Eta Carinae and the changing winds: Detection of the Maryland blue(-shifted) Crab

Ted Gull

NASA Goddard

The massive, evolved binary, Eta Carinae, produces such massive, interacting winds that HST/STIS spatially and spectrally resolves forbidden emission structures of iron. Since the repair of STIS during the space shuttle mission, SM4, in May 2009, we have systematically mapped the evolving winds, along with X-ray monitoring with SWIFT and optical ground-based spectroscopy. The first observation, June 2009 caught the early recovery of the binary system soon after a periastron passage, when the FUV-bright secondary star plunges deeply within the extended winds of the primary. Since then we followed the reionization of fossil wind structures and the development of a new cavity being blown out of the slow, massive primary wind by the faster, less massive secondary wind. In parallel, our group is developing 3D hydro/radiative modeling of the phenomena to determine the ionization structures and ultimately to replicate the HST/STIS observations. By this process we are able to place estimates on the mass loss parameters and limits on changes since earlier studies with HST/STIS in 1998 to 2004.

Date:	Jeudi, le 6 novembre 2014
Heure:	11:30
Lieu:	Université de Montréal
	Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, local D-460
Contact:	Noel Richardson, Anthony Moffat