Polarimetry and spectroscopy of the polar RX J1141.3-6410


Abstract in English

We present the first optical polarimetric measurements of RX J1141.3-6410 which confirm that star as a polar. The circular polarization varies between 0 and 13% with the orbital period. Halpha spectroscopy shows that this line is formed by, at least, two components: a broad and a narrow one. The phase of maximum redshift of the broad component is shifted by 0.5 with the phase of maximum circular polarization which is not usual for this class of stars. We suggest a geometrical configuration for the system which could explain the main features of the polarimetric and spectroscopic data.

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