Changes in the Na D₁ Absorption Components of η Carinae Provide Clues on the Location of the Dissipating Central Occulter

Abstract

The Na D absorption doublet in the spectrum of η Carinae is complex, with multiple absorption features associated with the Great Eruption (1840s), the Lesser Eruption (1890s), and the interstellar clouds. The velocity profile is further complicated by the P Cygni profile originating in the system's stellar winds and blending with the He I λ5876 profile. The Na D profile contains a multitude of absorption components, including those at velocities of -145 km s^-1, -168 km s^-1, and +87 km s^-1, which we concentrate on in this analysis. Ground-based spectra recorded from 2008 to 2021 show significant variability of the -145 km s^-1 absorption throughout long-term observations. In the high-ionization phases of η Carinae prior to the 2020 periastron passage, this feature disappeared completely but briefly reappeared across the 2020 periastron, along with a second absorption at -168 km s^-1. Over the past few decades, η Carinae has been gradually brightening, which is shown to be caused by a dissipating occulter. The decreasing absorption of the -145 km s^-1 component, coupled with similar trends seen in absorptions of ultraviolet resonant lines, indicate that this central occulter was possibly a large clump associated with the Little Homunculus or another clump between the Little Homunculus and the star. We also report on a foreground absorption component at +87 km s^-1. Comparison of Na D absorption in the spectra of nearby systems demonstrates that this redshifted component likely originates in an extended foreground structure consistent with a previous ultraviolet spectral survey in the Carina Nebula.