Three spectral states of 1E 1740.7 - 2942 - From standard Cygnus X-1 type spectrum to the evidence of electron-positron annihilation feature

Abstract

The source 1E 1740.7-2942 is known to be the brightest hard X-ray source close to the dynamic center of our Galaxy. Three apparently different spectral states of this source were detected by the GRANAT observatory during 1990-1991 observations of the Galactic Center (GC) region. In almost all 1990 observations the source had Cyg X-1-like spectrum with nearly constant flux. The hardest of the states (observed on 1990 October 13-14) exhibits a prominent high-energy bump on the spectrum at 300-600 keV, probably related to the annihilation processes in relatively cold electron-positron plasma