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L. Spitler (U. of Iowa/NRAO), A. Mioduszewski, M. Rupen, V. Dhawan (NRAO)
Microquasars provide a near-by laboratory for studying the accretion disk-jet phenomena, and SS433 is likely the most well-known of these objects. Target of opportunity observations were made using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and one antenna from the Very Large Array (VLA), both facilities of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), after a flare in November 1998 at three frequencies (1.4 GHz, 2.3 GHz and 4.9 GHz) using phase referencing techniques. The three epochs support the precessing-jet model derived from optical observations and the existence of a "brightening region" about 50 mas from SS433's core. By comparing the integrated flux from the VLBI images with that of the Green Bank Interferometer (GBI), we believe that we are detecting most of the flare-related, compact flux. Using the model to determine the "age" of a blob, i.e. the time since it was ejected , the peak of the flare corresponds to the outermost component reaching the brightening region, not its ejection from the core. In order to get a handle on flux evolution, slices were made through the FITS images. The path we used for this slice was the path of maximum flux. These slice plots are useful for comparing motions, shape, and flux levels of each component on different days or at different frequencies.
This research was conducted under the National Science Foundation's Research for Undergraduates program. The author would like to thank the NSF for providing the funding, NRAO for providing the experience, and my advisers for providing their time, expertise, and patience.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.