Spiral Structure in WZ Sagittae around the 2001 Outburst Maximum

Hajime Baba, Kozo Sadakane, Yuji Norimoto, K. Ayani, Masayuki Ioroi, Katsura Matsumoto, Daisaku Nogami, M. Makita, Taichi Kato

Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan · 2002 · 45 citations · 16 references

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Abstract

Abstract Intermediate-resolution phase-resolved spectra of WZ Sge were obtained on five consecutive nights (July 23–27) covering the initial stage of the 2001 superoutburst. Double-peaked emission lines of He II at 4686 Å, which were absent on July 23, emerged on July 24 together with emission lines of C III$/$ N III Bowen blend. Analyses of the He II emission lines using the Doppler tomography revealed an asymmetric spiral structure on the accretion disk. This finding demonstrates that spiral shocks with a very short orbital period can arise during the initial stage of an outburst and may be present in all SU UMa stars.

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