Low resolution IUE spectra in both spectral regions are used to clarify the nature of the warmer components of several binary systems. The W Cep, the primary of which is a luminous K-type supergiant, shows an ultraviolet absorption spectrum of type B0 or B1; this system is heavily reddened. The hot companion of Mira (o Cet) is surprisingly faint in the short wavelength region, but it excites a rich emission spectrum from the surrounding gas. The ultraviolet active M7 giant CH Cyg is shown to be a binary with a hot companion. This system was also observed at high resolution and shows variable Fe II emission and well-separated circumstellar and interstellar absorptions within the broad Mg II emission profiles. The eclipsing binaries AR Mon and BL Tel are shown not to have hot companions

Carpenter, K. G.

Wing, R. F.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

NOTES ON THE EARLY-TYPE COMPONENTS OF W Cep, o Cet,
CH Cyg, AR Mon, and BL Tel
Robert F. Wing and Kenneth G. Carpenter
Astronomy Department, The Ohio State University
ABSTRACT
Low-resolution IUE spectra in both spectral regions have been used to
clarify the nature of the warmer components of several binary systems. W Cep,
the primary of which is a luminous K-type supergiant, shows an ultraviolet
absorption spectrum of type B0 or BI; this system is heavily reddened. The
hot companion of Mira (o Cet) is surprisingly faint in the short-wavelength
region, but it excites a rich emission spectrum from the surrounding gas.
The ultraviolet-active M7 giant CH Cyg is shown to be a binary with a hot
companion. This system has also been observed at high resolution and shows
variable Fe II emission and well-separated circumstellar and interstellar
absorptions within the broad Mg II emission profiles. The eclipsing binaries
AR Mon and BL Tel are shown not to have hot companions.
INTRODUCTION
Ultraviolet spectroscopy can add an important dimension to the study of
binary stars. In many cases, a hot secondary component whose presence can
only be indirectly inferred from optical observations can be accurately
classified in the ultraviolet. In other cases it may be important merely to
be able to show that no hot component exists. Furthermore, the presence of
strong transitions of many abundant ions makes the ultraviolet especially
suitable for studying the interactions between components of a binary system,
which may take the form of emission from a surrounding nebula or absorption
from a circumstellar shell.
RESULTS
W Cephei
This semi-regular variable is a luminous K-type supergiant with a hot
companion which fills in the spectrum shortward of about 4000 _. The system
has been classified K0ep la + O? (Bidelman 1954; Cowley 1969) and has been
discussed with the VV Cephei stars (whose primaries are mostly of type M) by
Cowley (1969). Since no lines are clearly seen in the near-ultraviolet spec-
trum of the companion, satellite observations in the far ultraviolet are
needed to determine its spectral class.
Exposure times of 15 and 30 min were used to record the long- and short-
wavelength regions, respectively, at low resolution. The energy distribution
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is strongly affected by interstellar reddening, and the 2200 _ feature is
prominent. The spectrum of the hot component is featureless in the long-
wavelength region but filled with strong absorption lines below 2000 _. The
strongest of these are the doublets of Si IV and C IV near 1400 and 1550 _,
respectively; their relative and absolute strengths indicate a spectral type
of B0 or BI. This result should be considered preliminary for two reasons:
we have not yet secured an adequate set of spectra of spectral-type standard
stars; and the contributions of interstellar lines to the observed absorp-
tions cannot be determined at the resolution employed.
o Cet (Mira)
Mira is a close visual binary whose companion was first discovered
spectroscopically (Joy 1926). When the red variable is near minimum light,
the companion dominates the spectrum below 4000 _. Its near - ultraviolet
spectrum, however, is not classifiable, as it shows only broad hydrogen lines
with P Cygni profiles. The companion is sometimes called an 0 star, some-
times a B star; in any case its faintness compared to the M giant primary
indicates that it lies below the main sequence. The companion undergoes both
slow and rapid variations (see Yamashita et al. 1978) and has been named
VZ Cet.
Normal (i.e. single) Mira variables show a wide variety of emission
lines in the optical region and hence might be expected to contribute some
features in the ultraviolet. However, our IUE exposures on R Leo, R LMi,
and R Hya do not show any definite features except the Mg II doublet at
2800 _. We were expecting, therefore, that the ultraviolet spectrum of Mira
itself would be essentially that of the companion. This is indeed the case
in the long-wavelength region, where the spectrum is continuous with super-
imposed Mg II emission. The short-wavelength spectrum, however, is not that
of a star but that of a nebula.
The spectrum of Mira from 1200 to 1950 _ is shown in Figure i. Many
strong emission lines are present, while the continuum from the hot star is
relatively weak and surprisingly red. This 60-min exposure was made on
January 28, 1980 when the primary was a bit past maximum light (the Fine Error
