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The Asymmetrical Wind of the Candidate Luminous Blue Variable MWC 314

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 نشر من قبل John Wisniewski
 تاريخ النشر 2006
  مجال البحث فيزياء
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 تأليف J.P. Wisniewski




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We present the results of long-term spectropolarimetric and spectroscopic monitoring of MWC 314, a candidate Luminous Blue Variable star. We detect the first evidence of H$alpha$ variability in MWC 314, and find no apparent periodicity in this emission. The total R-band polarization is observed to vary between 2.21% and 3.00% at a position angle consistently around $sim0^{circ}$, indicating the presence of a time-variable intrinsic polarization component, hence an asymmetrical circumstellar envelope. We find suggestive evidence that MWC 314s intrinsic polarization exhibits a wavelength-independent magnitude varying between 0.09% and 0.58% at a wavelength-independent position angle covering all four quadrants of the Stokes Q-U plane. Electron scattering off of density clumps in MWC 314s wind is considered as the probable mechanism responsible for these variations.

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