Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Research Articles

The outflowing ionised gas of I Zw 1 observed by HST COS

Aims. We present an analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectrum of I Zw 1 aiming to probe the absorbing medium associated with the active galactic nucleus (AGN). Methods. We fitted the emission spectrum and performed spectral analysis of the identified absorption features to derive the corresponding ionic column densities and covering fractions of the associated outflows. We employed photoionisation modelling to constrain the total column density and the ionisation parameter of four detected kinematic components. By investigating the implications of the results together with the observed kinematic properties of both emission and absorption features, we derived constraints on the structure and geometry of the absorbing medium in the AGN environment. Results. We find and characterise absorption line systems from outflowing ionised gas in four distinct kinematic components, located at −60, −280, −1950, and −2900 km s−1 with respect to the source rest frame. While the two slower outflows are consistent with a full covering of the underlying radiation source, the well-constrained doublet line ratios of the faster two, higher column density, outflows suggest partial covering, with a covering fraction of Cf ∼ 0.4. The faster outflows show also line-locking in the N V doublet, a signature of acceleration via line absorption. This makes I Zw 1 possibly the closest object that shows evidence for hosting line-driven winds. The observed −1950 km s−1 absorption is likely due to the same gas as an X-ray warm absorber. Furthermore, the behaviour in UV and X-ray bands implies that this outflow has a clumpy structure. We find that the highly asymmetric broad emission lines in I Zw 1, indicative of a collimated, outflowing broad line region, are covered by the absorbing gas. Finally, the strongest UV–X-ray absorber may be connected to some of the blueshifted line emission, indicative of a more spatially extended structure of this ionised medium.

Boron Abundances in Early B Dwarfs of the Galactic Open Cluster NGC 3293* * Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with proposal GO-14673.

New boron abundances or upper limits have been determined for eight early B stars in the young Galactic open cluster NGC 3293, using UV spectra obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. With previous observations, there are now 18 early B stars in this cluster with boron measurements. Six of the newly observed stars have projected rotational velocities greater than 200 km s−1, allowing new constraints on rotationally driven mixing in main-sequence stars. When comparing to synthetic model populations, we find that the majority of our sample stars agree well with the predicted trends of stronger boron depletion for larger rotation and for larger mass or luminosity. Based on those, a smaller than the canonical rotational mixing efficiency (f c ≈ 0.0165 versus the more standard value of 0.033) appears to be favored. In addition, the five mostly slowly rotating stars, when considered as a group, tend to show more boron depletion than expected from rotational mixing, and we speculate that most or all of these originate from binary mergers.

Detection of Dust in High-velocity Cloud Complex C–Enriched Gas Accreting onto the Milky Way * * Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These observations are associated with program

We present the detection of dust depletion in Complex C, a massive, infalling, low-metallicity high-velocity cloud in the northern Galactic hemisphere that traces the ongoing accretion of gas onto the Milky Way. We analyze a very high signal-to-noise Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectrum of active galactic nucleus (AGN) Mrk 817 formed by coadding 165 individual exposures taken under the AGN STORM 2 program, allowing us to determine dust-depletion patterns in Complex C at unprecedented precision. By fitting Voigt components to the O i, S ii, N i, Si ii, Fe ii, and Al ii absorption and applying ionization corrections from customized Cloudy photoionization models, we find subsolar elemental abundance ratios of [Fe/S] = −0.42 ± 0.08, [Si/S] = −0.29 ± 0.05, and [Al/S] = −0.53 ± 0.08. These ratios indicate the depletion of Fe, Si, and Al into dust grains, since S is mostly undepleted. The detection of dust provides an important constraint on the origin of Complex C, as dust grains indicate the gas has been processed through galaxies, rather than being purely extragalactic. We also derive a low metallicity of Complex C of [S/H] = −0.51 ± 0.16 (≈31% solar), confirming earlier results from this sight line. We discuss origin models that could explain the presence of dust in Complex C, including Galactic fountain models, tidal stripping from the Magellanic Clouds or other satellite galaxies, and precipitation of coronal gas onto dust-bearing “seed” clouds.

