First detection of Zeeman absorption lines in the polar VV Pup; observations of low activity states

Abstract

Aims. We investigated the low state of the polar VV Pup by collecting high S/N time series spectra. Methods. We monitored VV Pup with VLT+FORS1 and analyzed the evolution of its spectroscopic features across two orbits. Results. We report the first detection of photospheric Zeeman lines in VV Puppis. We argue that the photospheric field structure is inconsistent with the assumption that the accretion shocks are located close to the foot points of a closed field line in a dipolar field distribution. A more complex field structure and coupling process is implied making VV Puppis similar to other well studied AM Herculis type systems. Show more