Hubble Space Telescope STIS spectroscopy of VW Hydri during early quiescence following a superoutburst

Abstract

Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) observations of VW Hydri 2 and 7 days after the end of a superoutburst reveal a heated white dwarf with deep broad Ly alpha, narrow metallic absorption features and evidence of a hotter Keplerian-broadened component. We confirm the existence of enhanced abundances of odd-numbered nuclear species P, Mn, and Al as well as an N/C ratio indicative of CNO H-burning thermonuclear processing. Our best single-temperature white dwarf reduced chi (2) fit to the first spectrum reveals (1) a DAZQ white dwarf with T-eff = 22,500 +/- 500 K, log g = 8.0, and photospheric abundances C = 0.3 solar, N = 3.0 solar, O = 3.0 solar, Si = 0.3 solar, Al = 2 solar, Fe = 0.5 solar, Mg = 3.0 solar, Mn = 50 solar, Ni = 0.3 solar, P = 15 solar, and Ti = 0.1 solar. The best-fit white dwarf + accretion belt composite model yields a large improvement in the reduced chi (2) value. The accretion belt temperature is 32,000 K and covers a fractional area of 3%, contributing 11% of the flux. The second spectrum 5 days later reveals slightly increased metal abundances except that P is elevated to 20 times solar while Fe has declined to 0.05 times solar. The white dwarf has cooled by approximate to 1000 K, the belt temperature is 32,000 K, and the fractional area and flux contribution of the belt are 5% and 20%, respectively. These STIS observations confirm that a past (prehistoric?) thermonuclear runaway has occurred on the white dwarf in VW Hyi. It is expected that the thermonuclear runaway would be strong enough to produce a nova outburst. Therefore, these two classes of close binaries, namely, dwarf novae and classical novae, are linked and can overlap.