Eclipse Spectropolarimetry of the epsilon Aurigae System

Volume 40 number 2 (2012)

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Kathleen M. Geise

University of Denver, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 2112 E. Wesley Avenue, Denver, CO 80208; address email correspondence to kgeise@du.edu

Robert E. Stencel

University of Denver, Department of Physics and Astronomy, 2112 E. Wesley Avenue, Denver, CO 80208; address email correspondence to kgeise@du.edu

Nadine Namset

Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Corporation (CFHT), Waimea Headquarters, 65-1238 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, HI 96743

David Harrington

Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822

Jeffrey Kuhn

Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822

Abstract

The recent eclipse of the enigmatic binary star system, e Aurigae, offered a special opportunity to explore the role of spectropolarimetry in discovery of unknown facets of the objects involved. Here we present spectropolarimetric results for H-alpha, H-beta, Ca I (422.6 nm), and K I (769.9 nm) based on more than 50 epochs of high dispersion spectra obtained with the ESPaDOnS instrument at CFHT during 2006–2012.