Energy distribution in the strongly interacting binary system SX Cassiopeiae

IUE spectra and optical scans covering the 110-680 nm interval were obtained in a search for a source which would resolve the anomalous presence of strong Balmer emission lines in the SX Cas eclipsing binary system, which is inconsistent with the usual spectral classification of the components as A6 III + G6 III. The IUE spectra unexpectedly show such strong emission lines as those of C IV, N V and Si IV, which require higher temperatures that the already anomalously high Balmer lines, and a continuum several magnitudes higher than the extrapolated continuum of an A6 star. A model in which the UV continuum originates in the transition zone between the A6 star and an accretion disk fails to reproduce the observed energy distribution. A revision of component spectral types to B7 + K3 III removes the UV excess.