Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Observations of the Phase Dependent Variability in AM Herculis

Details Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Observations of the Phase Dependent Variability in AM Herculis Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Observations of the Phase Dependent Variability in AM Herculis

May 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996aas...188.7603g&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, 188th AAS Meeting, #76.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 28, p.952

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

2

Scientific paper

AM Her is the prototypical ``polar'', a strongly magnetic white dwarf accreting matter from a red dwarf. We obtained phase resolved spectra of AM Her in the spectral region from the Lyman Limit to 1860 Angstroms with a resolution of about 3 Angstroms using the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope during the Astro-2 space shuttle mission in 1995 March. Three observations were made over 5 days, covering phases phi = 0.97-0.26, 0.53-0.78, and 0.68-0.86 of the 186 minute orbital period. The data were accumulated in 2 second intervals and have good signal to noise when binned to one minute time resolution. The continuum increases by a factor of two from the phi =0.97-0.26 observation to the phi =0.68-0.86 observation, while the line fluxes decrease by about 30%. The spectrum consists of a blue continuum and strong lines of C III lambda977 ,lambda1176 , O VI lambda lambda1032 ,1038, N V lambda1240 , Si IV lambda lambda1394 ,1402, C IV lambda1549 , and He II lambda1640 . The Si IV lambda lambda1394 ,1402 doublet ratio varies from 1.3 to 1.1 indicative of variable optical depth in these lines with orbital phase. The profiles of the lines also vary with phase, reflecting the motion of material through the accretion column. Fluctuations in the count rate on the order of 30% occured on timescales as short as a minute, implying very short timescale dynamic activity. This work was supported by NASA contract NAS 5-27000 to the Johns Hopkins University.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Observations of the Phase Dependent Variability in AM Herculis does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Observations of the Phase Dependent Variability in AM Herculis, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope Observations of the Phase Dependent Variability in AM Herculis will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1355646