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Long-term polarization observations of Mira variable stars suggest asymmetric structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Hilding R. Neilson ,
Richard Ignace  and
Gary D. Henson
Hilding R. Neilson
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, PO Box 70300, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA email: neilsonh@etsu.edu
Richard Ignace
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, PO Box 70300, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA email: neilsonh@etsu.edu
Gary D. Henson
Affiliation:
Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, East Tennessee State University, PO Box 70300, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA email: neilsonh@etsu.edu
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Abstract

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Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been studied for centuries but continue to be enigmatic. One unsolved mystery is the presence of polarization from these stars. In particular, we present 40 years of polarization measurements for the prototype o Ceti and V CVn and find very different phenomena for each star. The polarization fraction and position angle for Mira is found to be small and highly variable. On the other hand, the polarization fraction for V CVn is large and variable, from 2–7%, and its position angle is approximately constant, suggesting a long-term asymmetric structure. We suggest a number of potential scenarios to explain these observations.

Keywords

stars: circumstellar matterstars: variables: othertechniques: polarimetric
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 9 , Symposium S301: Precision Asteroseismology , August 2013 , pp. 463 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2014 

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