Emission lines in the magnetic white dwarf GD 356.

Abstract

Spectrographic measurements of the magnetic white dwarf GC 356 are presented, and, two weak emission line Zeeman triplets at H-alpha and H-beta are analyzed. The measurements were carried out using a high signal-to-noise ratio double spectrograph and CCD detectors attached to the Hale 5 meter refector telescope. Multichannel spectrophotometry of GD 356 indicated a temperature of about 7500 K. The H-alpha absorption triplet in G99-47 was studied, in order to correct emission measurements in GD 356. After scaling the absorption lines in G99 47 to fit the field in GD 356, the corrected H-alpha emission increased by 50 percent. The final H-alpha profile is represented by random fields of 11.0 megagauss with a spread of 1.1 megagauss. On the basis of the emission line analysis, some possible reasons for the absence of polarization in GD are discussed, including: (1) that GD 356 has an interacting companion; (2) that active convection in GD 356 interacts with the magnetic field to produce magnetoionic heating; and (3) that there is an ongoing accretion of interstellar matter in GD 356. It is suggested that GD 356 may be detectable with the IUE ultraviolet observatory.