Accretion Envelope Research Articles

Pulsating ultraluminous X-ray sources: modeling the thermal emission and polarization properties

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are enigmatic sources first discovered in the 1980s in external galaxies. They are characterized by their extraordinarily high X-ray luminosity, which often exceeds $10^ erg \; Our study aims to obtain more information about pulsating ULXs (PULXs), first of all, their viewing geometry, since it affects almost all the observables, such as the flux, the pulsed fraction, the polarization degree (PD), and polarization angle (PA). We present a simplified model, which primarily describes the thermal emission from an accreting, highly magnetized neutron star, simulating the contributions of an accretion disk and an accretion envelope surrounding the star magnetosphere, both described by a multicolor blackbody. Numerical calculations are used to determine the flux, PD, and PA of the emitted radiation, considering various viewing geometries. The model predictions are then compared to the observed spectra of two PULXs, M51 ULX-7 and NGC 7793 P13. We identified the best fitting geometries for these sources, obtaining values of the pulsed fraction and the temperature at the inner radius of the disk compatible with those obtained from previous works. We also found that measuring the polarization observables can give considerable additional information on the source.

Growth of Massive Disks and Early Disk Fragmentation in Primordial Star Formation

Abstract Recent high-resolution simulations demonstrate that disks around primordial protostars easily fragment in the accretion phase before protostars accrete less than a solar mass. To understand why gravitational instability generally causes fragmentation so early, we develop a one-dimensional (1D) nonsteady model of the circumstellar disk that takes the mass supply from an accretion envelope into account. We also compare the model results to a three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation performed with a code employing adaptive mesh refinement. Our model shows that the self-gravitating disk, through which the Toomre Q parameter is nearly constant at Q ∼ 1, gradually spreads as the disk is fed by the gas infalling from the envelope. We further find that the accretion rate onto the star is an order of magnitude smaller than the mass supply rate onto the disk. This discrepancy makes the disk more massive than the protostar in an early evolutionary stage. Most of the infalling gas is used to extend the outer part of the self-gravitating disk rather than transferred inward toward the star through the disk. We find that similar evolution also occurs in 3D simulations, where the disk becomes three times more massive than the star before the first fragmentation occurs. Our 1D disk model well explains the evolution of the disk-to-star mass ratio observed in the simulation. We argue that the formation of such a massive disk leads to early disk fragmentation.

On the detection of supermassive primordial stars – II. Blue supergiants

ABSTRACT Supermassive primordial stars in hot, atomically cooling haloes at z ∼ 15–20 may have given birth to the first quasars in the Universe. Most simulations of these rapidly accreting stars suggest that they are red, cool hypergiants, but more recent models indicate that some may have been bluer and hotter, with surface temperatures of 20 000–40 000 K. These stars have spectral features that are quite distinct from those of cooler stars and may have different detection limits in the near-infrared today. Here, we present spectra and AB magnitudes for hot, blue supermassive primordial stars calculated with the tlusty and cloudy codes. We find that photometric detections of these stars by the James Webb Space Telescope will be limited to z ≲ 10–12, lower redshifts than those at which red stars can be found, because of quenching by their accretion envelopes. With moderate gravitational lensing, Euclid and the Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope could detect blue supermassive stars out to similar redshifts in wide-field surveys.

Investigating ULX accretion flows and cyclotron resonance in NGC 300 ULX1

Aims. We investigate accretion models for the newly discovered pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 300 ULX1. Methods. We analyzed broadband XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of NGC 300 ULX1, performing phase-averaged and phase-resolved spectroscopy. Using the Bayesian framework, we compared two physically motivated models for the source spectrum: Non-thermal accretion column emission modeled by a power law with a high-energy exponential roll-off (AC model), and multicolor thermal emission from an optically thick accretion envelope plus a hard power-law tail (MCAE model). The AC model is an often used phenomenological model for the emission of X-ray pulsars, while the MCAE model has recently been proposed for the emission of the optically thick accretion envelope that is expected to form in ultraluminous (LX > 1039 erg s−1), highly magnetized accreting neutron stars. We combined the findings of our Bayesian analysis with qualitative physical considerations to evaluate the suitability of each model. Results. The low-energy part (< 2 keV) of the source spectrum is dominated by non-pulsating, multicolor thermal emission. The (pulsating) high-energy continuum is more ambiguous. If modeled with the AC model, a residual structure is detected that can be modeled using a broad Gaussian absorption line centered at ∼12 keV. However, the same residuals can be successfully modeled using the MCAE model, without the need for the absorption-like feature. Model comparison using the Bayesian approach strongly indicates that the MCAE model without the absorption line is the preferred model. Conclusions. The spectro-temporal characteristics of NGC 300 ULX1 are consistent with previously reported traits for X-ray pulsars and (pulsating) ULXs. All models considered strongly indicate the presence of an accretion disk that is truncated at a large distance from the central object, as has recently been suggested for a large portion of both pulsating and non-pulsating ULXs. The hard, pulsed emission is not described by a smooth spectral continuum. If modeled by a broad Gaussian absorption line, the fit residuals can be interpreted as a cyclotron scattering feature (CRSF) compatible with a ∼1012 G magnetic field. However, the MCAE model can successfully describe the spectral and temporal characteristics of the source emission, without the need for an additional absorption feature, and it yields physically meaningful parameter values. Therefore strong doubts are cast on the presence of a CRSF in NGC 300 ULX1.

