Hypervelocity jets and homuncular motion in eta Carinae: an application of Fabry-Perot, ADONIS, and AO sofware

Douglas G. Currie; David Le Mignant; Birgitta Svensson; Emiliano Diolaiti; Sebastien Tordo; Katrin Naesgarde; Johan Liwing; Orazio Bendinelli; Gianluigi Parmeggiani; Domenico Bonaccini

doi:10.1117/12.390378

7 July 2000 Hypervelocity jets and homuncular motion in eta Carinae: an application of Fabry-Perot, ADONIS, and AO sofware

Douglas G. Currie, David Le Mignant, Birgitta Svensson, Emiliano Diolaiti, Sebastien Tordo, Katrin Naesgarde, Johan Liwing, Orazio Bendinelli, Gianluigi Parmeggiani, Domenico Bonaccini

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Proceedings Volume 4007, Adaptive Optical Systems Technology; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390378
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2000, Munich, Germany

Abstract

Eta Carinae is an extremely massive and highly evolved member of the Carinae starburst region. It has undergone numerous eruptions over the past millennium. In 1841, a Giant Eruption ejected several solar masses or more of material. Most of this material is currently in the dusty nebula denoted as the 'Homunculus.' ADONIS observations with the Fabry-Perot Interferometer at the Brackett gamma line around 2.16 microns have allowed probing the interior of the major elements of the Homunculus. These elements were not visible in our WFPC observations at the various visible wavelengths. The preliminary results of the analysis of this data have confirmed of the 'Double-Flask' model of the Homunculus; a model that we proposed based upon the Hubble data and spectroscopic data. This approach can also determine the opacity of the Homunculus walls, as well as the total mass and the grain structure of the dust. In a separate recent analysis, small clumps of material have been discovered that were ejected at velocities almost 1% of the speed of light. These 'Malin Bullets' and the material following the bullets, the 'contrails' called the 'Malin Spikes' have been measured using the STARFINDER program. This analysis has discovered about one hundred additional Malin Bullets. This data, as well as other data taken in direct support of the PAPAO program provide new information on the structure of the Homunculus. Inter-comparison of the WFPC data and the ADONIS data is an integral part of the PAPAO program for the validation diffuse astrometry and deconvolution software. Portions of this data will form the database for general community use for the calibration of different programs.

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Douglas G. Currie, David Le Mignant, Birgitta Svensson, Emiliano Diolaiti, Sebastien Tordo, Katrin Naesgarde, Johan Liwing, Orazio Bendinelli, Gianluigi Parmeggiani, and Domenico Bonaccini "Hypervelocity jets and homuncular motion in eta Carinae: an application of Fabry-Perot, ADONIS, and AO sofware", Proc. SPIE 4007, Adaptive Optical Systems Technology, (7 July 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390378

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