GRAVITY chromatic imaging of Eta Car's core
GRAVITY Collaboration, J. Sanchez-Bermudez, G. Weigelt, J. M., Bestenlehner, P. Kervella, W. Brandner, Th. Henning, A. M\"uller, G. Perrin,, J.-U. Pott, M. Sch\"oller, R. van Boekel, R. Abuter, M. Accardo, A. Amorim,, N. Anugu, G. \'Avila, M. Benisty, J.P. Berger, N. Blind

TL;DR
This study uses advanced interferometric imaging to explore the complex wind interactions in Eta Carinae's core, revealing structures consistent with colliding wind models and emphasizing the secondary star's influence.
Contribution
First chromatic imaging of Eta Car's core across specific spectral lines, providing new insights into wind-wind interactions and the secondary star's role.
Findings
Detected a southeast arc-like feature in BrG images.
Constrained the size and shape of the line-emitting regions.
Confirmed the secondary's influence on ionized material production.
Abstract
Eta Car is one of the most intriguing luminous blue variables in the Galaxy. Observations and models at different wavelengths suggest a central binary with a 5.54 yr period residing in its core. 2D and 3D radiative transfer and hydrodynamic simulations predict a primary with a dense and slow stellar wind that interacts with the faster and lower density wind of the secondary. The wind-wind collision scenario suggests that the secondary's wind penetrates the primary's wind creating a low-density cavity in it, with dense walls where the two winds interact. We aim to trace the inner ~5-50 au structure of Eta Car's wind-wind interaction, as seen through BrG and, for the first time, through the He I 2s-2p line. We have used spectro-interferometric observations with GRAVITY at the VLTI. Our modeling of the continuum allows us to estimate its FWHM angular size close to 2 mas and an elongation…
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