Jj. Birriel et al., Near-simultaneous observations of direct and Raman-scattered lines in the symbiotic star Z andromedae, ASTROPHYS J, 507(1), 1998, pp. L75-L78
Symbiotic binary stars typically consist of a hot compact star orbiting a c
ool giant. Overlaid on the continuum from these stars is a nebular spectrum
produced by the photoionization of the cool star wind by the hot star. Mos
t of the observed emission lines are readily identifiable with common ions;
however, a pair of lines at lambda lambda 6825 and 7082 remained unidentif
ied until relatively recently. A case has been made that these long-unident
ified emission lines result from the Raman scattering of O VI lambda lambda
1032, 1038 resonance photons. We present near-simultaneous far-UV and opti
cal observations of the symbiotic star Z Andromedae, obtained with the spac
eborne Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope and the Mount Hopkins 1.5 m telescope.
Our data show the presence of both the O VI lambda lambda 1032, 1038 reson
ance doublet and the lambda 6825 and lambda 7082 emission lines and provide
strong evidence for the Raman effect in Z And. We show that the unusual li
ne ratio of 7:1 observed for the O VI lines is due to the effects of inters
tellar H-2 absorption. Correction for this effect results in a line ratio o
f close to 2:1, consistent with optically thin emission. We derive the effi
ciency for the Raman-scattered O VI lines and compare them with previously
reported measurements for RR Telescopii.