Atmospheric dynamics of the hypergiant RW Cep during the Great Dimming

TL;DR

This study analyzes the atmospheric dynamics of the hypergiant RW Cep during its Great Dimming event through spectroscopic observations, revealing velocity gradients, gas ejection, and large-scale motions in its atmosphere.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed spectroscopic analysis of RW Cep's atmospheric behavior during the Great Dimming, highlighting velocity gradients and gas ejection phenomena.

Findings

Vertical velocity gradient of 10-20 km/s in the atmosphere.

Blue-shifted emission from ejected gas during dimming.

Large-scale atmospheric motions with amplitude ~25 km/s.

Abstract

The hypergiant RW Cep is one of the largest stars in our galaxy. The evolution and mass loss of such stars has profound effects on their surrounding regions and the galaxy as a whole. Between 2020 and 2024, RW Cep experienced a historic mass-loss event known as the Great Dimming. This study provides a spectroscopic analysis of RW Cep during the Great Dimming. We examine its atmospheric dynamics and place it in the context of the star's variability behaviour since the early 2000s. We conducted high-cadence spectroscopic observations of RW Cep during the dimming event using the Tartu Observatory 1.5-meter telescope and the Nordic Optical Telescope. We analysed the atmospheric dynamics by measuring the radial velocities and line depths of Fe I and other spectral lines. The radial velocities of the Fe I lines reveal a vertical velocity gradient of 10-20 km/s in the atmosphere, correlating with the strength of the spectral lines. Stronger lines, formed in higher atmospheric layers, have higher radial velocities. We measured the systemic velocity at -50.3 km/s. During the dimming, radial velocities were affected by additional emission from the ejected gas, which was blue-shifted relative to the absorption lines. Post-dimming, we observed large-scale atmospheric motions with amplitude ~25 km/s. Strong resonance lines of Ba II, K I, Na I and Ca I showed stable central emission components at -56 km/s, likely of circumstellar origin.