Subaru and Gemini Observations of Ss 433: New Constraint on the Mass of the Compact Object

Kubota, Kaori; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Fabrika, S.; Medvedev, A.; Barsukova, E. A.; Sholukhova, O.; Goranskij, V. P.

doi:10.1088/0004-637x/709/2/1374

Cited by 52 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Absorption spectra of SS 433 show features characteristic of a mid A-type star and these absorption lines, observed over more than a quarter of an orbit, exhibit a 13 day period with an amplitude of 58 km s −1 (Hillwig & Gies 2008;Kubota et al 2010). If these absorption lines are formed in the atmosphere of the companion, then the origin of the two horned structures which are the subject of this paper cannot possibly be in a circumbinary disk.…”

Section: Possible Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 86%

More on the circumbinary disk of SS 433

Bowler

2011

A&A

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Context. Certain lines in spectra of the Galactic microquasar SS 433, in particular the brilliant Balmer Hα line, have been interpreted as emission from a circumbinary disk. In this interpretation the orbital speed of the glowing material is in excess of 200 km s −1 and the mass of the binary system in excess of 40 M . A very simple model for excitation of disk material is in remarkable agreement with the observations, yet it seems that the very existence of a circumbinary disk is regarded as controversial. Aims. We investigate whether analysis of optical data from Hα and He I spectral lines in terms of a model, in which the disk is excited by radiation from the close environment of the compact object, can further illuminate the origin of these split spectral lines. Methods. A model in which the excitation of any given patch of putative circumbinary disk material is proportional to the inverse square of its instantaneous distance from the compact object was constructed and compared with published spectra, taken almost nightly over two orbital periods of the binary system. The Hα and He I lines were analysed as superpositions of Gaussian components.Results. The new model provides an excellent description of the observations. The variations of the Hα and He I spectra with orbital phase are described quantitatively, provided the radius of the orbit of the emitting ring is not much greater than the radius of the closest stable circumbinary orbit. The observed variations with orbital phase are not consistent with an origin in a radially expanding ring. Conclusions. The new analysis has greatly strengthened the case for a circumbinary disk orbiting the SS 433 system with a speed of over 200 km s −1 and presents supposed alternative explanations with major difficulties. If the circumbinary disk scenario is essentially correct, the mass of the binary system must exceed 40 M and the compact object must be a rather massive stellar black hole. This possibility should be taken seriously.

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Section: Possible Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 86%

More on the circumbinary disk of SS 433

Bowler

2011

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“…There is no consistency among the many reports of Doppler speeds for the companion. Relatively recent observations of absorption lines, attributed to the atmosphere of the companion, have yielded an orbital velocity for the companion about the binary centre of mass of 132 km s −1 (Cherepashchuk et al 2005), which implies a system mass of 42 M , and 58 km s −1 (Hillwig & Gies 2008;Kubota et al 2010), the latter value implying a system mass of 17 M . Observations in Hα interpreted in terms of a circumbinary disk imply a system mass of approximately 40 M or greater (Blundell et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpretation of observations of the circumbinary disk of SS 433

Bowler¹

2010

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Context. The Galactic microquasar SS 433 possesses a circumbinary disk most clearly seen in the brilliant Balmer Hα emission line. The orbital speed of the glowing material is an important determinant of the mass of the binary system. The circumbinary disk may be fed through the L2 point and in turn may feed a very extended radio feature known as the ruff. Aims. We present (i) an analysis of spectroscopic optical data from Hα and He I spectral lines which reveal the circumbinary disk (ii) comparisons of the rather different signals, to better understand the disk and improve estimates of the rotational speed of the inner rim (iii) a simple model that naturally explains some apparently bizarre spectral variations with orbital phase. Methods. Published spectra, taken almost nightly over two orbital periods of the binary system, show Hα and He I lines. These were analysed as superpositions of Gaussian components and a simple model in terms of a circumbinary disk was constructed. The possible contributions to the signal of an outflow through the L2 point were considered. Results. The data can be understood in terms of a hot spot, generated in proximity to the compact object and rotating round the inner circumbinary disk with a period of 13 days. The glowing material fades with time, quite slowly for the Hα source but more rapidly for the He I spectral lines. The orbital speed of the inner rim is approximately 250 km s −1 . It may be that absorption lines attributed to the atmosphere of the companion are in fact formed in this circumbinary material. Conclusions. The mass of the binary system must exceed 40 M and the compact object must be a rather massive stellar black hole. The corollary is that the orbital speed of the companion must exceed 130 km s −1 .

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“…The spectra are very similar one another, they may represent rare type of massive stars WNLh [30] or LBV stars in their hot states [29]. All the spectra are also similar to SS 433 [28]. This means that the spectra of the ULX counterparts are formed in hot winds.…”

Section: Pos(apcs2016)046mentioning

confidence: 55%

“…It was found that spectra of ULXs are very similar to SS 433 [28] and LBV stars in their hot state [29] or WNLh stars [30]. All these objects have strong and dense outflows.…”

Section: Pos(apcs2016)046mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…This idea agrees with the fact that we do not find any regularities between the EW, FWHM, and radial velocity of the He II line. [28,41] taken in the same precessional phase, the LBV star V532 in M33 [29] in its hot state (asterisk), and three transitional stars (square) WR22/WN7ha, WR24/WN6ha, WR25/WN6ha [42]. The transient black hole binaries with heated accterion disks look another: GX339-4 [43,44] (circle), V404 Cyg [45,46] (triangle), and GRO J1655-40 [47,48] (red diamond).…”

Section: Pos(apcs2016)046mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ultraluminous X-ray sources. Optical data.

Fabrika¹

2018

Proceedings of Accretion Processes in Cosmic Sources — PoS(APCS2016)

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The origin of Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs) in external galaxies whose X-ray luminosities exceed those of the brightest black holes in our Galaxy by hundreds and thousands of times is mysterious. The most popular models for the ULXs involve either intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) or stellar-mass black holes accreting at super-Eddington rates. Here we review the ULX properties. Their X-ray spectra indicate a presence of hot winds in their accretion disks supposing the supercritical accretion. In recent years, new surprising results were discovered in X-ray data, ULX-pulsars and high-velocity outflows up to 0.2 c. They are also in accordance with the superEddington accretion. However, the strongest evidences come from optical spectroscopy. The spectra of the ULX counterparts are very similar to that of SS433, the only known supercritical accretor in our Galaxy. The spectra are apparently of WNL type (late nitrogen Wolf-Rayet stars) or LBV (luminous blue variables) in their hot state, which are very scarce stellar objects. We find that the spectra do not originate from WNL/LBV type donors but from very hot winds from the accretion disks, which have similar physical conditions as the stellar winds from these stars. The results suggest that bona-fide ULXs must constitute a homogeneous class of objects, which most likely have supercritical accretion disks.

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Subaru and Gemini Observations of Ss 433: New Constraint on the Mass of the Compact Object

Cited by 52 publications

References 24 publications

More on the circumbinary disk of SS 433

More on the circumbinary disk of SS 433

Interpretation of observations of the circumbinary disk of SS 433

Ultraluminous X-ray sources. Optical data.

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