Broad H-alpha wings from the optically thin stellar wind of the hot components in symbiotic binaries

Abstract

Aims: To model broad H-alpha wings observed in symbiotic binaries by an optically thin, bipolar stellar wind from their hot components as an alternative to that considering the Raman scattering of Ly-beta photons on atomic hydrogen. Methods: Profile-fitting analysis. Comparison of the observed broad H-alpha wings and their luminosity with those predicted by the model. Results: Synthetic H-alpha profiles fit excellently the observed wings for |RV| > 200 km/s in our sample of 10 symbiotic stars during the quiescent as well as active phases. The wing profile formed in the stellar wind can be approximated by a function f(RV) proportional to RVexp-2, which is of the same type as that arising from the Raman scattering. Therefore it is not possible to distinguish between these two processes only by modeling the line profile. Some observational characteristics of the H-alpha emission suggest the ionized stellar wind from the hot component to be the dominant source contributing to the H-alpha wings during active phases. The model corresponding mass-loss rates from the hot components are of a few x 10exp(-8) M(Sun)/yr and of a few x (10exp(-7) - 10exp(-6)) M(Sun)/yr during quiescent and active phases, respectively.

9 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, accepted for A&A (13/07/2006)

References in corpus (1)

• Structure of the hot object in the symbiotic prototype Z And during its 2000-03 active phase

Cited by in corpus (15)

• A census of symbiotic stars in the 2MASS, WISE and Gaia surveys
• On the effect of emission lines on the UBVR photometry
• Transient jets in the symbiotic prototype Z Andromedae
• Recent photometry of symbiotic stars - XII
• AG Pegasi - now a classical symbiotic star in outburst?
• Resolving the mass transfer in the symbiotic recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis
• Rayleigh and Raman scattering cross-sections and phase matrices of the ground-state hydrogen atom, and their astrophysical implications
• An XMM-Newton view of the Symbiotic Stars HM Sge, NQ Gem, and PU Vul
• Raman Scattered Ne VII$\lambda$973 at 4881 Å in the Symbiotic Star V1016 Cygni
• LIN 358: A symbiotic binary accreting above the steady hydrogen fusion limit
• Multiwavelength modeling the SED of Luminous Supersoft X-ray Sources in Large Magellanic Cloud and Small Magellanic Cloud
• Wind-mass transfer in S-type symbiotic binaries IV. Indication of high wind-mass-transfer efficiency from active phases
• The emergence of a neutral wind region in the orbital plane of symbiotic binaries during their outbursts
• Photometry of Symbiotic Stars - XIV
• V1047 Cen: The first Z And-type outburst observed in the classical nova binary