θ Car: X-ray Emission from Low Density Radiation-Driven Winds
Abstract
We present Chandra X-ray grating spectroscopy (and IUE spectroscopy) of the B0.2 V star, θ Carina. θ Car is in a critical transition region between the earliest B stars and the latest O stars, where the density of the wind is observed to decrease more than theoretically expected. In general, X-ray emission in this low-density wind regime should be less prominent, but observations have shown that there is a higher than expected production of X-ray emission from the winds of these stars; this severely challenges predictions of radiatively driven wind theory. We measure the f/i ratio, widths, and velocities of several Helium-like lines in the X-ray spectrum. The f/i ratio is a diagnostic of the radial location of the X-ray emitting plasma, which is sensitive to the specific transition of each He-like ion. We use θ Car to study the radiatively-driven mass-loss of early B-type stars.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22712901D