Eta Carinae across the 2003.5 Minimum: Analysis in the visible and near infrared spectral region

We present analysis of the visible through near infrared spectrum of ηCar and its ejecta obtained during the ”ηCar Campaign with the Ultraviolet Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT)”. This is a part of larger effort to present a complete ηCar spectrum, and extends the previously presented analyses with the Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) in the UV (1240−3159 Å) to 10,430 Å. The spectrum in the mid and near UV is characterized by the ejecta absorption. At longer wavelengths, stellar wind features from the central source and narrow emission lines from the Weigelt condensations dominate the spectrum. However, narrow absorption lines from the circumstellar shells are present. This paper provides a description of the spectrum between 3060 and 10,430 Å, including line identifications of the ejecta absorption spectrum, the emission spectrum from the Weigelt condensations and the P-Cygni stellar wind features. The high spectral resolving power of VLT/UVES enables equivalent width measurements of atomic and molecular absorption lines for elements with no transitions at the shorter wavelengths. However, the ground based seeing and contributions of nebular scattered radiation prevent direct comparison of measured equivalent widths in the VLT/UVES and HST/STIS spectra. Fortunately, HST/STIS and VLT/UVES have a small overlap in wavelength coverage which allows us to compare and adjust for the difference in scattered radiation entering the instruments’ apertures. This paper provide a complete online VLT/UVES spectrum with line identifications and a spectral comparison between HST/STIS and VLT/UVES between 3060 and 3160 Å. Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064 Astrophysics Science Division, Code 667, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Astronomisches Institut, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Köningstuhl, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20080047939 2017-09-14T01:23:51+00:00Z