Rapid variability of the arcsec-scale X-ray jets of SS 433

Abstract

We present the X-ray images of all the available Chandra observations of the galactic jet source SS 433. We have studied the morphology of the X-ray images and inspected the evolution of the arcsec X-ray jets, recently found to be manifestations of in situ reheating of the relativistic gas downstream in the jets. The Chandra images reveal that the arcsec X-ray jets are not steady long term structures; the structure varies, indicating that the reheating processes have no preference for a particular precession phase or distance from the binary core. Three observations made within about five days in May 2001, and a 60 ks observation made in July 2003 show that the variability of the jets can be very rapid, from timescales of days to (possibly) hours. The three May 2001 images show two resolved knots in the east jet getting brighter one after the other, suggesting that a common phenomenon might be at the origin of the sequential reheatings of the knots. We discuss possible scenarios and propose a model to interpret these brightenings in terms of a propagating shock wave, revealing a second, faster outflow in the jet.

accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (3)

• An ultra-relativistic outflow from a neutron star accreting gas from a companion
• Symmetry in the changing jets of SS433 and its true distance from us
• Evidence for Jet Collimation in SS 433 with the Chandra HETGS

Cited by in corpus (22)

• Multiwavelength Observations of the SS 433 Jets
• XMM-Newton observations of the eastern jet of SS433
• The influence of spin on jet power in neutron star X-ray binaries
• Shocks in relativistic transverse stratified jets, a new paradigm for radio-loud AGN
• Coupled radio and X-ray emission and evidence for discrete ejecta in the jets of SS 433
• A connection between accretion states and the formation of ultra-relativistic outflows in a neutron star X-ray binary
• Probing the history of SS433's jet kinematics via Decade-resolution radio observations of W50
• The variable radio counterpart and possible large-scale jet of the new Z-source XTE J1701-462
• Chandra and RXTE spectroscopy of the accreting msec pulsar IGR J00291+5934
• V4641 Sgr: a candidate precessing microblazar
• SS433's jet trace from ALMA imaging and Global Jet Watch spectroscopy: evidence for post-launch particle acceleration
• Optical/X-ray correlations during the V404 Cyg June 2015 outburst
• X-ray panorama of the SS433/W50 complex by SRG/eROSITA
• Identification of X-ray lines in the spectrum of the arcsec-scale precessing jets of SS 433
• The non-ballistic superluminal motion in the plane of the sky-II
• Arcsecond-Scale X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy of SS 433 with Chandra HETG
• PeV particle acceleration and non-thermal emission in the `minimalist' model of the extended jets in W50/SS433
• A unified paradigm for the spectral and temporal evolution of Black Hole X-ray Binaries
• Simulation-calibrated Bayesian inference for progenitor properties of the microquasar SS 433
• Discovery of CO Clouds Associated with the X-ray Jets of SS 433: Evidence for Shock-Cloud Interaction Enhancing Nonthermal X-ray Emission
• The NICER view of Scorpius X-1
• Hard X-ray emission from the eastern jet of SS 433 powering the W50 `Manatee' nebula: Evidence for particle re-acceleration