HET observations of the outburst of XTE J1859+226
Abstract
Spectroscopy of the soft X-ray transient XTE J1859+226 were obtained with the Low Resolution Spectrograph on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) beginning six days after the onset of the outburst and continuing for 4 weeks. The spectra show a strong evolution of the line profiles and strengths during the outburst: emission lines and broad absorption lines decrease in strength as the outburst declines. This suggests that strong X-ray irradiation is driving line formation in the outburst. However, the emission--line radial velocities and equivalent widths indicate that simple reprocessing off the secondary star or outer disk is unlikely and that a more complex mechanism must be present.
- Publication:
-
The Physics of Cataclysmic Variables and Related Objects
- Pub Date:
- January 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002ASPC..261..571W