Sensor registered a visual magnitude of 4.4 ). Since the long- wavelength
region was well exposed in only 5 min, one might have expected the continuum
of the hot star to be greatly overexposed in one hour in the short-wavelength
region. Either the companion is not as hot as usually thought, or it is
strongly reddened by circumstellar or interstellar material.
Most of the emission lines in Figure 1 are readily identifiable with the
strongest transitions of abundant ions. What is remarkable is the wide range
of excitation present. All the lines normally seen in high-excitation nebulae
(N V, Si IV, C IV, He II, etc.) are there, but in additipn there are strong
lines of 0 I, C I, and Si II, which characterize the low-excitation chrpmo-
spheres of K and M giants. Clearly there exists a wide range of tem-
perature in the gas producing the emission. We note also that the semi-
forbidden lines of 0 llI], C III], Si III], and probably N III] are quite
strong, indicating that at least some of the emitting gas is at low density.
342
Since it is likely that the primary star is losing mass with each annual
cycle of its light variation and that this material fills a large volume of
space around both stars, it is easy to see how a wide range of temperature
and density could arise. Nearly all of the circumstellar gas can be illumi-
nated by the hot star, and this radiation is most intense near the hot star
while the density is probably highest in the immediate vicinity of the cool
primary star.
Models of the Mira system will have to account for the relatively red
color of the hot companion and its faintness in the short-wavelength region.
It does not seem likely that it is as cool as it looks if it can excite the
nebula so effectively. The great strength of the emission lines would tend
to argue against interstellar absorption, or absorption from a dust shell
surrounding the entire system, as the mechanism responsible for suppressing
the spectrum of the hot star. At the Same time, absorption occurring closer
to the hot star would reduce its efficacy in exciting the emission spectrum,
and in any case it is hard to understand how grains of any kind could exist
near the hot star. A quantitative study of the relative emission line
strengths might show whether or not they suffer selective absorption.
CH Cygni
This semiregular variable of type M7 III has gone through several epi-
sodes of "activity" -- notably in 1963, 1967, and 1977 -- during which the
near-ultraviolet spectrum has become covered by a hot continuum, and emission
lines of relatively low excitation (mainly Fe II) have appeared throughout
the optical region. Both single - star and binary models have been proposed
for CH Cyg. Recently, Yamashita and Maehara (1979) have detected changes in
the photospheric radial velocity of the M star and have suggested that it is
a binary system with a period of 5750 days (about 16 years) and a velocity
semi-amplitude of 6.8 km/sec.
The spectrum obtained with IUE in the short-wavelength region leaves no
doubt that a hot secondary star is present. Not only is the spectrum very
bright (the optimum exposure time proved to be 5 min for low-resolution SWP
images) but also the spectrum contains absorption lines of C IV, Si IV, etc.
which presumably arise in the photosphere of the hot star. A spectral
classification should be possible when more standards have been collected.
The most conspicuous feature in the short-wavelength region, however, is one
that does not belong in the spectrum of a hot star at all -- a very strong
emission line of O I_ Since this line at 1300 _ can be pumped by LyB pho-
tons (Bowen 1947),it seems that CH Cyg must represent an unusually favorable
case for the operation of this fluorescence mechanism, with the hot star
supplying the LyB photons and the cool star supplying the neutral gas. On
the other hand, the absence of detectable Ly_ emission may make it hard tO
maintain that an adequate supply of LyB photons is available.
In the long-wavelength region, after overexposing the spectrum in 2 min
at low resolution, we took subsequent exposures at high resolution (optimum
exposure time 40 min). Three plates were obtained, separated by intervals of
several months; all show a large number of rather weak emission lines, but on
343
the most recent plate the Fe II emission is decidedly weaker than on the
other two. Sections of two of these spectra are shown in Figure 2. The
upper panel, which covers the interval from 2600 to 2650 _, shows that the
Fe II lines of multiplet (i) were much stronger in May 1979 than in January
1980. The lower panel covers the region from 2750 to 2800 _ on the same two
dates and includes the 2795 _ line of Mg II. This line is broad and strong
in emission and contains two distinct absorption components separated by
if0 km/sec; the other member of the Mg II doublet at 2802 _ has a similar
profile. Since the systemic velocity of CH Cyg is -58 km/sec (Yamashita
and Maehara 1979), the longward absorption component has nearly zero velocity
and is probably interstellar, while the shortward component is produced in a
circumstellar shell that is expanding outward at about 50 km/sec with r_spect
to the star. A similar expansion velocity was observed at the K line of
Ca II by Yamashita and Maehara. On the other hand, the Ha profile, recently
studied by Anderson, Oliversen and Nordsieck (1980), is very different, with
