On the Nature of the Compact Object in SS~433. Observational Evidence of X-ray Photon Index Saturation

Abstract

We present an analysis of the X-ray spectral properties observed from black hole candidate (BHC) binary SS~433. We have analyzed RXTE data from this source, coordinated with Green Bank Interferometer/RATAN-600. We show that SS~433 undergoes a X-ray spectral transition from the low hard state (LHS) to the intermediate state (IS). We show that the X-ray broad-band energy spectra during all spectral states are well fit by a sum of so called ``Bulk Motion Comptonization (BMC) component'' and by two (broad and narrow) Gaussians for the continuum and line emissions respectively. In addition to these spectral model components we also find a strong feature that we identify as a "blackbody-like (BB)" component which color temperature is in the range of 4-5 keV in 24 IS spectra during the radio outburst decay in SS~433. Our observational results on the "high temperature BB" bump leads us to suggest the presence of gravitationally redshifted annihilation line emission in this source. I\ We have also established the photon index saturation at about 2.3 in index vs mass accretion correlation. This index-mass accretion correlation allows us to evaluate the low limit of black hole (BH) mass of compact object in SS~433, M_{bh}> 2 solar masses, using the scaling method using BHC GX 339-4 as a reference source. Our estimate of the BH mass in SS 433 is consistent with recent BH mass measurement using the radial-velocity measurements of the binary system by Hillwig & Gies who find that M_{x}=(4.3+/-0.8 solar masses. This is the smallest BH mass found up to now among all BH sources. Moreover, the index saturation effect versus mass accretion rate revealed in SS~433, like in a number of other BH candidates, is the strong observational evidence for the presence of a BH in SS~433.

29 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for the ApJ, 2010, October 1, v. 721 (2)

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