Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
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, we present an observational and theoretical study of the P Cygni profiles of the dwarf nova HL CMa. As these profiles are dependent upon the ionization structure of the wind, we describe a model of a radiatively-driven shocked wind for cataclysmic variables, and present results for the temperature and ionization structure of the outflowing gas.