On the Detection of Supermassive Primordial Stars

Abstract The collapse of supermassive primordial stars in hot, atomically cooled halos may have given birth to the first quasars at z ∼ 15–20. Recent numerical simulations of these rapidly accreting stars reveal that they are cool, red hypergiants shrouded by dense envelopes of pristine atomically cooled gas at 6000–8000 K, with luminosities L ≳ 1010 L ⊙. Could such luminous but cool objects be detected as the first stage of quasar formation in future near-infrared (NIR) surveys? We have now calculated the spectra of supermassive primordial stars in their birth envelopes with the Cloudy code. We find that some of these stars will be visible to the James Webb Space Telescope at z ≲ 20 and that with modest gravitational lensing, Euclid and the Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope could detect them out to z ∼ 10–12. Rather than obscuring the star, its accretion envelope enhances its visibility in the NIR today by reprocessing its short-wavelength flux into photons that are just redward of the Lyman limit in the rest frame of the star.

Upper stellar mass limit by radiative feedback at low-metallicities: metallicity and accretion rate dependence

We investigate the upper stellar mass limit set by radiative feedback by the forming star with various accretion rates and metallicities. To this end, we numerically solve the structures of both a protostar and its surrounding accretion envelope assuming a spherical symmetric and steady flow. The optical depth of the dust cocoon, a dusty part of the accretion envelope, differs among the direct light from the stellar photosphere and the diffuse light re-emitted as dust thermal emission. As a result, varying the metallicity qualitatively changes the way that the radiative feedback suppresses the accretion flow. With a fixed accretion rate of $10^{-3}M_{\odot} {\rm yr^{-1}}$, the both direct and diffuse lights jointly operate to prevent the mass accretion at $Z \gtrsim 10^{-1}Z_{\odot}$. At $Z \lesssim 10^{-1}Z_{\odot}$, the diffuse light is no longer effective, and the direct light solely limits the mass accretion. At $Z \lesssim 10^{-3}Z_{\odot}$, the HII region formation plays an important role in terminating the accretion. The resultant upper mass limit increases with decreasing metallicity, from a few $\times~10~M_\odot$ to $\sim 10^3~M_\odot$ over $Z = 1Z_{\odot} - 10^{-4}~Z_\odot$. We also illustrate how the radiation spectrum of massive star-forming cores changes with decreasing metallicity. First, the peak wavelength of the spectrum, which is located around $30 \mu {\rm m}$ at $1Z_{\odot}$, shifts to $< 3 \mu {\rm m}$ at $Z \lesssim 0.1 Z_\odot$. Second, a characteristic feature at $10 \mu \rm{m}$ due to the amorphous silicate band appears as a dip at $1Z_{\odot}$, but changes to a bump at $Z \lesssim 0.1 Z_{\odot}$. Using these spectral signatures, we can search massive accreting protostars in nearby low-metallicity environments with up-coming observations.

