1998PASP..110..580W

Sreedhar Rao et al. have reported that the metallic-line star 41 Sextantis exhibits significant changes in the depths and equivalent widths of its spectral lines and that these changes are coupled with the orbital motion of this spectroscopic binary. Based on their discovery, they suggest that 41 Sex is a possible evolutionary link between the Am and Ap stars. High-dispersion CCD spectra of 41 Sex, obtained in 1991 with the 0.9 m feed telescope and coudé spectrograph at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, were measured to determine the equivalent widths and depths of several metallic lines and the depths of Ca II K and H₈ as a function of orbital phase. The spectrum changes that Sreedhar Rao et al. observed could not be verified with these data. Possible explanations for this lack of confirmation might be that the star was in a quiescent state in 1991 or that the reported changes to the spectrum happen on a timescale much greater than the orbital period. An updated solution for the spectroscopic orbital elements is also presented.