On the spectrum of VV Pup.

Time resolved spectroscopic observations of VV Puppis show previously unreported broad absorption features during the bright phases when the optical radiation is circularly polarized. An interesting possibility is that these features are a result of cyclotron absorption in the accretion column near the active magnetic pole of the white dwarf. It is suggested that under suitable conditions an absorption spectrum similar to that observed in VV Puppis can result from a magnetic accretion column if its thermal structure is such that the temperature decreases by a factor of about 2 toward the surface of the column.