Optically thick envelopes around ULXs powered by accreating neutron stars

Magnetized neutron stars power at least some ultra-luminous X-ray sources. The accretion flow in these cases is interrupted at the magnetospheric radius and then reaches the surface of a neutron star following magnetic field lines. Accreting matter moving along magnetic field lines forms the accretion envelope around the central object. We show that, in case of high mass accretion rates $\gtrsim 10^{19}\,{\rm g\,s^{-1}}$ the envelope becomes closed and optically thick, which influences the dynamics of the accretion flow and the observational manifestation of the neutron star hidden behind the envelope. Particularly, the optically thick accretion envelope results in a multi-color black-body spectrum originating from the magnetospheric surface. The spectrum and photon energy flux vary with the viewing angle, which gives rise to pulsations characterized by high pulsed fraction and typically smooth pulse profiles. The reprocessing of radiation due to interaction with the envelope leads to the disappearance of cyclotron scattering features from the spectrum. We speculate that the super-orbital variability of ultra-luminous X-ray sources powered by accreting neutron stars can be attributed to precession of the neutron star due to interaction of magnetic dipole with the accretion disc.

HYPERCRITICAL ACCRETION ONTO A NEWBORN NEUTRON STAR AND MAGNETIC FIELD SUBMERGENCE

We present magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulations of the late post-supernova hypercritical accretion to understand its effect on the magnetic field of the new-born neutron star. We consider as an example the case of a magnetic field loop protruding from the star's surface. The accreting matter is assumed to be non magnetized and, due to the high accretion rate, matter pressure dominates over magnetic pressure. We find that an accretion envelope develops very rapidly and once it becomes convectively stable the magnetic field is easily buried and pushed into the newly forming neutron star crust. However, for low enough accretion rates the accretion envelope remains convective for an extended period of time and only partial submergence of the magnetic field occurs due to a residual field that is maintained at the interface between the forming crust and the convective envelope. In this latter case, the outcome should be a weakly magnetized neutron star with a likely complicated field geometry. In our simulations we find the transition from total to partial submergence to occur around dotM ~ 10 M_sun/yr. Back-diffusion of the submerged magnetic field toward the surface, and the resulting growth of the dipolar component, may result in a delayed switch-on of a pulsar on time-scales of centuries to millenia.

A natural formation scenario for misaligned and short-period eccentric extrasolar planets

Recent discoveries of strongly misaligned transiting exoplanets pose a challenge to the established planet formation theory which assumes planetary systems to form and evolve in isolation. However, the fact that the majority of stars actually do form in star clusters raises the question how isolated forming planetary systems really are. Besides radiative and tidal forces the presence of dense gas aggregates in star-forming regions are potential sources for perturbations to protoplanetary discs or systems. Here we show that subsequent capture of gas from large extended accretion envelopes onto a passing star with a typical circumstellar disc can tilt the disc plane to retrograde orientation, naturally explaining the formation of strongly inclined planetary systems. Furthermore, the inner disc regions may become denser, and thus more prone to speedy coagulation and planet formation. Pre-existing planetary systems are compressed by gas inflows leading to a natural occurrence of close-in misaligned hot Jupiters and short-period eccentric planets. The likelihood of such events mainly depends on the gas content of the cluster and is thus expected to be highest in the youngest star clusters.

Donald Charles Backer

Donald Charles Backer

10.1007/s11444-008-1005-2

Three-dimensional numerical hydrodynamical modeling of a radiative wind and accretion disk in a close binary system with a compact object is carried out, using the massive X-ray binary LMC X-3 as an example. This system contains a precessing disk, and may have relativistic jets. These computations show that an accretion disk with a radius of about 0.20 (in units of the component separation) forms from the radiative wind from the donor when the action of the wind on the central source is taken into account, when the accretion rate is equal to the observed value (about 3.0 × 10−8 M ⊙/year, which corresponds to the case when the donor overflows its Roche lobe by nearly 1%). It is assumed that the speed of the donor wind at infinity is about 2200 km/s. The disk that forms is geometrically thick and nearly cylindrical in shape, with a low-density tunnel at its center extending from the accretor through the disk along the rotational axis. We have also modeled a flare in the disk due to short-term variations in the supply of material through the Lagrange point L1, whose brightnesses and durations are able to explain flares in cataclysmic variables and X-ray binaries. The accretion disk is not formed when the donor underfills its Roche lobe by 0.5%, which corresponds to an accretion rate onto the compact object of 2.0 × 10−9 M ⊙/year. In place of a disk, an accretion envelope with a radius of about 0.03 forms, within which gas moves along very steep spiral trajectories before falling onto the compact object. As in the accretion-disk case, a tunnel forms along the rotational axis of the accretion envelope; a shock forms behind the accretor, where flares occur in a compact region a small distance from the accretor at a rate of about six flares per orbital period, with amplitudes of about 10 m or more. The flare durations are two to four minutes, and the energies of individual particles at the flare maximum are about 100–150 keV. These flares appear to be analogous to the flares observed in gamma-ray and X-ray burst sources. We accordingly propose a model in which these phenomena are associated with massive, close X-ray binary systems with component-mass ratios exceeding unity, in which the donor does not fill its Roche lobe. Although no accretion disk forms around the compact object, an accretion region develops near the accretor, where the gamma-ray and X-ray flares occur.

