Shock induced polarized hydrogen emission lines in omicron Ceti

Fabas, N.; Lèbre, A.; Gillet, D.
Bibliographical reference

SF2A-2010: Proceedings of the Annual meeting of the French Society of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Eds.: S. Boissier, M. Heydari-Malayeri, R. Samadi and D. Valls-Gabaud, p.249

Advertised on:
12
2010
Number of authors
3
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
We have performed a spectropolarimetric survey of the variable Mira star omicron Ceti along three pulsation cycles. We present those new data collected with the Narval instrument mounted on the Télescope Bernard Lyot in Pic du Midi, France. We have detected time variable polarimetric signatures (on QUV Stokes spectra) associated with Balmer hydrogen emission lines supposed to be formed behind the front of a shock wave propagating throughout the stellar atmosphere. We associate the linear polarization of Balmer emission lines in Mira stars to the presence and the structure of the radiative shock wave.