Line identifications and intensities for the optical spectrum of RR Telescopii between 3180 and 9455 Å

Abstract

The symbiotic nova RR Telescopii has been observed with the 3.9 m telescope at the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO), using the University College London Echelle Spectrograph (UCLES) in conjunction with a Tek CCD. It displays a rich emission line spectrum, ranging in excitation from NI to [NiVIII]. We present a list of 811 measured lines, with their suggested identifications and absolute line intensities, covering a wavelength range from 3180 Å to 9455 Å. The absolute line intensities have been derived by comparing the high resolution data with a flux-calibrated low resolution spectrum taken with the Australian National University 2.3 m telescope. All of the lines have been successfully identified. Comparing our results with those of previous studies indicates that the RR Tel system is advancing towards higher degrees of ionisation.