Temperature distribution in the solar nebula at successive stages of its evolution

We have constructed a model of the solar nebula that allows for the temperature and pressure distributions at various stages of its evolution to be calculated. The mass flux from the accretion envelope to the disk and from the disk to the Sun, the turbulent viscosity parameter α, the opacity of the disk material, and the initial angular momentum of the protosun are the input model parameters that are varied. We also take into account the changes in the luminosity and radius of the young Sun. The input model parameters are based mostly on data obtained from observations of young solar-type stars with disks. To correct the input parameters, we use the mass and chemical composition of Jupiter, as well as models of its internal structure and formation that allow constraints to be imposed on the temperature and surface density of the protoplanetary disk in Jupiter’s formation zone. Given the derived constraints on the input parameters, we have calculated models of the solar nebula at successive stages of its evolution: the formation inside the accretion envelope, the evolution around the young Sun going through the T Tauri stage, and the formation and compaction of a thin dust layer (subdisk) in the disk midplane. We have found the following evolutionary trend: an increase in the temperature of the disk at the stage of its formation, cooling at the T Tauri stage, and the subsequent internal heating of the dust subdisk by turbulence dissipation that causes a temperature rise in the formation zone of the terrestrial planets at the high subdisk density and the opacity in this zone. We have obtained the probable ranges of temperatures in the disk midplane, i.e., the temperatures of the protoplanetary material in the formation region of the terrestrial planets at the initial stage of their formation.

The Formation of the First Stars. II. Radiative Feedback Processes and Implications for the Initial Mass Function

We consider the radiative feedback processes that operate during the formation of the first stars, including the photodissociation of H_2, Ly-alpha radiation pressure, formation and expansion of an HII region, and disk photoevaporation. These processes may inhibit continued accretion once the stellar mass has reached a critical value, and we evaluate this mass separately for each process. Photodissociation of H_2 in the local dark matter minihalo occurs relatively early in the growth of the protostar, but we argue this does not affect subsequent accretion since by this time the depth of the potential is large enough for accretion to be mediated by atomic cooling. However, neighboring starless minihalos can be affected. Ionization creates an HII region in the infalling envelope above and below the accretion disk. Ly-alpha radiation pressure acting at the boundary of the HII region is effective at reversing infall from narrow polar directions when the star reaches ~20-30Msun, but cannot prevent infall from other directions. Expansion of the HII region beyond the gravitational escape radius for ionized gas occurs at masses ~50-100Msun, depending on the accretion rate and angular momentum of the inflow. However, again, accretion from the equatorial regions can continue since the neutral accretion disk has a finite thickness and shields a substantial fraction of the accretion envelope from direct ionizing flux. At higher stellar masses, ~140Msun in the fiducial case, the combination of declining accretion rates and increasing photoevaporation-driven mass loss from the disk act to effectively halt the increase in the protostellar mass. We identify this process as the mechanism that terminates the growth of Population III stars... (abridged)

Formation of a radiative wind and accretion disk in microquasars. Generation of flare activity in the disk due to an increase in the supply of material to the Lagrange point L1. The system LMC X-3

