Spectacular Trailing Streamers near Lmcx-1: the First Evidence of a Jet?

We report VIMOS integral field spectroscopy of the N159F nebula surrounding LMCX-1. Our observations reveal a rich, extended system of emission line filaments lining the boundary of a large conical cavity identified in Spitzer mid-IR imaging. We find that X-ray photoionization cannot be solely responsible for the observed ionization structure of N159F. We propose that the extended filamentary emission is produced primarily by ionization from a shock driven by a presently unobserved jet from LMCX-1. We infer a shock velocity of vs ≈ 90 km s −1 and conclude that the jet responsible for the bow shock is presently undetected because it has switched off, rather than because it has a low surface brightness. This interpretation is consistent with the present soft X-ray spectral state of LMCX-1 and suggests the jet is intermittent. Subject headings: accretion — ISM: jets and outflows — techniques: spectroscopic — X-rays: binaries — X-rays: individual (LMCX-1)