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Title:
Polarization variability among Wolf-Rayet stars. VIII - Emission lines versus continuum in WR + O binaries
Authors:
Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Piirola, Vilppu
Affiliation:
AA(Montreal Univ.; Observatoire du Mont Megantic, Canada), AB(Helsinki Univ., Observatory, Finland; Vatican Observatory, Vatican City State)
Publication:
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 413, no. 2, p. 724-734. (ApJ Homepage)
Publication Date:
08/1993
Category:
Astrophysics
Origin:
STI
NASA/STI Keywords:
BINARY STARS, LINE SPECTRA, POLARIZED LIGHT, STELLAR SPECTRA, WOLF-RAYET STARS, ASTRONOMICAL POLARIMETRY, ASTRONOMICAL SPECTROSCOPY, EMISSION SPECTRA
DOI:
10.1086/173040
Bibliographic Code:
1993ApJ...413..724M

Abstract

Phase-dependent, linear polarization observations of two noneclipsing WC7 + O binaries (HD 97152 and HD 152270) with periods of about 8 days show that the strongest emission-line complex does not vary significantly in polarization, in contrast to the continuum. In fact, we deduce that there is no phase-dependent intrinsic polarization in the lines, and that for HD 152270 the remaining static polarization shows no evidence for intrinsic polarization beyond that obtained from a simple binary model. This is as expected in WR + O binaries if the orbital polarization modulation is due mainly to scattering of O-companion light off free electrons in a hot dense spherically symmetric WR wind. In such systems, there is little or no asymmetric distribution of free electrons off which WR emission-line and continuum photons can scatter and produce detectable polarization. Similarly but not identically during our 1991 June observations, the peculiar 3.77 day variable WN5 star EZ CMa (HD 50896) shows a small but significant variation in emission-line polarization compared to its large continuum modulation amplitude. However, unlike WR + O binaries, the strong He II 468.6 nm line in EZ CMa does have a small, constant but nonzero intrinsic component of polarization.

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