Three-dimensional numerical hydrodynamical modeling of a radiative wind and accretion disk in a close binary system with a compact object is carried out, using the massive X-ray binary LMC X-3 as an example. This system contains a precessing disk, and may have relativistic jets. These computations show that an accretion disk with a radius of about 0.20 (in units of the component separation) forms from the radiative wind from the donor when the action of the wind on the central source is taken into account, when the accretion rate is equal to the observed value (about 3.0 × 10−8 M ⊙/year, which corresponds to the case when the donor overflows its Roche lobe by nearly 1%). It is assumed that the speed of the donor wind at infinity is about 2200 km/s. The disk that forms is geometrically thick and nearly cylindrical in shape, with a low-density tunnel at its center extending from the accretor through the disk along the rotational axis. We have also modeled a flare in the disk due to short-term variations in the supply of material through the Lagrange point L1, whose brightnesses and durations are able to explain flares in cataclysmic variables and X-ray binaries. The accretion disk is not formed when the donor underfills its Roche lobe by 0.5%, which corresponds to an accretion rate onto the compact object of 2.0 × 10−9 M ⊙/year. In place of a disk, an accretion envelope with a radius of about 0.03 forms, within which gas moves along very steep spiral trajectories before falling onto the compact object. As in the accretion-disk case, a tunnel forms along the rotational axis of the accretion envelope; a shock forms behind the accretor, where flares occur in a compact region a small distance from the accretor at a rate of about six flares per orbital period, with amplitudes of about 10 m or more. The flare durations are two to four minutes, and the energies of individual particles at the flare maximum are about 100–150 keV. These flares appear to be analogous to the flares observed in gamma-ray and X-ray burst sources. We accordingly propose a model in which these phenomena are associated with massive, close X-ray binary systems with component-mass ratios exceeding unity, in which the donor does not fill its Roche lobe. Although no accretion disk forms around the compact object, an accretion region develops near the accretor, where the gamma-ray and X-ray flares occur.

The specific features of the evolution of the viscous protoplanetary circumsolar disk

The problem of angular-momentum and mass transport in the disk is discussed and the disk viscosity is estimated. The evolution of the gas-dust protoplanetary disk at the stage of its formation inside the protostellar (protosolar) accretion envelope is considered. The conditions for the radial growth of the disk are estimated. For the subsequent period, when the central star (young Sun) is in the T Tauri phase, the temporal variations of the radius, mass, and the surface density of the disk, as well as the total mass flux from the disk onto the star (Sun), i.e., the mass accretion rate, are evaluated. The constraints on the initial value of the angular momentum of the protoplanetary circumsolar disk (that is, on the angular momentum of the protosolar cloud) are discussed with due regard for cosmochemical data.

On the origin of brown dwarfs and free-floating planetary-mass objects

Briceno et al. report a significantly smaller number of brown dwarfs (BDs) per star in the Taurus-Auriga (TA) pre-main sequence stellar groups than in the central region of the Orion Nebula cluster (ONC). Also, BDs have binary properties that are not compatible with a star-like formation history. It is shown here that these results can be understood if BDs are produced as ejected embryos with a dispersion of ejection velocities of about 2 km/s and if the number of ejected embryos is about one per four stars born in TA and ONC. The Briceno et al. observation is thus compatible with a universal BD production mechanism and a universal IMF, but the required number of BDs per star is much too small to account for the one BD per star deduced to be present in the Galactic field. There are two other mechanisms for producing BDs and free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFLOPs), namely the removal of accretion envelopes from low-mass proto-stars through photo-evaporation through nearby massive stars, and hyperbolic collisions between proto-stars in dense clusters. The third BD flavour, the collisional BDs, can be neglected in the ONC. It is shown that the observed IMF with a flattening near 0.5 M⊙ can be re-produced via photo-evaporation of proto-stars if they are distributed according to a featureless Salpeter MF above the sub-stellar mass limit, and that the photo-evaporated BDs should have a smaller velocity dispersion than the stars. The number of photo-evaporated BDs per star should increase with cluster mass, peaking in globular clusters that would have contained many stars as massive as 150 M⊙. The required number of embryo-ejected BDs in TA and the ONC can be as low as 6 ejected BDs per 100 stars if the central ONC contains 0.23 photo-evaporated BDs per star. Alternatively, if the assumption is discarded that embryo ejection must operate equally in all environments, then it can be argued that TA produced about one ejected BD per star leading to consistency with the Galacticfield observations. The dispersion of ejection velocities would be about 3 km/s. In the central ONC the number of ejected BDs per star would then be at most 0.37, or less if photo-evaporated BDs contribute. This non-universal scenario would thus imply that the Galactic-field BD population may mostly stem from TA-like star formation or modest clusters, the ONC not being able to contribute more than about 0.25± 0.04 BDs per star.

Linear stability analysis of spherical accretion flows onto compact objects

The steady state structure and linear stability of spherical accretion flows onto compact objects are investigated over a wide range of accretion rates (ARs) for a variety of cooling functions as a function of the ratio of specific heats (gamma). Both radial and nonradial shock perturbations are considered. The flows become more extended as AR decreases. The cooling function has a significant effect on the extended structure of settling solutions with gamma = 5/3. In contrast, the extended structure of settling solutions with gamma = 4/3 is nearly independent of the form of the cooling function. For both gamma = 4.3 and gamma = 5.3, radial shock oscillation in the fundamental and first overtone modes are destabilized in spherically extended accretion envelopes. The application of these results to postsupernova neutron star accretion flows and to luminosity oscillations in AM Her objects are discussed.

