Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 1983
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1983apj...275l..71d&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 2 - Letters to the Editor (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 275, Dec. 15, 1983, p. L71-L75.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
52
Interstellar Matter, Stellar Spectra, White Dwarf Stars, Hydrogen, Photoionization, Stellar Atmospheres, Ultraviolet Spectra
Scientific paper
Radiation emanating from hot (T greater than 40,000 K) white dwarfs can create large volumes of ionized material containing substantial column densities of highly ionized species, in particular Si IV and C IV. The ions N V and O VI can also be produced by hot, hydrogen-rich white dwarfs. These ionization spheres may be detectable around the nearby dwarfs. The relatively high space motions of these stars coupled with long recombination times in the interstellar medium suggest that a white dwarf leaves a region of ionized material - a fossil Stroemgren trail - that marks its progress through the galaxy. White dwarfs create a patchy substrate of ionized gas in the galactic plane and lead to extended ionized regions out of the plane. The spatial frequency of hot white dwarfs indicates that they contribute a radiative energy comparable to that provided by nondegenerate stars and by supernovae and capable of affecting the ionization balance of the interstellar medium.
Dupree Andrea K.
Raymond John C.
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