A ∼40 YEAR VARIABILITY CYCLE IN THE LUMINOUS BLUE VARIABLE/WOLF-RAYET BINARY SYSTEM HD 5980?

The massive Wolf-Rayet stellar system HD 5980 in the Small Magellanic Cloud entered a sudden and brief similar to 1-3 mag eruptive state in the mid-1990s. The cause of the instability is not yet understood, but mechanisms similar to those in luminous blue variables are suspected. Using a previously unreported set of spectroscopic data obtained in 1955-1967 and recently acquired optical and HST/STIS spectra, we find that (1) the brief eruptions of 1993 and 1994 occurred at the beginning of an extended (similar to decades) high state of activity characterized by large emission-line intensities; (2) the level of activity is currently subsiding; and (3) another strong emission-line episode appears to have occurred between 1960 and 1965, suggesting the possibility that the long-term cyclical variability may be recurrent on a similar to 40 year timescale. These characteristics suggest the possible classification of HD 5980 as an S Doradus-type variable. The effects due to binary interactions in the system are discussed, and we tentatively suggest that the short duration and relatively hot spectral type (WN11/B1.5I) observed during maximum in the visual light curve may be attributed to these interactions.