phenomena may be related. We discuss outflow models and propose that the P Cygni profiles may arise in the moderate temperature (∼5 × 10⁶ K) region of the wind from an X-ray-heated accretion disk. This basic picture strengthens the idea that the accretion disk in Cir X-1 is viewed in a relatively edge-on manner, and it suggests that Cir X-1 is the X-ray binary analog of a broad absorption line quasar.