The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts
Accretion of mass onto a white dwarf (WD) in a binary system can lead to stellar explosions. If a WD accretes from stellar wind of a distant evolved giant in a symbiotic binary, it can undergo occasional outbursts in which it brightens by several magnitudes, produces a low- and high-velocity mass ou...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astronomical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acd193 |
| _version_ | 1797695945787310080 |
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| author | Augustin Skopal |
| author_facet | Augustin Skopal |
| author_sort | Augustin Skopal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Accretion of mass onto a white dwarf (WD) in a binary system can lead to stellar explosions. If a WD accretes from stellar wind of a distant evolved giant in a symbiotic binary, it can undergo occasional outbursts in which it brightens by several magnitudes, produces a low- and high-velocity mass outflow, and, in some cases, ejects bipolar jets. In this paper, we complement the current picture of these outbursts by the transient emergence of a neutral region in the orbital plane of symbiotic binaries consisting of wind from the giant. We prove its presence by determining H ^0 column densities ( N _H ) in the direction of the WD and at any orbital phase of the binary by modeling the continuum depression around the Ly α line caused by Rayleigh scattering on atomic hydrogen for all suitable objects, i.e., eclipsing symbiotic binaries, for which a well-defined ultraviolet spectrum from an outburst is available. The N _H values follow a common course along the orbit with a minimum and maximum of a few times 10 ^22 and 10 ^24 cm ^−2 around the superior and inferior conjunction of the giant, respectively. Its asymmetry implies an asymmetric density distribution of the wind from the giant in the orbital plane with respect to the binary axis. The neutral wind is observable in the orbital plane owing to the formation of a dense disk-like structure around the WD during outbursts, which blocks ionizing radiation from the central burning WD in the orbital plane. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:19:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e63ba61cdb5649ee8750a4d33d6906c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-3881 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:19:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-e63ba61cdb5649ee8750a4d33d6906c42023-09-03T14:06:33ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812023-01-01165625810.3847/1538-3881/acd193The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their OutburstsAugustin Skopal0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8312-3326Astronomical Institute , Slovak Academy of Sciences, 059 60 Tatranská Lomnica, SlovakiaAccretion of mass onto a white dwarf (WD) in a binary system can lead to stellar explosions. If a WD accretes from stellar wind of a distant evolved giant in a symbiotic binary, it can undergo occasional outbursts in which it brightens by several magnitudes, produces a low- and high-velocity mass outflow, and, in some cases, ejects bipolar jets. In this paper, we complement the current picture of these outbursts by the transient emergence of a neutral region in the orbital plane of symbiotic binaries consisting of wind from the giant. We prove its presence by determining H ^0 column densities ( N _H ) in the direction of the WD and at any orbital phase of the binary by modeling the continuum depression around the Ly α line caused by Rayleigh scattering on atomic hydrogen for all suitable objects, i.e., eclipsing symbiotic binaries, for which a well-defined ultraviolet spectrum from an outburst is available. The N _H values follow a common course along the orbit with a minimum and maximum of a few times 10 ^22 and 10 ^24 cm ^−2 around the superior and inferior conjunction of the giant, respectively. Its asymmetry implies an asymmetric density distribution of the wind from the giant in the orbital plane with respect to the binary axis. The neutral wind is observable in the orbital plane owing to the formation of a dense disk-like structure around the WD during outbursts, which blocks ionizing radiation from the central burning WD in the orbital plane.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acd193Symbiotic binary starsWhite dwarf starsCataclysmic variable stars |
| spellingShingle | Augustin Skopal The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts The Astronomical Journal Symbiotic binary stars White dwarf stars Cataclysmic variable stars |
| title | The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts |
| title_full | The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts |
| title_fullStr | The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts |
| title_short | The Emergence of a Neutral Wind Region in the Orbital Plane of Symbiotic Binaries during Their Outbursts |
| title_sort | emergence of a neutral wind region in the orbital plane of symbiotic binaries during their outbursts |
| topic | Symbiotic binary stars White dwarf stars Cataclysmic variable stars |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acd193 |
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