Mira B Rejuvenated
Abstract
Recent ultraviolet spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellites demonstrate that UV line and continuum fluxes observed from Mira B are increasing back toward the levels that the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observed in 1979-1980 and 1990-1995, after having been found in a very low state by HST and FUSE in 1999-2001. The UV emission is associated with accretion of material onto Mira B from Mira A's massive wind, so the variability is presumably due to variations in accretion rate. From wind absorption features, we estimate a Mira B mass-loss rate of 2.5×10-12 Msolar yr-1, indicating that Mira B's wind has increased in strength along with the accretion rate. The UV variability may be associated with a previously reported 14 yr periodicity in Mira B's optical emission.
Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA-CNES-CSA Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. The former observations were obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. FUSE is operated for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University under NASA contract NAS5-32985.- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1086/506383
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0606457
- Bibcode:
- 2006ApJ...649..410W
- Keywords:
-
- Accretion;
- Accretion Disks;
- Stars: Binaries: Close;
- stars: individual (o Ceti);
- Stars: Winds;
- Outflows;
- Ultraviolet: Stars;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 12 pages, 3 figures, AASTEX v5.0, accepted by ApJ