The radio jets of SS 433 at millimetre wavelengths

TL;DR

This study uses ALMA archival data to analyze SS 433's jets at millimetre wavelengths, revealing jet properties, magnetic fields, and electron energy loss mechanisms, and emphasizing the need for coordinated multi-frequency observations.

Contribution

First detailed millimetre wavelength analysis of SS 433 jets, providing insights into electron energy losses and jet expansion dynamics at high radio frequencies.

Findings

Electron energy loss is dominated by adiabatic expansion.

Estimated age of the oldest ejecta radiating at millimetre wavelengths.

Evidence for slowed expansion phase in early ejecta flow.

Abstract

Context. SS 433 is historically a well-known microquasar in the Galaxy that has been deeply studied during the four decades elapsed since its discovery. However, observations at very high radio frequencies with good angular resolution are still very scarce in the literature. The present paper tries to partially fill this gap using archival data of the source obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). Aims. We aim to study the SS 433 jet properties at radio frequencies corresponding to millimetre wavelengths where the synchrotron emitting particles are expected to lose their energy much faster than at lower frequencies of centimetre wavelengths. Results. A resolved view of the SS 433 radio core and jets is presented. In addition to spectral index and magnetic field measurements, we are able to estimate the age of the oldest visible ejecta still radiating significantly at millimetre wavelengths. By combining our findings with those of previous authors at lower frequencies, we confirm that the energy loss of the radiating electrons is dominated by adiabatic expansion instead of synchrotron radiative losses. In addition, we find suggestive evidence for the previously proposed period of slowed expansion within the first months of the ejecta flow, needed to simultaneously match the radiative lifetime observed in the centimetre domain. Our results argue for the need for future coordinated millimetre and centimetre interferometric observations with good time sampling throughout the SS 433 precessional cycle to better understand energetic processes in stellar relativistic jets.