Steady spherical hypercritical accretion onto neutron stars

view Abstract Citations (116) References (32) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Steady Spherical Hypercritical Accretion onto Neutron Stars Houck, John C. ; Chevalier, Roger A. Abstract The present study of hypercritical accretion flows onto neutron stars considers steady-state, spherically symmetric flows whose accretion rate range is characterized by the carrying away of gravitational-accretion energy by neutrinos. The models used encompass pair production, radiation diffusion, and general relativistic effects. While pair pressure dominates throughout the accretion envelope when accretion rates above about 100 solar masses/yr, radiation diffusion becomes important when the accretion rate falls below about 0.001 solar masses/yr. At the lower accretion rates, free fall toward the neutron-star surface stops and an extended, quasi-static, radiation pressure-supported envelope emerges which is probably dynamically unstable. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: July 1991 DOI: 10.1086/170272 Bibcode: 1991ApJ...376..234H Keywords: Mass Transfer; Neutron Stars; Stellar Envelopes; Stellar Mass Accretion; Supernovae; Ionization; Mass Flow; Pair Production; Relativistic Effects; Steady State; Astrophysics; STARS: ACCRETION; STARS: NEUTRON; STARS: SUPERNOVAE full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)

The Ground State Hydroxyl Masers Associated with OH 340.78–0.10

The dynamics of the molecular envelopes surrounding ultracompact H II regions has been the subject of much debate. Since the envelopes often exhibit molecular line emission, line observations have been the primary method of probing these circumstellar shells. The existence of expansive motions in the molecular clouds surrounding massive newly formed stars has been firmly established. Proper motion studies of galactic water masers indicate general expansion, whereas high resolution CO studies often show collimated bipolar outflows centered on continuum H II regions. Maps of the OH maser emission, often associated with these regions, show the masers scattered, apparently randomly, in both position and velocity across an area a few arcseconds in size. Typical velocity ranges for the associated OH maser emission are on the order of 10 km s−1. A number of models of the dynamical and physical conditions of the masing envelope have been developed to explain the properties of specific regions, e.g., collapsing remnant accretion envelopes, rotating disks or tori of neutral material, and expanding shells of shocked material. There is evidence from comparing the velocities of the OH masers to that of recombination lines associated with the underlying H II regions that in most sources the OH masers are formed in material still accreting toward the central object (Garay et al., 1985) (however see Welch and Marr, 1986). Mirabel et al., 1986, have reported the detection of (thermal and subthermal) high velocity OH outflow in several regions of star formation, demonstrating that OH molecules, at least in some instances, are also involved in collimated flows from central stellar objects.

Evolution of the optical spectrum of HM Sagittae: 1977-1982

view Abstract Citations (33) References (48) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Evolution of the optical spectrum of HM Sagittae : 1977-1982. Stauffer, J. R. Abstract High-resolution spectra have been obtained for HM Sge and V1016 Cygni, two prominent members of the RR Tel family of symbiotic stars. Gaussian fits were made to the emission lines present in those spectra in order to attempt a kinemaic separation of the different line-emitting regions expected in those stars. The dominant emission lines are attributed to an expanding, biconical shell created by the interaction of a high-velocity wind from the white dwarf with a preexisting, low velocity wind from the cool star. Twenty eight low-resolution spectra of HM Sge were obtained during the period 1977 June through 1982 June. Relative fluxes for emission lines in the 3800 - 8300 Å region have been derived from those spectra. Prior to 1979 August, the effective temperature of the hot star was less than 70,000K. By 1980 May, the temperature of the hot star had increased to 160,000K. A plausible model for the system is that the 1975 outburst of HM Sge resulted from a hydrogen flash in the accretion envelope of the white dwarf. The 1979 transition occurred when the wind from the white dwarf completed removal of that envelope, exposing the hotter core of the white dwarf. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: May 1984 DOI: 10.1086/162043 Bibcode: 1984ApJ...280..695S Keywords: Companion Stars; High Resolution; Red Giant Stars; Stellar Spectra; Visible Spectrum; White Dwarf Stars; Astronomical Catalogs; Emission Spectra; Line Spectra; Radiant Flux Density; Spectral Line Width; Stellar Envelopes; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Models; Stellar Winds; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (2)