only a single absorption component dividing the emission into nearly equal
parts. In that case no interstellar llne is involved, and the absorption
feature is at approximately the center,of-mass velocity -- perhaps, as sug-
gested by Yamashita and Maehara, because the Balmer absorption is associated
with the circumstellar shell of the hot star, which in recentyears has been
in front of the M giant and moving across the line of sight.
AR Monocerotis
This 21-day eclipsing binary has a spectral type of K0 II; no evidence
of the secondary star is seen spectroscopically. The secondary must be a
fairly large star because the primary eclipses are about 0.8 mag deep (Payne-
Gaposchkin 1944). The strange thing about this system is that the primary
eclipse occurs when, according to the radial-velocity curve, the K star is
in front (Sahade and Cesco 1944).
To check the possibility that the companion might be of relatively early
type, AR Mon was observed at low resolution with exposures of 30 and 90 min
in the long- and short-wavelength regions. The spectrum seems normal for an
early K giant, with chromospheric emission lines of Mg II and O I and tran-
sition-region lines of C II, C IV, and N V. A weak continuum was recorded
down to about 1700 _, and its color is approximately normal for a K star.
We conclude that the companion is no hotter than type G and probably is
cooler than the primary.
BL Telescopii
This 778- day eclipsing system has many peculiarities. Although the
primary has been classified as an F8 supergiant (Cousins and Feast 1954),
the system has a large radial velocity, high galactic latitude, and appre-
ciable proper motion. The primary eclipses are 2.0 mag deep, and the spec-
troscopic orbit (Wing 1963) indicates that the secondary must be at least as
massive as 2 M@.
At minimum light, weak TiO features have sometimes been recorded in the
344
red, and this suggests that the companion is an M star ( Cousins and Feast
1954). On the other hand, Feast (1966) has offered the suggestion that the
TiO features are produced near the limb of the F supergiant and that the
eclipses are caused by a dense H II region ionized by, and surrounding, a
hot subdwarf secondary.
%
We have observed BL Tel both outside eclipse (1979 February ii) and in
eclipse (1979 May 26). Readings taken with the Fine Error Sensor indicate
that the eclipse was 1.3 mag deep visually at the time of our second obser-
vation, while the fluxes at representative wavelengths in the ultraviolet
showed changes of 1.0 to 1.5 mag. The spectrum seen in the ultraviolet is
that of an F star, with a strong absorption feature due to the Mg II doublet
and weaker absorptions as far shortward as 1700 _. No chromospheric emission
was recorded, and no significant changes in the spectrum (other than its in-
tensity) occurred as a result of the eclipse. It would appear that spectro-
scopic evidence of the companion should be sought not in the ultraviolet but
in the infrared.
REFERENCES
Anderson, C. M., Oliversen, N. A., and Nordsieck, K. H. (1980). Wisconsin
Astrophysics No. 105 (preprint).
Bidelman, W. P. (1954). Astrophys. J. Suppl., _, 218.
Bowen, I. S. (1947). Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific, 59, 196.
Cousins, A. W. J., and Feast, M. W. (1954). Observatory, 74, 88.
Cowley, A. P. (1969). Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific, 81, 297.
Feast, M. W. (1966). Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc., 135, 287.
Joy, A. H. (1926). Astrophys. J., 63, 281.
Payne-Gaposchkin, C. (1@44). Astrophys. J., i00, 251.
Sahade, J., and Cesco, C. U. (1944). Astrophys. J., I00, 374.
Wing, R. F. (1963). Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc., 125, 189.
Yamashita, Y., Ichimura, K., Shimizu, Y., and Nakagiri, M. (1978). Tokyo
Astron. Bull., 2nd series, No. 254.
Yamashita, Y., and Maehara, H. (1979). Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan, 31, 307.
345
CH Cvg
Mn II (i)
Fe II (i)
i I J I[I I I" D
2) 2610 2620 2630 26q0
.. , . I , I m .I , , i ".
I
Fe II (62) Mg I_(1) i l
ss I
,, , I , I ,, I i ,,
D) 2760 2770 2780 2790
Figure l.--The spectrum if Mira (o Cet) in the short-wavelength
region. The continuous spectrum from the hot companion is sur-
prisingly faint and is probably obscured. The rich emission-line
spectrum shows a wide range of excitation and probably arises in a
large volume of gas which surrounds the entire system and is illu-
minated by the hot secondary. The Ly_ line is largely geocoronal,
but a stellar component comparable in strength to O 1%1300 is also
present. The feature near 1500 _ marked with an 'X' is spurious.
In the long-wavelength region, the spectrum is dominated by the con-
tinuum of the hot star with superimposed Mg II emission.
/
346
|St III]
i
] tt -
• o Cet
C IV C III]
• _,o \ /
10 - / Cl SiII
FIBSOLUTE II
FLUX o_ :v]?
x1014 - I _l x o_Hj _
• / fSI IV N III]?
6 - li / J
• I
2 -
. I
1200 lqO0 1600 1800 2000
HQVELENGTH
Figure 2.--Segments of high-resolution spectra of CH Cyg ob-
tained on two different dates. (a) The region 2600- 2650 _, showing
emission lines of Fe II and Mn II which were stronger on May 26, 1979
than on January 30, 1980. (b) The region 2750- 2800 _ containing the
2795 _ line of Mg II, which shows both interstellar and circumstellar
absorption components.
347


Notes on the early-type components of W Cep, o Cet, CH Cyg, AR Mon, and BL Tel

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