WOCS 4540: Detailed Analysis of a very Long Orbital Period Blue Straggler

WOCS 4540 is the longest orbital period (P orb = 3030 days) blue straggler star (BSS)—white dwarf (WD) pair in the old open cluster NGC 188. It also contains one of the most luminous BSS in the cluster. Prior Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectroscopy measured a WD mass of 0.53 M ⊙, indicative of a carbon–oxygen WD and suggesting previous mass transfer from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star. Detailed modeling of the system evolution, including red giant branch phase wind mass transfer, AGB wind Roche-lobe overflow, and regular Roche-lobe overflow, is done with Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics. The best-fit model produces excellent agreement with a wide array of observational constraints on the BSS, the WD, and the binary system. To produce the observed luminosity and effective temperature of the BSS, all three donor mass-transfer mechanisms contribute similarly to build a 1.5 M ⊙ BSS. The overall mass-transfer efficiency is 55%. Regular Roche-lobe overflow occurs only during the largest AGB thermal pulse, but yields a very high accretion rate at 75% efficiency and briefly (less than 1 Myr) a very high luminosity boost from the accretor.

Transient obscuration event captured in NGC 3227

Context. A growing number of transient X-ray obscuration events in type I active galactic nuclei suggest that our line of sight to the central engine is not always free. Multiple X-ray obscuration events were reported in the nearby Seyfert 1.5 galaxy NGC 3227 from 2000 to 2016. In late 2019, another X-ray obscuration event was identified with Swift. Two coordinated target-of-opportunity observations with XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) were triggered in November and December 2019 to study this obscuration event. Aims. We aim to constrain the physical properties of the absorbing material (i.e., the obscurer) that caused the X-ray obscuration event in late 2019. We also aim to compare the handful of obscuration events in NGC 3227 and other Seyfert galaxies. Methods. For each observation, we analyzed the time-averaged X-ray spectra collected with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. We performed photoionization modeling with the SPEX code, which allows us to constrain the intrinsic continuum simultaneously with various photoionized absorption and emission components. Results. Similar to previous transient X-ray obscuration events in NGC 3227, the one caught in late 2019 is short-lived (less than five months). If the obscurer has only one photoionized component, the two X-ray observations in late 2019 cannot be explained by the same obscurer that responds to the varying ionizing continuum. Due to the unknown geometry of the obscurer, its number density and distance to the black hole cannot be well constrained. The inferred distance covers at least two orders of magnitude, from the broad-line region to the dusty torus. Unlike some other X-ray obscuration events in Seyfert galaxies, such as NGC 5548 and NGC 3783, no prominent blueshifted, broad absorption troughs were found in the 2019 HST/COS spectra of NGC 3227 when compared with archival UV spectra. This might be explained if the X-ray obscurer does not intercept our line of sight to (a significant portion of) the UV-emitting region. Understanding the variety of observational differences in the X-ray obscuration events observed so far is not straightforward. Future observations with high-quality data are needed to unveil the nature of the X-ray obscuration events.

The Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey. I. New, Diverse Local Lyman Continuum Emitters

The origins of Lyman continuum (LyC) photons responsible for the reionization of the universe are as of yet unknown and highly contested. Detecting LyC photons from the Epoch of Reionization is not possible due to absorption by the intergalactic medium, which has prompted the development of several indirect diagnostics to infer the rate at which galaxies contribute LyC photons to reionize the universe by studying lower-redshift analogs. We present the Low-redshift Lyman Continuum Survey (LzLCS) comprising measurements made with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph for a z = 0.2–0.4 sample of 66 galaxies. After careful processing of the far-UV spectra, we obtain a total of 35 Lyman continuum emitters (LCEs) detected with 97.725% confidence, nearly tripling the number of known local LCEs. We estimate escape fractions from the detected LyC flux and upper limits on the undetected LyC flux, finding a range of LyC escape fractions up to 50%. Of the 35 LzLCS LCEs, 12 have LyC escape fractions greater than 5%, more than doubling the number of known local LCEs with cosmologically relevant LyC escape.

