Strong [O III] and [N II] emission lines in globular clusters from photoionized R Corona Borealis star winds

Thomas J. Maccarone, Brian Warner

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13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The globular cluster X-ray source CXO J033831.8-352604 in NGC 1399 has recently been found to show strong emission lines of [O III] and [N II] in its optical spectrum in addition to ultraluminous X-ray emission with a soft X-ray spectrum. It was further suggested that this system contained an intermediate-mass black hole which had tidally disrupted a white dwarf, producing the strong emission lines without detectable hydrogen emission. We show that an alternative exists which can explain the data more naturally in which the oxygen-and nitrogen-rich material is ejected from an R Corona Borealis (RCB) star. The scenario we propose here does not require an intermediate-mass black hole as the accretor, but also does not exclude the possibility.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)L32-L36
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Volume410
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2011

Keywords

  • Stars: peculiar
  • Stars: winds, outflows
  • X-rays: individual: CXO J033831.8-352604

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