X-Ray Observations of a Galactic Jet System SS 433 with ASCA

Taro Kotani

In this thesis, observations of SS 433 with the X-ray astronomy satellite ASCA over three years are analyzed and discussed. The excellent energy resolution revealed Doppler-shifted emission lines from both the jets. That was surprising since it had been generally accepted that the X-ray-emitting region of the receding jet is hidden behind the accretion disk. After the discovery, an observation campaign with ASCA was planned and performed to sample various precessional and orbital phases of the system. The whole data are systematically processed and fitted with a jet model developed for the purpose. The physics of the jet, e.g., temperature, abundance, mass outflow rate, and density are extracted from resolved iron emission lines. The existence of the precessing absorbing matter which is visible only at large precessional phase suggests the presence of a precessing accretion disk, thus suggests the slaved disk scenario as the precessional mechanism. A geometrically thick accretion disk, which is considered to be characteristic of super-critical accretion, is consistent with precessional variations of the system. The X-ray jet length was estimated to be ~10^{13} cm, ten times longer than previous estimations. Mass outflow rate and kinematic luminosity were found to be as large as >10^{-5} solarmass/yr and >10^{40} erg/s. The new picture of SS 433 revealed by ASCA is more smokey and energetic than previous expectation.

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