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Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectroscopy and modeling of the long-term cooling of WZ sagittae following the 2001 July outburst
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Godon, Patrick, Sion, Edward M., Cheng, Fuhua, Long, Knox S., Gänsicke, B. T. (Boris T.) and Szkody , Paula (2006) Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectroscopy and modeling of the long-term cooling of WZ sagittae following the 2001 July outburst. Astrophysical Journal, Volume 642 (Number 2 Part 1). pp. 1018-1028. doi:10.1086/501039 ISSN 0004-637X.
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Official URL: http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/642/2/1018/ful...
Abstract
We present the latest Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ( HST STIS) E140M far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectrum of the dwarf nova WZ Sge, obtained in 2004 July, 3 yr following the early super-outburst of 2001 July. With a temperature T approximate to 15,000 K, the white dwarf (WD) is still similar to 1500 K above its quiescent temperature, it has a FUV flux level almost twice its preoutburst value, and its spectrum does not distinctly exhibit the quasi-molecular hydrogen feature around 1400 8, which was present in the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and HST Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) preoutburst data. This is a clear indication that even 3 yr after outburst, the system is still showing the effect of the outburst. We model the cooling curve of WZ Sge, over a period of 3 yr, using a stellar evolution code including accretion and the effects of compressional heating. Assuming that compressional heating alone is the source of the energy released during the cooling phase, we find that (1) the mass of the WD must be quite large (approximate to 1.0 +/- 0.2 M-circle dot), and (2) the mass accretion rate must have a time-averaged (over 52 days of outburst) value of order 10(-8) M-circle dot yr(-1) or above. The outburst mass accretion rate derived from these compressional heating models is larger than the rates estimated from optical observations (Patterson et al.) and from a FUV spectral fit (Long et al.) by up to 1 order of magnitude. This implies that during the cooling phase the energy released by the WD is not due to compressional heating alone. We suggest ongoing accretion during quiescence as an additional source of energy.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Astrophysical Journal | ||||
Publisher: | IOP Publishing | ||||
ISSN: | 0004-637X | ||||
Official Date: | 10 May 2006 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Volume 642 | ||||
Number: | Number 2 Part 1 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 11 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 1018-1028 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1086/501039 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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