Damped Lyα Absorbers in Star-forming Galaxies at z < 0.15 Detected with the Hubble Space Telescope and Implications for Galactic Evolution

We report Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectroscopy of 10 quasars with foreground star-forming galaxies at 0.02 < z < 0.14 within impact parameters of ∼1–7 kpc. We detect damped/sub-damped Lyα (DLA/sub-DLA) absorption in 100% of cases where no higher-redshift Lyman-limit systems extinguish the flux at the expected wavelength of Lyα absorption, obtaining the largest targeted sample of DLA/sub-DLAs in low-redshift galaxies. We present absorption measurements of neutral hydrogen and metals. Additionally, we present Green Bank Telescope 21 cm emission measurements for five of the galaxies (including two detections). Combining our sample with the literature, we construct a sample of 117 galaxies associated with DLA/sub-DLAs spanning 0 < z < 4.4, and examine trends between gas and stellar properties, and with redshift. The H i column density is anticorrelated with impact parameter and stellar mass. More massive galaxies appear to have gas-rich regions out to larger distances. The specific star formation rate (sSFR) of absorbing galaxies increases with redshift and decreases with M*, consistent with evolution of the star formation main sequence (SFMS). However, ∼20% of absorbing galaxies lie below the SFMS, indicating that some DLA/sub-DLAs trace galaxies with longer-than-typical gas-depletion timescales. Most DLA/sub-DLA galaxies with 21 cm emission have higher H i masses than typical galaxies with comparable M*. High M HI/M* ratios and high sSFRs in DLA/sub-DLA galaxies with M* < 109 M ⊙ suggest these galaxies may be gas-rich because of recent gas accretion rather than inefficient star formation. Our study demonstrates the power of absorption and emission studies of DLA/sub-DLA galaxies for extending galactic evolution studies to previously under-explored regimes of low M* and low SFR.

Galactic Winds across the Gas-rich Merger Sequence. I. Highly Ionized N v and O vi Outflows in the QUEST Quasars*

Abstract This program is part of QUEST (Quasar/ULIRG Evolutionary Study) and seeks to examine the gaseous environments of z ≲ 0.3 quasars and ULIRGs as a function of host galaxy properties and age across the merger sequence from ULIRGs to quasars. This first paper in the series focuses on 33 quasars from the QUEST sample and on the kinematics of the highly ionized gas phase traced by the N v λ λ 1238,1243 and O vi λ λ 1032,1038 absorption lines in high-quality Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) data. N v and O vi outflows are present in about 60% of the QUEST quasars and span a broad range of properties, both in terms of equivalent widths (from 20 mÅ to 25 Å) and kinematics (outflow velocities from a few×100 km s−1 up to ∼10,000 km s−1). The rate of incidence and equivalent widths of the highly ionized outflows are higher among X-ray weak or absorbed sources. The weighted outflow velocity dispersions are highest among the X-ray weakest sources. No significant trends are found between the weighted outflow velocities and the properties of the quasars and host galaxies, although this may be due to the limited dynamic range of properties of the current sample. These results will be re-examined in an upcoming paper where the sample is expanded to include the QUEST ULIRGs. Finally, a lower limit of ∼0.1% on the ratio of time-averaged kinetic power to bolometric luminosity is estimated in the 2–4 objects with blueshifted P v λ λ 1117,1128 absorption features.

UV Fluorescence Traces Gas and Lyα Evolution in Protoplanetary Disks

Abstract Ultraviolet spectra of protoplanetary disks trace distributions of warm gas at radii where rocky planets form. We combine Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph observations of H2 and CO emission from 12 classical T Tauri stars to more extensively map inner disk surface layers, where gas temperature distributions allow radially stratified fluorescence from the two species. We calculate empirical emitting radii for each species under the assumption that the line widths are entirely set by Keplerian broadening, demonstrating that the CO fluorescence originates further from the stars r ∼ 20 au than the H2 r ∼ 0.8 au . This is supported by 2D radiative transfer models, which show that the peak and outer radii of the CO flux distributions generally extend further into the outer disk than the H2. These results also indicate that additional sources of Lyα photons remain unaccounted for, requiring more complex models to fully reproduce the molecular gas emission. As a first step, we confirm that the morphologies of the UV–CO bands and Lyα radiation fields are significantly correlated and discover that both trace the degree of dust disk evolution. The UV tracers appear to follow the same sequence of disk evolution as forbidden line emission from jets and winds, as the observed Lyα profiles transition between dominant red wing and dominant blue wing shapes when the high-velocity optical emission disappears. Our results suggest a scenario where UV radiation fields, disk winds and jets, and molecular gas evolve in harmony with the dust disks throughout their lifetimes.

The Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey (CUBS) – IV. The complex multiphase circumgalactic medium as revealed by partial Lyman limit systems

ABSTRACT We present a detailed study of two partial Lyman limit systems (pLLSs) of neutral hydrogen column density $N_\mathrm{H\, I}\approx (1-3)\times 10^{16}\, \mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ discovered at $z$ = 0.5 in the Cosmic Ultraviolet Baryon Survey (CUBS). Available far-ultraviolet spectra from the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and optical echelle spectra from MIKE on the Magellan Telescopes enable a comprehensive ionization analysis of diffuse circumgalactic gas based on resolved kinematics and abundance ratios of atomic species spanning five different ionization stages. These data provide unambiguous evidence of kinematically aligned multiphase gas that masquerades as a single-phase structure and can only be resolved by simultaneous accounting of the full range of observed ionic species. Both systems are resolved into multiple components with inferred α-element abundance varying from [α/H] ≈−0.8 to near solar and densities spanning over two decades from log nH/cm−3 ≈ −2.2 to &amp;lt;−4.3. Available deep galaxy survey data from the CUBS program taken with VLT/MUSE, Magellan/LDSS3-C and Magellan/IMACS reveal that the $z$ = 0.47 system is located 55 kpc from a star-forming galaxy with prominent Balmer absorption of stellar mass ${{M_{\rm star}}}\approx 2\times 10^{10}\, {{M_{\odot}}}$, while the $z$ = 0.54 system resides in an overdense environment of 11 galaxies within 750 kpc in projected distance, with the most massive being a luminous red galaxy of ${{M_{\rm star}}}\approx 2\times 10^{11}\, {{M_{\odot}}}$ at 375 kpc. The study of these two pLLSs adds to an emerging picture of the complex, multiphase circumgalactic gas that varies in chemical abundances and density on small spatial scales in diverse galaxy environments. The inhomogeneous nature of metal enrichment and density revealed in observations must be taken into account in theoretical models of diffuse halo gas.

Transient obscuration event captured in NGC 3227

From Swift monitoring of a sample of active galactic nuclei (AGN) we found a transient X-ray obscuration event in Seyfert-1 galaxy NGC 3227, and thus triggered our joint XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations to study this event. Here in the first paper of our series we present the broadband continuum modelling of the spectral energy distribution for NGC 3227, extending from near infrared (NIR) to hard X-rays. We use our new spectra taken with XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and the HST Cosmic Origins Spectrograph in 2019, together with archival unobscured XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and HST Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph data, in order to disentangle various spectral components of NGC 3227 and recover the underlying continuum. We find the observed NIR-optical-UV continuum is explained well by an accretion disk blackbody component (Tmax = 10 eV), which is internally reddened by E(B − V) = 0.45 with a Small Magellanic Cloud extinction law. We derive the inner radius (12 Rg) and the accretion rate (0.1 M⊙ yr−1) of the disk by modelling the thermal disk emission. The internal reddening in NGC 3227 is most likely associated with outflows from the dusty AGN torus. In addition, an unreddened continuum component is also evident, which likely arises from scattered radiation, associated with the extended narrow-line region of NGC 3227. The extreme ultraviolet continuum, and the ‘soft X-ray excess’, can be explained with a ‘warm Comptonisation’ component. The hard X-rays are consistent with a power-law and a neutral reflection component. The intrinsic bolometric luminosity of the AGN in NGC 3227 is about 2.2 × 1043 erg s−1 in 2019, corresponding to 3% Eddington luminosity. Our continuum modelling of the new triggered data of NGC 3227 requires the presence of a new obscuring gas with column density NH = 5 × 1022 cm−2, partially covering the X-ray source (Cf = 0.6).

