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The helium abundance in the ejecta of U Scorpii

The helium abundance in the ejecta of U Scorpii Thumbnail


Abstract

U Scorpii (U Sco) is a recurrent nova which has been observed in outburst on 10 occasions, most recently in 2010. We present near-infrared (near-IR) and optical spectroscopy of the 2010 outburst of U Sco. The reddening of U Sco is found to be E(B - V) = 0.14 ± 0.12, consistent with previous determinations, from simultaneous optical and near-IR observations. The spectra show the evolution of the linewidths and profiles to be consistent with previous outbursts. Velocities are found to be up to 14 000 km s-1 in broad components and up to 1800 km s-1 in narrow-line components, which become visible around day 8 due to changes in the optical depth. From the spectra we derive a helium abundance of N(He)/N(H) = 0.073 ± 0.031 from the most reliable lines available; this is lower than most other estimates and indicates that the secondary is not helium-rich, as previous studies have suggested.

Acceptance Date Sep 9, 2011
Publication Date Jan 11, 2012
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Publisher Oxford University Press
Pages 3414 -3415
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19803.x
Keywords circumstellar matter, infrared, stars
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.19803.x

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