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Title: A study of extreme-ultraviolet emission from cataclysmic variables

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/168831· OSTI ID:6934524
; ;  [1]
  1. NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (USA) Arizona Univ., Tucson (USA) Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (USA) Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ (USA)

Voyager far- and extreme UV spectrophotometric observations of five cataclysmic variables (the dwarf novae SS Cyg and VW Hyi and the novalike variables V3885 Sgr, RW Sex, and IX Vel) are combined with neutral hydrogen column densities derived from the curve-of-growth analysis of interstellar absorption lines in high-resolution IUE spectra to place upper limits on the emitted flux in the 600-700 A EUV band. The Voyager observations of VW Hyi were obtained during both normal and superoutbursts. Detailed accretion disk model calculations show that most of the 600-700 A flux in these systems should originate in the inner accretion disk rather than in the boundary layer. For VW Hyi, the low neutral hydrogen column and excellent Voyager superoutburst data place the observed upper limit to the 600-700 A flux well below the expected EUV flux from the model calculations. 43 refs.

OSTI ID:
6934524
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Vol. 356; ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English