A CO-to-H2 Ratio of ≈10−5 toward the Herbig Ae Star HK Ori

Abstract Measurements of gas mass in protoplanetary gas disks form the basis for estimating the conditions of planet formation. Among the most important constraints derived from disk diagnostics are the abundances of gas-phase species critical for understanding disk chemistry. Toward this end, we present direct line-of-sight measurements of H2 and CO, employing UV absorption spectroscopy from Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph to characterize disk composition, molecular excitation temperatures, and spatial distribution in the circumstellar material around the Herbig Ae stars HK Ori and T Ori. We observe strong CO (N(CO) = 1015.5 cm−2; T rot(CO) = 19 K) and H2 (N(H2) = 1020.34 cm−2; T rot(H2) = 141 K) absorption toward HK Ori with a CO/H2 ratio of (≡N(CO)/N(H2)) = × 10−5. These measurements place direct empirical constraints on the CO-to-H2 conversion factor in the disk around a Herbig Ae star for the first time, although there is uncertainty concerning the exact viewing geometry of the disk. The spectra of T Ori show CO (N(CO) = 1014.9 cm−2; T rot(CO) = 124 K) absorption. Interestingly, we do not detect any H2 absorption toward this star (N(H2) &lt; 1015.9 cm−2). We discuss a potential scenario for the detection of CO without H2, which deserves further investigation. The low abundance ratio measured around HK Ori suggests significant depletion of CO in the circumstellar gas, which conforms with the handful of other recent CO abundance measurements in protoplanetary disks.

The Wolf–Rayet + Black Hole Binary NGC 300 X-1: What is the Mass of the Black Hole?

Abstract We present new X-ray and UV observations of the Wolf–Rayet + black hole (BH) binary system NGC 300 X-1 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. When combined with archival X-ray observations, our X-ray and UV observations sample the entire binary orbit, providing clues to the system geometry and interaction between the BH accretion disk and the donor star wind. We measure a binary orbital period of 32.7921 ± 0.0003 hr, in agreement with previous studies, and perform phase-resolved spectroscopy using the X-ray data. The X-ray light curve reveals a deep eclipse, consistent with inclination angles of i = 60°–75°, and a pre-eclipse excess consistent with an accretion stream impacting the disk edge. We further measure radial velocity variations for several prominent far-UV spectral lines, most notably H ii λ1640 and C iv λ1550. We find that the He ii emission lines systematically lag the expected Wolf–Rayet star orbital motion by a phase difference of Δϕ ∼ 0.3, while C iv λ1550 matches the phase of the anticipated radial velocity curve of the Wolf–Rayet donor. We assume the C iv λ1550 emission line follows a sinusoidal radial velocity curve (semi-amplitude = 250 km s−1) and infer a BH mass of 17 ± 4 M ⊙. Our observations are consistent with the presence of a wind-Roche lobe overflow accretion disk, where an accretion stream forms from gravitationally focused wind material and impacts the edge of the BH accretion disk.

FUV Observations of the Inner Coma of 46P/Wirtanen

Abstract Far-ultraviolet observations of comets yield information about the energetic processes that dissociate the sublimated gases from their primitive surfaces. Understanding which emission processes are dominant, their effects on the observed cometary spectrum, and how to properly invert the spectrum back to the composition of the presumably pristine surface ices of a comet nuclei are all critical components for proper interpretation and analysis of comets. The close approach of comet 46P/Wirtanen in 2018–2019 provided a unique opportunity to study the innermost parts of a cometary coma with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, rarely accessible with remote observations, at length scales (hundreds of kilometers) and wavelengths (900–1430 Å) previously probed only by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft. Our observations show a complex picture for the inner coma; atomic production rates for H and O that show water is the dominant source of both, an abundance of atomic sulfur that is difficult to explain with the lifetimes of common sulfur parent molecules, and a density distribution that is poorly fit with both Haser and vectorial models.

