Colliding Stellar Winds in O-type Close Binary Systems

Abstract

In close binary systems of O-type stars, the individual stellar winds will collide between the stars to form shock fronts (Stevens et al. 1992). Binaries with equally luminous stars will have winds of comparable strength, and the shock will occur near the mid-plane between the stars, but in binaries of unequal luminosity, the interaction will occur along a bow shock wrapped around the star with the weaker wind. The presence of the shock region can be detected through excess X-ray emission (Chlebowski & Garmany 1990), and orbital phase-related variations in the UV P Cygni lines (Shore & Brown 1988) and optical emission lines (formed in high density regions of circumstellar gas).We have begun a search for colliding winds through a study of the optical emission lines and UV P Cygni lines in four massive binaries, AO Cas (Gies & Wiggs 1991), Plaskett’s star = HD 47129 (Wiggs & Gies 1992), 29 UW CMa and ι Ori. The optical observations consist of high S/N spectra of the Hα and He I λ6678 region obtained with the University of Texas McDonald Observatory 2.1-m telescope and coudé Reticon system. The UV observations were culled from archival IUE high dispersion spectra of several P Cygni features (N V λ1240, Si IV λ1400, C IV λ1550).