Observations of V592 Cas - An Outflow at Optical Wavelengths

Abstract

We present new red optical spectra of V592 Cas aimed at exploring the properties of the outflow of this system in a spectral region where the underlying white dwarf and the accretion disk do not contribute significantly to the observed absorption components of the H-alpha and HeI line profiles. We use the H-alpha emission line to study the wind, which appears as pronounced blueshifted P-Cygni absorption troughs whose low velocity end contaminates the blue side of the emission line profile. The wind appears to be episodic in nature, with multiple events reaching velocities of 5000km/sec in H-alpha. Similar (but weaker) wind signatures appear in the HeI5876AA line but are absent in HeI6678AA. Our data suggest that during wind episodes the wind is phase dependent and is visible for half the orbit of the system. Considering that V592 Cas is viewed almost face-on, the symmetry axis of the outflow can not be orthogonal to the disk and/or the outflow must have some other inherent asymmetry in outflow geometry. A possible origin of the wind is in a disk hotspot, either at the initial impact point of the accretion stream on the disk edge or as a result of disk overflow (similar to SW Sextantis stars). Simultaneous optical photometry during one night of our spectroscopic observations indicate that there is no clear relationship between the optical brightness variations and the strength of the outflow in this system.

arXiv comment11 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables, AJ, accepted

References in corpus (7)

• The Donor Stars of Cataclysmic Variables
• On the role of the UV and X-ray radiation in driving a disk wind in X-ray binaries
• Observations of the SW Sextantis star DW Ursae Majoris with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
• High-Speed Optical Spectroscopy of a Cataclysmic Variable Wind: BZ Camelopardalis
• Comparison of theoretical radiation-driven winds from stars and discs
• BZ Cam during its 1999/2000 optical low state
• QU Carinae: a SNeIa progenitor?

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• SWIFT XRT Observations of the Nova-like Cataclysmic Variables MV Lyr, BZ Cam and V592 Cas
• Accretion Flows in Nonmagnetic White Dwarf Binaries as Observed in X-rays
• The case for jets in cataclysmic variables
• ASAS J071404+7004.3 -- a close, bright nova-like cataclysmic variable with gusty winds
• Novalike Cataclysmic Variables in the Infrared
• Characterizing the Advective Hot Flows of Nova-Like Cataclysmic Variables in the X-rays: The case of BZ Cam and V592 Cas
• Unveiling optical signatures of outflows in accreting white dwarfs
• Line Driven Winds from Variable Accretion Discs