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Detection of high-velocity material from the wind-wind collision zone of Eta Carinae across the 2009.0 periastron passage

Groh, J. H. ; Nielsen, K. E. ; Damineli, A. ; Gull, T. R. ; Madura, T. I. ; Hillier, D. J. ; Teodoro, M. ; Driebe, T. ; Weigelt, G. and Hartman, Henrik LU orcid , et al. (2010) In Astronomy & Astrophysics 517.
Abstract
We report near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the Eta Carinae massive binary system during 2008-2009 using the CRIRES spectrograph mounted on the 8m UT 1 Very Large Telescope (VLT Antu). We detect a strong, broad absorption wing in He I lambda 10833 extending up to -1900 km s(-1) across the 2009.0 spectroscopic event. Analysis of archival Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ultraviolet and optical data identifies a similar high-velocity absorption (up to -2100 km s(-1)) in the ultraviolet resonance lines of Si IV lambda lambda 1394, 1403 across the 2003.5 event. Ultraviolet resonance lines from low-ionization species, such as Si II lambda lambda 1527, 1533 and CII lambda lambda 1334, 1335, show absorption... (More)
We report near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the Eta Carinae massive binary system during 2008-2009 using the CRIRES spectrograph mounted on the 8m UT 1 Very Large Telescope (VLT Antu). We detect a strong, broad absorption wing in He I lambda 10833 extending up to -1900 km s(-1) across the 2009.0 spectroscopic event. Analysis of archival Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ultraviolet and optical data identifies a similar high-velocity absorption (up to -2100 km s(-1)) in the ultraviolet resonance lines of Si IV lambda lambda 1394, 1403 across the 2003.5 event. Ultraviolet resonance lines from low-ionization species, such as Si II lambda lambda 1527, 1533 and CII lambda lambda 1334, 1335, show absorption only up to -1200 km s(-1), indicating that the absorption with velocities -1200 to -2100 km s(-1) originates in a region markedly more rapidly moving and more ionized than the nominal wind of the primary star. Seeing-limited observations obtained at the 1.6m OPD/LNA telescope during the last four spectroscopic cycles of Eta Carinae (1989-2009) also show high-velocity absorption in He I lambda 10833 during periastron. Based on the large OPD/LNA dataset, we determine that material with velocities more negative than -900 km s(-1) is present in the phase range 0.976 <= phi <= 1.023 of the spectroscopic cycle, but absent in spectra taken at phi <= 0.947 and phi >= 1.049. Therefore, we constrain the duration of the high-velocity absorption to be 95 to 206 days (or 0.047 to 0.102 in phase). We propose that the high-velocity absorption component originates in shocked gas in the wind-wind collision zone, at distances of 15 to 45 AU in the line-of-sight to the primary star. With the aid of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the wind-wind collision zone, we find that the dense high-velocity gas is along the line-of-sight to the primary star only if the binary system is oriented in the sky such that the companion is behind the primary star during periastron, corresponding to a longitude of periastron of omega similar to 240 degrees-270 degrees. We study a possible tilt of the orbital plane relative to the Homunculus equatorial plane and conclude that our data are broadly consistent with orbital inclinations in the range i = 40 degrees-60 degrees. (Less)
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
stars: atmospheres, stars: early-type, stars: winds, outflows, stars: individual: eta, Carinae, stars: mass-loss, binaries: general
in
Astronomy & Astrophysics
volume
517
article number
A9
publisher
EDP Sciences
external identifiers
  • wos:000280929400019
ISSN
0004-6361
DOI
10.1051/0004-6361/200913937
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9d0a18b8-4719-4a07-bf16-c0ce3e01b18d (old id 1677110)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:15:02
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:14:08
@article{9d0a18b8-4719-4a07-bf16-c0ce3e01b18d,
  abstract     = {{We report near-infrared spectroscopic observations of the Eta Carinae massive binary system during 2008-2009 using the CRIRES spectrograph mounted on the 8m UT 1 Very Large Telescope (VLT Antu). We detect a strong, broad absorption wing in He I lambda 10833 extending up to -1900 km s(-1) across the 2009.0 spectroscopic event. Analysis of archival Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ultraviolet and optical data identifies a similar high-velocity absorption (up to -2100 km s(-1)) in the ultraviolet resonance lines of Si IV lambda lambda 1394, 1403 across the 2003.5 event. Ultraviolet resonance lines from low-ionization species, such as Si II lambda lambda 1527, 1533 and CII lambda lambda 1334, 1335, show absorption only up to -1200 km s(-1), indicating that the absorption with velocities -1200 to -2100 km s(-1) originates in a region markedly more rapidly moving and more ionized than the nominal wind of the primary star. Seeing-limited observations obtained at the 1.6m OPD/LNA telescope during the last four spectroscopic cycles of Eta Carinae (1989-2009) also show high-velocity absorption in He I lambda 10833 during periastron. Based on the large OPD/LNA dataset, we determine that material with velocities more negative than -900 km s(-1) is present in the phase range 0.976 &lt;= phi &lt;= 1.023 of the spectroscopic cycle, but absent in spectra taken at phi &lt;= 0.947 and phi &gt;= 1.049. Therefore, we constrain the duration of the high-velocity absorption to be 95 to 206 days (or 0.047 to 0.102 in phase). We propose that the high-velocity absorption component originates in shocked gas in the wind-wind collision zone, at distances of 15 to 45 AU in the line-of-sight to the primary star. With the aid of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the wind-wind collision zone, we find that the dense high-velocity gas is along the line-of-sight to the primary star only if the binary system is oriented in the sky such that the companion is behind the primary star during periastron, corresponding to a longitude of periastron of omega similar to 240 degrees-270 degrees. We study a possible tilt of the orbital plane relative to the Homunculus equatorial plane and conclude that our data are broadly consistent with orbital inclinations in the range i = 40 degrees-60 degrees.}},
  author       = {{Groh, J. H. and Nielsen, K. E. and Damineli, A. and Gull, T. R. and Madura, T. I. and Hillier, D. J. and Teodoro, M. and Driebe, T. and Weigelt, G. and Hartman, Henrik and Kerber, F. and Okazaki, A. T. and Owocki, S. P. and Millour, F. and Murakawa, K. and Kraus, S. and Hofmann, K. -H. and Schertl, D.}},
  issn         = {{0004-6361}},
  keywords     = {{stars: atmospheres; stars: early-type; stars: winds; outflows; stars: individual: eta; Carinae; stars: mass-loss; binaries: general}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{EDP Sciences}},
  series       = {{Astronomy & Astrophysics}},
  title        = {{Detection of high-velocity material from the wind-wind collision zone of Eta Carinae across the 2009.0 periastron passage}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/200913937}},
  doi          = {{10.1051/0004-6361/200913937}},
  volume       = {{517}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}