A new interpretation of the remarkable X-ray spectrum of the symbiotic star CH Cyg

Peter J. Wheatley; Timothy R. Kallman

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10959.x

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arXiv · astro-ph/0608384

A new interpretation of the remarkable X-ray spectrum of the symbiotic star CH Cyg

Peter J. Wheatley·Timothy R. Kallman

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Abstract

We have reanalysed the ASCA X-ray spectrum of the bright symbiotic star CH Cyg, which exhibits apparently distinct hard and soft X-ray components. Our analysis demonstrates that the soft X-ray emission can be interpreted as scattering of the hard X-ray component in a photo-ionised medium surrounding the white dwarf. This is in contrast to previous analyses in which the soft X-ray emission was fitted separately and assumed to arise independently of the hard X-ray component. We note the striking similarity between the X-ray spectra of CH Cyg and Seyfert 2 galaxies, which are also believed to exhibit scattering in a photo-ionised medium.

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Peter J. Wheatley, Timothy R. Kallman. 2006-08-17. A new interpretation of the remarkable X-ray spectrum of the symbiotic star CH Cyg. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10959.x

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