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13. PECULIAR STARS NEAR A0

Three distinct types of peculiar early A-type stars are illustrated here. The first star, phi Dra is a classical "Ap" silicon star, in that it shows an enhancement of the Si II 4128-32 doublet. Many of these stars are strongly magnetic. Notice that in comparison with the A0 Va standard (previous page), the metallic-line spectrum is quite peculiar, indicating that the star shows enhancements of other elements besides silicon. The second star, HR 5597, shows enhancements of not only Si II, but also Sr II (at 4077 Å) and Cr II (at 4111 Å, in the wing of Hdelta). The metallic-line spectrum is clearly very peculiar. The bottom star, pi1 Boo is an example of a mercury-manganese star, showing enhancements of Hg II (at 3984 Å) and Mn II (most clearly seen at 4136 Å and 4206 Å). Mercury-manganese stars, in contrast to most other types of Ap stars, do not appear to have strong magnetic fields.

Figure 12

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