Contemporaneous ultraviolet and optical observations of direct and Raman-scattered OVI lines in symbiotic stars

Symbiotic stars are binary systems consisting of a hot star, typically a white dwarf, and a cool giant companion. The wind from the cool star is ionized by the radiation from the hot star, resulting in the characteristic combination of sharp nebular emission lines and stellar molecular absorption bands in the optical spectrum. Most of the emission lines are readily identifiable with common ions. However, two strong, broad emission lines at 6825 and 7082 Angstrom defied identification with known atoms and ions. In 1989 Schmid made the case that these long unidentified emission lines resulted from the Raman scattering of the O VI resonance photons at 1032, 1038 Angstrom by neutral hydrogen. We present contemporaneous far-UV and optical observations of direct and Raman-scattered O VI lines for nine symbiotic stars obtained with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (Astro-2) and various ground-based optical telescopes. The O VI emission lines are present in every instance in which the lambda lambda 6825, 7082 lines are present, in support of the Schmid Raman-scattering model. We calculate the scattering efficiencies and discuss the results in terms of the Raman-scattering model. Additionally, we measure the flux of the Fe II fluorescence line at 1776 Angstrom which is excited by the O VI line at 1032 Angstrom and calculate the first estimates of the conversion efficiencies for this process.