Quantitatively account for the observed −0.62 speed–angle correlation under the flaring–slaved disk scenario

Determine whether models in which stellar flares disturb and augment the stream through the L1 point, thereby diluting the angular momentum component perpendicular to the orbital plane and weakening the slaving of the accretion disk so that the disk normal moves closer to the orbital normal during high jet-speed episodes, can quantitatively reproduce the observed correlation coefficient of −0.62 between jet-speed excursions and jet-axis polar-angle excursions in SS 433.

Background

The paper advances a qualitative mechanism: flares from the donor star augment and disturb the equatorial mass transfer via L1, which dilutes the component of angular momentum normal to the orbital plane responsible for disk slaving. This would reduce the disk (and hence jet) polar angle during episodes of increased mass inflow that also produce higher jet speeds, yielding an anti-correlation.

However, the author notes that the measured correlation coefficient between jet-speed and polar-angle excursions is −0.62. It remains to be shown whether any quantitative implementation of the proposed flaring–slaved disk scenario can reproduce this specific value.