Ganymede's Far‐Ultraviolet Reflectance: Constraining Impurities in the Surface Ice

AbstractWe present reflectance spectra of Ganymede's leading and trailing hemispheres in the wavelength range 138–215 nm, obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (HST/COS) in 2014. The most notable feature of both spectra is the absence of a sharp water absorption edge at ~165 nm, seen in laboratory measurements of ice reflectivity and in previous observations of Saturn's icy moons and rings. Rather than displaying a sharp change in the reflectivity at the wavelength of the water ice absorption edge, Ganymede's reflectance gradually increases with wavelength at λ &gt; 165 nm. We show that the observed shape of Ganymede's UV reflectance is inconsistent with intimate mixture models of pure ice with UV‐dark materials including tholins, amorphous carbon, graphite, and silicates. However, we find that intraparticle models, in which a small proportion of a UV‐absorbing contaminant is trapped as inclusions within the ice matrix, are able to suppress the 165 nm feature at contaminant concentrations of &lt;1%. We show that models of ice with inclusions of silicates, Triton‐type tholin, or H2O2 are able to produce the observed gradual increase in reflectivity at λ &gt; 165 nm, but additional absorbing surface materials are required to produce a good fit to Ganymede's previously observed near‐UV and visible reflectance.

Absorption-line Abundances in the SMC-like Galaxy UGC 5282: Evidence of ISM Dilution from Inflows on Kiloparsec Scales*

Abstract We present a Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectrum of the QSO SDSS J095109.12+330745.8 ( ) whose sightline passes through the SMC-like dwarf galaxy UGC 5282 ( , cz = 1577 km s−1), 1.2 kpc in projection from the central H ii region of the galaxy. Damped Lyα (DLA) absorption is detected at the redshift of UGC 5282 with log [N(H i) cm . Analysis of the accompanying S ii, P ii, and O i metal lines yields a neutral gas metallicity, , of [S/H] ≃ [P/H] = −0.80 ± 0.24. The metallicity of ionized gas from the central H ii region measured from its emission lines is [O/H] = −0.37 ± 0.10, a difference of +0.43 ± 0.26 from . This difference δ is consistent with that seen toward H ii regions in other star-forming galaxies and supports the idea that ionized gas near star-forming regions shows systematically higher metallicities than exist in the rest of a galaxy’s neutral interstellar medium (ISM). The positive values of δ found in UGC 5282 (and the other star-forming galaxies) is likely due to infalling low-metallicity gas from the intergalactic medium that mixes with the galaxy’s ISM on kiloparsec scales. This model is also consistent with broad Lyα emission detected at the bottom of the DLA absorption, offset by ∼125 km s−1 from the absorption velocity. Models of galaxy evolution that attempt to replicate population characteristics, such as the mass–metallicity relation, may need to start with a galaxy metallicity represented by rather than that measured traditionally from .

H–He collision-induced satellite in the Lyman α profile of DBA white dwarf stars

ABSTRACT The spectra of helium-dominated white dwarf stars with hydrogen in their atmosphere present a distinctive broad feature centred around 1160 Å in the blue wing of the Lyman α line. It is extremely apparent in WD 1425+540 recently observed with Hubble Space Telescope(HST) Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). With new theoretical line profiles based on ab initio atomic interaction potentials we show that this feature is a signature of a collision-induced satellite due to an asymptotically forbidden transition. This quasi-molecular spectral satellite is crucial to understanding the asymmetrical shape of Lyman α seen in this and other white dwarf spectra. Our previous work predicting this absorption feature was limited by molecular potentials that were not adequate to follow the atomic interactions with spectroscopic precision to the asymptotic limit of large separation. A new set of potential energy curves and electronic dipole transition moments for the lowest electronic states of the H–He system were developed to account accurately for the behaviour of the atomic interactions at all distances, from the chemical regime within 1 Å out to where the radiating H atoms are not significantly perturbed by their neighbours. We use a general unified theory of collision-broadened atomic spectral lines to describe a rigorous treatment of hydrogen Lyman α with these potentials and present a new study of its broadening by radiative collisions of hydrogen and neutral helium. These results enable ab initio modelling of radiative transport in DBA white dwarf atmospheres.

