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Paper: SS433: a WR X-Ray Binary or a WR-Type Phenomenon?
Volume: 367, Massive Stars in Interactive Binaries
Page: 505
Authors: Fuchs, Y.; Koch Miramond, L.; Abraham, P.
Abstract: We present mid-infrared spectra of the microquasar SS 433 obtained with the Infrared Space Observatory (spectroscopic mode of ISOPHOT) and compare them to the spectra of four Wolf-Rayet stars. The mid-infrared spectrum of SS 433 shows mainly H I and He I emission lines and is very similar to the spectrum of WR147, a WN8(h)+B0.5V binary with colliding winds. The 2–12 μm continuum emission corresponds to optically thin and partially optically thick free-free emission from which we calculate a mass loss rate of 1.4 − 2.2 × 10−4M yr−1 if the wind is homogeneous and a third of these values if it is clumped, which is consistent with a strong WN stellar wind. We propose that this strong wind outflows from a geometrically thick envelope of material surrounding the compact object like a stellar atmosphere, imitating the Wolf-Rayet phenomenon.
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