A radio jet associated with the symbiotic star CH Cygni

We present observations that show that the symbiotic star CH Cygni recently underwent a strong radio outburst that produced a radio-emitting thermal jet. The jet is two-sided and is expanding lengthwise at an observed rate (end to end) of 1 arcsec/year, corresponding to a transverse velocity of 1100 km∙s−1 in each direction. The electron density on January 22, 1985 exceeded 2 × 106 cm−3, and the mass of the (ionized) gas exceeded [Formula: see text]. The emergence of the jet coincided with a decline in the visual luminosity of [Formula: see text].The data are consistent with a jet produced by supercritical accretion in a binary containing a red giant and a [Formula: see text] white dwarf. The discovery of a jet in such a system provides confirming evidence of the role played by accretion in determining the optical and radio properties of this system. It is also the first expanding jet found to be associated with an evolved stellar object.