HST/COS Spectra of the Wind Lines of VFTS 102 and 285

Abstract Rapid rotation in massive stars imposes a latitudinal variation in the mass loss from radiatively driven winds that can lead to enhanced mass loss at the poles (with little angular momentum loss) and/or equator (with maximal angular momentum loss). Here we present an examination of the stellar wind lines of the two O-type stars with the fastest known equatorial velocities, VFTS 102 ( km s−1; O9: Vnnne+) and VFTS 285 ( km s−1; O7.5 Vnnn) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Ultraviolet spectra of both stars were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. The spectrum of VFTS 285 displays a fast outflow in N v and a much slower wind in Si iv, and we argue that there is a two-wind regime in which mass loss is strong at the poles (fast and tenuous wind) but dominant at the equator (slow and dense winds). These ions and wind lines are not present in the spectrum of the cooler star VFTS 102, but the double-peaked Hα emission in its spectrum implies equatorial mass loss into a circumstellar disk. The results suggest that in the fastest rotating O-stars, most mass is lost as an equatorial outflow, promoting angular momentum loss that contributes to a spin-down over time.

The Pre-He White Dwarf in the Post-mass Transfer Binary EL CVn

Abstract EL CVn is the prototype of a class of eclipsing binaries that consist of an A- or F-type main-sequence star and a hot, low-mass, pre-He white dwarf (pre-He WD), the stripped down remains of the former mass donor. Here we present the first direct detection and characterization of the spectrum of the pre-He WD in EL CVn that was made possible through far-UV spectroscopy with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. These spectra straddle the wavelength range where flux dominance shifts from the pre-He WD to the A star. Radial velocities of both components were measured from the far-UV spectra and new optical spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Astrophysical Research Consortium Echelle Spectrograph. We also obtained fast cadence photometry of the eclipses with the pt5m telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. A combined analysis of the velocities and light curve yields the component masses and radii. We applied a Doppler tomography algorithm to reconstruct the individual spectra, and we compared these to models to estimate the effective temperatures. The pre-He WD has low mass (0.176 ± 0.004 M ⊙), is small (0.284 ± 0.003 R ⊙), and is relatively hot (11,800 ± 400 K), and these parameters are approximately consistent with predictions for a star stripped through stable mass transfer. The spectral lines of the pre-He WD show that its atmosphere is H-rich, He-depleted, and metal-poor, probably as the result of elemental diffusion that has occurred since mass transfer ceased.

On the emergence of thousands of absorption lines in the quasar PG 1411+442: a clumpy high-column density outflow from the broad emission-line region?

Abstract Quasar outflows are fundamental components of quasar environments that might play an important role in feedback to galaxy evolution. We report on the emergence of a remarkable new outflow absorption-line system in the quasar PG1411+442 (redshift ∼0.089) detected in the UV and visible with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph, respectively. This new ‘transient’ system contains thousands of lines, including Fe ii and Fe ii∗ from excited states up to 3.89 eV, H i∗ Balmer lines, Na i D λλ5890, 5896, and the first detection of He i∗ λ5876 in a quasar. The transient absorber is spatially inhomogeneous and compact, with sizes ≲0.003 pc, based on covering fractions on the quasar continuum source ranging from ∼0.45 in strong UV lines to ∼0.04 in Na i D. cloudy photoionization simulations show that large total column densities log NH(cm−2) ≳ 23.4 and an intense radiation field ≲0.4 pc from the quasar are needed to produce the observed lines in thick zones of both fully ionized and partially ionized gas. The densities are conservatively log nH(cm−3) ≳ 7 based on Fe ii∗, H i∗, and He i∗ but they might reach log nH(cm−3) ≳ 10 based on Na i D. The transient lines appear at roughly the same velocity shift, v ∼ −1900 km s−1, as a ‘mini-BAL’ outflow detected previously, but with narrower Doppler widths, b ∼ 100 km s−1, and larger column densities in more compact outflow structures. We propose that the transient lines identify a clumpy outflow from the broad emission-line region that, at its current speed and location, is still gravitationally bound to the central black hole.