SS 443: multicolour observations 1982-1990

TL;DR

This study presents extensive multicolour photometry of the SS 433 microquasar over several years, revealing detailed light curves, color variations, and jet activity linked to the system's orbital and precession cycles.

Contribution

It provides new comprehensive BVR photometric data and analysis of SS 433's light and color variations across multiple orbital and precession phases, enhancing understanding of its accretion and jet phenomena.

Findings

Optical component fills its Roche lobe and loses mass.

Gaseous flows and activity vary with precession phase.

Jets are associated with supercritical accretion.

Abstract

We report BVR photometry of the V1343 Aql= SS 433 microquasar at different phases of the 13--day orbital cycle for the 1986--1990 observing seasons. The data include five complete cycles of the 163$^{d}$ precession period of the system. We obtain mean light curves and color--color diagrams with the orbital period for all intervals of precession phases. The optical component of the close binary system (CBS) fills its critical Roche lobe and loses mass on the thermal relaxation time scale. Gaseous flow show up actively in the system and activity manifestations differ substantially at different precession phases. The collimated relativistic jets perpendicular to the plane of the disk appear to be associated with supercritical accretion onto the compact relativistic object in the massive CBS, which shows up in the shapes of the light curves at different orbital and precession phases. An analysis of color indices confirmed the earlier discovered peculiarities of the system.