Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Observations of the Dwarf Nova SW Ursae Majoris during Quiescence

We present spectroscopic observations of the short-period cataclysmic variable SW UMa obtained by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite while the system was in quiescence. The data include the resonance lines of O VI at 1031.91 and 1037.61 Å. These lines are present in emission, and they exhibit both narrow (~150 km s^-1) and broad (~2000 km s^-1) components. The narrow O VI emission lines exhibit unusual double-peaked and redshifted profiles. We attribute the source of this emission to a cooling flow onto the surface of the white dwarf primary. The broad O VI emission most likely originates in a thin, photoionized surface layer on the accretion disk. We searched for emission from H₂ at 1050 and 1100 Å, motivated by the expectation that the bulk of the quiescent accretion disk is in the form of cool, molecular gas. If H₂ is present, then our limits on the fluxes of the H₂ lines are consistent with the presence of a surface layer of atomic H that shields the interior of the disk. These results may indicate that accretion operates primarily in the surface layers of the disk in SW UMa. We also investigate the far-UV continuum of SW UMa and place an upper limit of 15,000 K on the effective temperature of the white dwarf.