Velocity field of the stellar wind of the Wolf-Rayet star in the V 444 Cygbinary system: A parametric model

An analysis of the lambda 4244 Angstrom continuum light curve of the eclips ing variable V444 Cyg is used to reconstruct the velocity law v(r) of the s tellar wind of the WR star in terms of Lamers parametric and power-law mode ls. Both models are inconsistent with the observed light curve, and can be rejected at the < 2% significance level. Departures of the Lamers parametri c relation from the empirical v(r) law reconstructed in previous papers fro m the same <lambda> 4244 Angstrom light curve on sets of concave and convex o-concave functions are statistically significant. The stellar wind of the WN5 star continues to accelerate at a considerable distance from the star's center. This corresponds to an acceleration parameter beta > 1 in terms of a coarse Lamers-law approximation for the empirical v(r) field. (C) 2001 M AIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".