An atlas of K-line spectra for cool magnetic CP stars: The wing-nib anomaly (WNA)

We present a short atlas illustrating the unusual Ca II K-line profiles in upper main-sequence stars with anomalous abundances. Slopes of the profiles for 10 cool, magnetic chemically peculiar ( CP) stars change abruptly at the very core, forming a deep "nib." The nibs show the same or nearly the same radial velocity as the other atomic lines. The near wings are generally more shallow than in normal stars. In three magnetic CP stars, the K lines are too weak to show this shape, although the nibs themselves are arguably present. The Ca II H lines also show deep nibs, but the profiles are complicated by the nearby, strong H epsilon absorption. The K-line structure is nearly unchanged with phase in beta CrB and alpha Cir. Calculations, including NLTE, show that other possibilities in addition to chemical stratification may yield niblike cores.