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Line profile variability and magnetic fields of Wolf‐Rayet stars: WR 135 and WR 136
Author(s) -
Kholtygin A.F.,
Fabrika S.N.,
Rusomarov N.,
Hamann W.R.,
Kudryavtsev D.O.,
Oskinova L.M.,
Chountonov G.A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
astronomische nachrichten
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.394
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1521-3994
pISSN - 0004-6337
DOI - 10.1002/asna.201111595
Subject(s) - wolf–rayet star , physics , astrophysics , stars , line (geometry) , emission spectrum , magnetic field , spectral line , telescope , astronomy , amplitude , o type star , optics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
We have obtained spectropolarimetric observations of two Wolf‐Rayet stars, WR 135 (WC8) and W R136 (WN6), with the 6‐m Russian telescope in July 2009 and July 2010. We have studied the He II 5412 Å line region, which contains also the C IV 5469 Å line (for WR 135 only). Our goals were to investigate the rapid line‐profile variability (LPV) in WR star spectra and to search for magnetic fields. We find small amplitude emission peaks moving from the center of He II line to its wings during the night in spectra of both stars. These emission peaks are likely a signature of accelerating clumps in the stellar wind. We obtained upper limits of the magnetic field strength: ≈200 G for WR 135 and ≈50 G for WR 136 (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)