Mass ratio in SS433 revisited

Abstract

We revisit the determination of binary mass ratio in the Galactic microquasar SS433 based on recent GRAVITY VLTI measurements of mass and angular momentum outflow through a circumbinary disc. The new observations combined with the constancy of the binary orbital period over ∼30 yr confirm that the mass ratio in SS433 is q = Mx/Mv 0.6. For the assumed optical star mass Mv ranging from ∼8 to 15 M such a mass ratio suggests a low limit of the compact object mass of Mx ∼ 5-9 M, placing the compact object in SS433 as a stellar mass black hole.