article · Science
SS 433 is a microquasar consisting of a stellar binary system that propels collimated relativistic jets. High-energy gamma-ray observations using the High Energy Stereoscopic System revealed an energy-dependent shift in the position of gamma-ray emission along these parsec-scale jets. This pattern tracks the distribution of relativistic electrons and establishes inverse Compton scattering as the underlying radiation mechanism. Physical modelling of the spatial distribution of the gamma rays locates where particle acceleration happens and indicates an abrupt slowing down of the jet flow. These findings point to the formation of shocks on both sides of the central binary system at distances between 25 and 30 parsecs. The shocks are produced by the self-collimation of the precessing jets and serve as efficient sites for accelerating electrons to extreme energies.
Understanding how cosmic structures accelerate particles to extreme energies is central to high-energy astrophysics. By mapping the exact locations and mechanisms of electron acceleration in microquasar jets, these findings clarify how relativistic outflows interact with their surroundings. This improves broader models of energy transport, shock formation, and radiation across dynamic binary stellar systems and related extreme cosmic environments.
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SS 433 is a microquasar, a stellar binary system that launches collimated relativistic jets. We observed SS 433 in gamma rays using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) and found an energy-dependent shift in the apparent position of the gamma-ray emission from the parsec-scale jets. These observations trace the energetic electron population and indicate that inverse Compton scattering is the emission mechanism of the gamma rays. Our modeling of the energy-dependent gamma-ray morphology constrains the location of particle acceleration and requires an abrupt deceleration of the jet flow. We infer the presence of shocks on either side of the binary system, at distances of 25 to 30 parsecs, and that self-collimation of the precessing jets forms the shocks, which then efficiently accelerate electrons.
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DOI: 10.1126/science.adi2048
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