34 research outputs found
SALT observations of southern post-novae
We report on recent optical observations of the stellar and the nebular
remnants of 22 southern post-novae. In this study, for each of our targets, we
obtained and analysed long-slit spectra in the spectral range 3500-6600 A and
in H+NII narrow-band images. The changes in the emission lines'
equivalent widths with the time since the outburst agree with earlier published
results of other authors. We estimated an average value =2.37 for the
exponent of the power law fitted to the post-novae continua. Our observations
clearly show the two-component structure of the V842 Cen expanding nebulae,
owing to the different velocities of the ejected matter. We discovered an
expanding shell around V382 Vel with an outer diameter of about 12 arcsec.Comment: 24 pages, 19 figures, A&A accepte
Discovery of a Magnetic White Dwarf in the Symbiotic Binary Z Andromedae
We report the first result from our survey of rapid variability in symbiotic
binaries: the discovery of a persistent oscillation at P=1682.6 +- 0.6 s in the
optical emission from the prototype symbiotic, Z Andromedae. The oscillation
was detected on all 8 occasions on which the source was observed over a
timespan of nearly a year, making it the first such persistent periodic pulse
found in a symbiotic binary. The amplitude was typically 2 - 5 mmag, and it was
correlated with the optical brightness during a relatively small outburst of
the system. The most natural explanation is that the oscillation arises from
the rotation of an accreting, magnetic (B_S > 10^5 G) white dwarf. This
discovery constrains the outburst mechanisms, since the oscillation emission
region near the surface of the white dwarf was visible during the outburst.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (6 pages,
including 4 figures), LaTe
Storage life of parachutes - Long time material degradation
This study considers the long-time storage of single-use nylon and Kevlar{reg_sign} parachutes. The authors present data from a 29-year-old nylon parachute, and nylon and Kevlar{reg_sign} test samples stored 14 years under ambient conditions in the absence of sunlight. They compare the results with existing predictions of parachute material degradation and other aging data. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses were preformed on Nylon and Kevlar{reg_sign} fabrics that were degraded by elevated temperature aging. The results suggest that this technique should be further examined as a {open_quotes}non-destructive{close_quotes} method of detecting degradation
Emission Line Flickering from the Secondary Star in Cataclysmic Variables? A study of V3885 Sagitarii
Spectrophotometric observations of H-alpha and He I 6678 emission lines of
the nova-like Cataclysmic Variable V3885 Sgr are presented and analyzed. The
binary orbital period was determined as P = 0.20716071(22) days. Doppler
Tomography was performed with both H-alpha and He I lines. Disc radial
emissivity profiles were also computed. The tomography mapping of flickering
sources was performed using the H-alpha line, from which we concluded that the
flickering is not uniformly distributed on the disc. The observed tomogram of
the flickering was compared with simulations, suggesting that the most intense
flickering source in the H-alpha is not located in the accretion disc. It is
proposed that the main line flickering source may be associated with the
illuminated secondary star.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 1 table. Accepted to be published on AJ. to
donwload high resolution figures:
http://www.astro.iag.usp.br/~fabiola/V3885_hires.pd
The large-scale ionised outflow of CH Cygni
HST and ground-based [OII} and [NII] images obtained from 1996 to 1999 reveal
the existence of a ionised optical nebula around the symbiotic binary CH Cyg
extending out to 5000 A.U. from the central stars. The observed velocity range
of the nebula, derived from long-slit echelle spectra, is of 130 km/s. In spite
of its complex appearence, the velocity data show that the basic morphology of
the inner regions of the optical nebula is that of a bipolar (or conical)
outflow extending nearly along the plane of the sky out to some 2000 A.U. from
the centre. Even if the extension of this bipolar outflow and its position
angle are consistent with those of the radio jet produced in 1984 (extrapolated
to the time of our optical imagery), no obvious counterpart is visible of the
original, dense radio bullets ejected by the system. We speculate that the
optical bipolar outflow might be the remannt of the interaction of the bullets
with a relatively dense circumstellar medium.Comment: 8 text pages + 3 figures (jpeg). ApJ in press. For a full PostScript
version with figures inline see
ftp://ftp.ll.iac.es/pub/research/preprints/PP252001.ps.g