Broadband X-ray Study of the Galactic Microquasar W50/SS433, a Galactic PeVatron Candidate

A Galactic PeVatron candidate; the W50/SS433 system represents an important testbed for many astrophysical processes. The captivating and complex W50 nebula is powered by SS433, a microquasar, and is classified as a supernova remnant with an unusual double-lobed morphology reminiscent of a Manatee. Recent high energy TeV emission detected by HAWC, has renewed interest in this particle acceleration scenario. We present the first NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the inner western lobe of W50. We submit our preliminary results on hard non-thermal X-ray emission detected up to 30 keV, originating from a knotty, few-arcminute size, head region located ~29 pc west of SS 433, and obtained a photon index of ~1.5 in the 0.5-30 keV band. The index gradually steepens away from SS 433. The unusually hard index and blobby structure seen from the ‘head’ of the western jet is similar to what is observed in pulsar wind nebulae as well as in extragalactic AGN jets. This work echoes and substantiates previously published results on the jet structure found in the inner eastern lobe of W50. Our western lobe analysis clarifies the symmetries and locations of particle acceleration throughout the system. We conclude with an outlook on upcoming and future modelling and studies of this system that continues to puzzle and fascinate a diverse range of researchers even more than 40 years into its discovery.