IUE observations of HL CMa and the winds of cataclysmic variables
As evidenced by the P Cygni profiles of their ultraviolet resonance lines, cataclysmic variables - like early-type stars - are known to have extensive, high velocity winds. Assisted by AAVSO visual data and IUE ultraviolet spectra, an observational and theoretical study of the P Cygni profiles of the dwarf nova HL CMa is presented. As these profiles are dependent upon the ionization structure of the wind, a model of a radiatively-driven shocked wind for cataclysmic variables is described, and results for the temperature and ionization structure of the outflowing gas are presented.