111 research outputs found
A pre-outburst signal in the long-term optical light curve of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi
Recurrent novae are binary stars in which a white dwarf accretes matter from a less evolved companion, either a red giant or a main-sequence star. They have dramatic optical brightenings of around 5–6 mag in V in less than a day, several times a century. These occur at variable and unpredictable intervals, and are followed by an optical decline over several weeks and activity from the X-ray to the radio. The unpredictability of recurrent novae and related stellar types can hamper systematic study of their outbursts. Here we analyse the long-term light curve of RS Ophiuchi, a recurrent nova with six confirmed outbursts, most recently in 2006 February. We confirm the previously suspected 1945 outburst, largely obscured in a seasonal gap. We also find a signal via wavelet analysis that can be used to predict an incipient outburst up to a few hundred days before hand. This has never before been possible. In addition, this may suggest that the preferred thermonuclear runaway mechanism for the outbursts will have to be modified, as no pre-outburst signal is anticipated in that case. If our result indeed points to gaps in our understanding of how outbursts are driven, we will need to study such objects carefully to determine if the white dwarf is growing in mass, an essential factor if these systems are to become Type Ia supernovae. Determining the likelihood of recurrent novae being an important source population will have implications for stellar and galaxy evolution
Ultraviolet spectroscopy of narrow coronal mass ejections
We present Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) observations of 5
narrow coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that were among 15 narrow CMEs originally
selected by Gilbert et al. (2001). Two events (1999 March 27, April 15) were
"structured", i.e. in white light data they exhibited well defined interior
features, and three (1999 May 9, May 21, June 3) were "unstructured", i.e.
appeared featureless. In UVCS data the events were seen as 4-13 deg wide
enhancements of the strongest coronal lines HI Ly-alpha and OVI (1032,1037 A).
We derived electron densities for several of the events from the Large Angle
Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C2 white light observations. They are
comparable to or smaller than densities inferred for other CMEs. We modeled the
observable properties of examples of the structured (1999 April 15) and
unstructured (1999 May 9) narrow CMEs at different heights in the corona
between 1.5 and 2 R(Sun). The derived electron temperatures, densities and
outflow speeds are similar for those two types of ejections. They were compared
with properties of polar coronal jets and other CMEs. We discuss different
scenarios of narrow CME formation either as a jet formed by reconnection onto
open field lines or CME ejected by expansion of closed field structures.
Overall, we conclude that the existing observations do not definitively place
the narrow CMEs into the jet or the CME picture, but the acceleration of the
1999 April 15 event resembles acceleration seen in many CMEs, rather than
constant speeds or deceleration observed in jets.Comment: AASTeX, 22 pages, incl. 3 figures (2 color) and 3 tables. Accepted
for publication in Ap.
UBVRI observations of the flickering of RS Ophiuchi at Quiescence
We report observations of the flickering variability of the recurrent nova RS
Oph at quiescence on the basis of simultaneous observations in 5 bands (UBVRI).
RS Oph has flickering source with (U-B)_0=-0.62 \pm 0.07, (B-V)_0=0.15 \pm
0.10, (V-R)_0=0.25 \pm 0.05. We find for the flickering source a temperature
T_fl = 9500 \pm 500 K, and luminosity L_fl = 50 - 150 L_sun (using a distance
of d=1.6kpc). We also find that on a (U-B) vs (B-V) diagram the flickering of
the symbiotic stars differs from that of the cataclysmic variables. The
possible source of the flickering is discussed. The data are available upon
request from the authors and on the web
www.astro.bas.bg/~rz/RSOph.UBVRI.2010.MNRAS.tar.gz.Comment: 7 pages, MNRAS (accepted
Making FORS2 fit for exoplanet observations (again)
For about three years, it was known that precision spectrophotometry with
FORS2 suffered from systematic errors that made quantitative observations of
planetary transits impossible. We identified the Longitudinal Atmospheric
Dispersion Compensator (LADC) as the most likely culprit, and therefore engaged
in a project to exchange the LADC prisms with the uncoated ones from FORS1.
This led to a significant improvement in the depth of FORS2 zero points, a
reduction in the systematic noise, and should make FORS2 again competitive for
transmission spectroscopy of exoplanets.Comment: To appear in the March issue of the ESO Messenge
Changes in the red giant and dusty environment of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi following the 2006 eruption
We present near-infrared spectroscopy of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph) obtained on several occasions after its latest outburst in 2006 February. The 1–5 μm spectra are dominated by the red giant, but the H i, He i and coronal lines present during the eruption are present in all our observations. From the fits of the computed infrared spectral energy distributions to the observed fluxes, we find Teff= 4200 ± 200 K for the red giant. The first overtone CO bands at 2.3 μm, formed in the atmosphere of the red giant, are variable. The spectra clearly exhibit an infrared excess due to dust emission longward of 5 μm; we estimate an effective temperature for the emitting dust shell of 500 K, and find that the dust emission is also variable, being beyond the limit of detection in 2007. Most likely, the secondary star in RS Oph is intrinsically variable
VLT observations of Compact Central Objects
We present the first results of our VLT observation campaign of the Central
Compact Objects (CCOs) in SNRs RX J085201.4-461753 (Vela Jr), 1E 1648-5051 (RCW
103) and RX J171328.4-394955 (G347.3-0.5). For Vela Jr., we found that the
source is embedded in a compact optical nebulosity, possibly a bow-shock or a
photo-ionization nebula, and we identified a candidate IR counterpart to the
CCO. For RCW 103, we found no convincing evidence neither for 6 hrs IR
modulation nor for variability on any time scale from the proposed counterpart,
as well as for the other candidates close to the revised Chandra position. For
G347.3-0.5, we identified few possible IR counterparts but none of them is
apparently associated with the CCO.Comment: 4 pages, in Proc. of ``40 Years of Pulsars: Millisecond Pulsars,
Magnetars and More'', AIP, in pres
Circumstellar Na I and Ca II lines of type Ia supernovae in symbiotic scenario
Formation of circumstellar lines of Na I and Ca II in type Ia supernovae is
studied for the case, when supernova explodes in a binary system with a red
giant. The model suggests a spherically-symmetric wind and takes into account
ionization and heating of the wind by X-rays from the shock wave and by
gamma-quanta of ^{56}Ni radioactive decay. For the wind density typical of the
red giant the expected optical depth of the wind in Na I lines turnes out too
low (\tau<0.001}) to detect the absorption. For the same wind densities the
predicted optical depth of Ca II 3934 \AA is sufficient for the detection
(\tau>0.1). I conclude that the absorption lines detected in SN 2006X cannot
form in the red giant wind; they are rather related to clouds at distances
larger than the dust evaporation radius (r>10^{17} cm). From the absence in SN
2006X of Ca II absorption lines not related with the similar Na I components I
derive the upper limit of the mass loss rate by the wind with velocity u:
\dot{M}<10^{-8}(u/10 km/s) M_{\odot} yr^{-1}.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, Astronomy Letters (accepted
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