2005/12/07 by Lynn D. Matthews, Margarita Karovska · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/500303
published as Astrophys.J.637:L49-L52,2006 · accepted to ApJ Letters
arxiv created 2005/12/07 · openalex publication_date 2006/01/09 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We report the first spatially resolved radio continuum measurements of the Mira AB symbiotic binary system, based on observations obtained with the Very Large Array (VLA). This is the first time that a symbiotic binary has been resolved unambiguously at centimeter wavelengths. We describe the results of VLA monitoring of both stars over a 10 month period, together with constraints on their individual spectral energy distributions, variability, and radio emission mechanisms. The emission from Mira A is consistent with originating from a radio photosphere, while the emission from Mira B appears best explained as free-free emission from an ionized circumstellar region ~(1-10) × 10 13 cm in radius.