Spin-resolved spectroscopy of the intermediate polar DQ Her

TL;DR

This study uses high-speed spectroscopy to reveal spiral structures in the accretion disc of DQ Her, an intermediate polar, and investigates the pulsation behavior related to X-ray reprocessing and accretion flow geometry.

Contribution

First detection of persistent spiral density structures in the accretion disc of an intermediate polar, providing new insights into accretion dynamics and pulsation mechanisms.

Findings

Spiral structures similar to dwarf novae during outburst.

Pulsation in He II 4686 linked to X-ray reprocessing near the white dwarf.

Exclusion of the 70.8s period as the spin period based on phase-resolved spectroscopy.

Abstract

We present high-speed spectroscopic observations of the intermediate polar DQ Herculis. Doppler tomography of two He I lines reveals a spiral density structure in the accretion disc around the white dwarf primary. The spirals look very similar to the spirals seen in dwarf novae during outburst. DQ Her is the first well established intermediate polar in which spirals are seen, that are in addition likely persistent because of the system's high mass transfer rate. Spiral structures give an alternative explanation for sidebands of the WD spin frequency that are found in IP light curves. The Doppler tomogram of He II 4686 indicates that a large part of the emission is not disc-like. Spin trails of spectra reveal a pulsation in the He II 4686 emission that is believed to result from reprocessing of X-rays from the white dwarf's magnetic poles in the accretion flow close to the WD. We confirm the previous finding that the pulsation is only visible in the red-shifted part of the line when the beam points to the back side of the disc. The absence of reprocessed light from the front side of the disc can be explained by obscuration by the front rim of the disc, but the absence of extra emission from the blue-shifted back side of the disc is puzzling. Reprocessing in accretion curtains can be an answer to the problem and can also explain the highly non-Keplerian velocity components that are found in the He II 4686 line. Our spin trails can form a strong test for future accretion curtain models, with the possibility of distinguishing between a spin period of 71s or 142s. Spin trails of data taken at selected orbital phases show little evidence for a significant contribution of the bright spot to the pulsations and allow us to exclude a recent suggestion that 71s is the beat period and 70.8s the spin period.