On the accretion onto the white dwarfs in symbiotic binaries: A test with the Thomson scattering process

Abstract

AbstractWe tested the origin of the nebular radiation in the symbiotic star AG Dra, during different levels of its activity. We modeled the broad wings of the OVI 1032, 1038 Å resonance lines and HeII 1640 Å line by the Thomson scattering process, and determined the electron-scattering optical depth, τe, of the symbiotic nebula. The increase of τe during active phases results from an increase in the accretion rate onto the white dwarf.