Open AccessOn the circumstellar environment of SS433
Author(s) -
Clark J. S.,
Barnes A. D.,
Charles P. A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.12047.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , circumbinary planet , astronomy , photosphere , emission spectrum , spectral line , luminous blue variable , accretion (finance) , radiative transfer , radial velocity , infrared excess , circumstellar dust , stars , quantum mechanics
We present new 8200–8900 Å high‐resolution spectroscopic observations of the unusual accreting source SS433. The spectra are highly variable on a night‐to‐night basis, and are dominated by emission from the Paschen series and O i emission. Differences in line profiles between the two species suggest that they arise in kinematically distinct and highly variable circumstellar regions. Moreover, the strength of O i emission argues against identifying the mass donor as a Wolf–Rayet star since we might expect oxygen to be depleted by the CNO cycle in such a star. Weak N i absorption lines are present, which, if arising in the photosphere of the mass donor would imply a spectral type of B5 or later. However, no evidence was found for orbital modulation in their radial velocity curves suggesting that they too arise in the accretion‐driven outflow. Finally, by analogy to the massive close binary RY Scuti, we suggest that the recent detection of a mid‐infrared excess attributed to warm dust may arise in a circumbinary disc, implying that SS433 hosts a rich, highly structured circumstellar environment driven by the high mass‐transfer rate from the mass donor.