Raman-scattered O VI features in the symbiotic nova RR Telescopii

TL;DR

This study analyzes high-resolution spectra of the symbiotic nova RR Tel to understand stellar wind accretion through Raman O VI features, revealing profile variations, wind properties, and recombination line detections over two decades.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed profile analysis of Raman O VI features in RR Tel, deriving wind parameters and observing profile variations over time.

Findings

Derived a Keplerian speed > 35 km/s for the O VI disk

Estimated Mira's mass loss rate at ~2×10^{-6} M_sun/yr

Detected O VI recombination lines at 3811A and 3834A

Abstract

RR Tel is an interacting binary system in which a hot white dwarf (WD) accretes matter from a Mira-type variable star via gravitational capture of its stellar wind. This symbiotic nova shows intense Raman-scattered O VI 1032\r{A} and 1038\r{A} features at 6825\r{A} and 7082\r{A}. We present high-resolution optical spectra of RR Tel taken in 2016 and 2017 with the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) spectrograph at Magellan-Clay telescope, Chile. We aim to study the stellar wind accretion in RR Tel from the profile analysis of Raman O VI features. With an asymmetric O VI disk model, we derive a representative Keplerian speed of $> 35{\rm km~s^{-1}}$, and the corresponding scale < 0.8 au. The best-fit for the Raman profiles is obtained with a mass loss rate of the Mira ${\dot M}\sim2\times10^{-6}~{\rm M_{\odot}~yr^{-1}}$ and a wind terminal velocity $v_{\infty}\sim 20~{\rm km~s^{-1}}$. We compare the MIKE data with an archival spectrum taken in 2003 with the Fibre-fed Extended Range Optical Spectrograph (FEROS) at the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope. It allows us to highlight the profile variation of the Raman O VI features, indicative of a change in the density distribution of the O VI disk in the last two decades. We also report the detection of O VI recombination lines at 3811\r{A} and 3834\r{A}, which are blended with other emission lines. Our profile decomposition suggests that the recombination of O VII takes place nearer to the WD than the O VI 1032\r{A} and 1038\r{A} emission region.