Mass accretion rate in the jet-driving symbiotic binary MWC 560

Abstract

We analyze photometric observations of the symbiotic star MWC 560 in B and V bands obtained during the period 1990-2023. We estimate the luminosity and the mass accretion rate of the hot component. We find that the luminosity varies in the range from 200 L⊙ to 3000 L⊙, corresponding to a mass accretion rate in the range 1 × 10−7 − 2 × 10−6 M⊙ yr−1 (for a 0.9 M⊙ white dwarf and distance 2217 pc). The optical flickering disappears at mass accretion rate of about 1×10−6 M⊙ yr−1, which sets an upper limit for the short-term variability from accreting white dwarf.