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Paper: HET observations of the outburst of XTE J1859+226
Volume: 261, The Physics of Cataclysmic Variables and Related Objects
Page: 571
Authors: Welsh, W. F.; Gallo, L.; Robinson, E. L.
Abstract: Spectroscopy of the soft X-ray transient XTE J1859+226 were obtained with the Low Resolution Spectrograph on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) beginning six days after the onset of the outburst and continuing for 4 weeks. The spectra show a strong evolution of the line profiles and strengths during the outburst: emission lines and broad absorption lines decrease in strength as the outburst declines. This suggests that strong X-ray irradiation is driving line formation in the outburst. However, the emission--line radial velocities and equivalent widths indicate that simple reprocessing off the secondary star or outer disk is unlikely and that a more complex mechanism must be present.
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