Aligned molecular clouds towards SS 433 and L = 348°.5: Possible evidence for a galactic "vapor trail" created by a relativistic jet

We carried out a detailed analysis of the NANTEN ¹²CO (J = 1-0) dataset in two large areas towards SS 433 (l ∼ 40°) and l ∼ 348°.5. In SS 433, we detected ten clouds, which are well aligned nearly along the axis of an X-ray jet emanating from SS 433 at V_LSR = 42-56km s^-1. The total length of the feature is ∼ 300 pc, three-times longer than that of the X-ray jet, at 3 kpc. Towards l ∼ 348°.5, we detected four aligned clouds at V_LSR = -80-100 km ^s-1, nearly perpendicular to the Galactic plane. The total length of the feature is ∼ 400 pc at 6 kpc. In both cases, the CO clouds are distributed at | b | ∼ 1 °-5° and their alignments and coincidence in velocity should be rare, suggesting that they are physically associated. We present a scenario to explain these aligned clouds in which the interaction between a relativistic jet and the interstellar medium induced molecular cloud formation over the last ∼ 10^5-6yr. It is suggested that the timescale of the relativistic jet may be considerably larger, on the order of 10^5-6 yr, than previously thought in SS 433. The driving engine of the jet is obviously SS 433, itself, in SS 433, although the engine is not yet identified in l ∼ 348°.5 among possible several candidates detected in X-rays and TeV gamma rays.