A non-spherical mass outflow from RS Oph during its 2006 outburst

TL;DR

This paper models the H-alpha line profile during RS Oph's 2006 outburst, revealing a bipolar wind with high velocity and mass-loss rate, which evolves over time and suggests clumpy ejections during quiet phases.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed bipolar wind model for RS Oph's outburst, linking spectral features to wind dynamics and evolution over time.

Findings

Bipolar wind with high acceleration at day 1.38

Decrease in mass-loss rate over time

Evidence of clumpy ejections during quiet phases

Abstract

We present results of our modeling the H-alpha line profile along the 2006 RS Oph outburst. At day 1.38 the very broad component of the H-alpha profile was possible to fit by a bipolar wind model. The model corresponds to a very fast acceleration of the wind particles, and the line luminosity of about 2900 (d/1.6 kpc)^2 solar luminosities to the mass-loss rate of around (1-2) x 10E-4 solar masses per year. During days 10-30 the broad component shrank to FWZI = 1800 km/s. It could be associated with expanding ring and its satellite components at about +/- 2430 km/s with bipolar jets. Later observations made at day 57 and 209 indicated a decrease in both the mass-loss rate (1xE-5 - 1xE-6 solar masses per year) and the wind acceleration. During the quiet phase, emission bumps observed sporadically in the line wings could reflect clumpy ejections by the central star.