315 research outputs found
Resumption of mass accretion in RS Oph
The latest outburst of the recurrent nova RS Oph occurred in 2006 February. Photometric data presented here show evidence of the resumption of optical flickering, indicating re-establishment of accretion by day 241 of the outburst. Magnitude variations of up to 0.32 mag in V band and 0.14 mag in B band on time-scales of 600–7000 s are detected. Over the two-week observational period, we also detect a 0.5 mag decline in the mean brightness, from V≈ 11.4 to 11.9, and record B≈ 12.9 mag. Limits on the mass accretion rate of [inline image] are calculated, which span the range of accretion rates modelled for direct wind accretion and Roche lobe overflow mechanisms. The current accretion rates make it difficult for thermonuclear runaway models to explain the observed recurrence interval, and this implies average accretion rates are typically higher than seen immediately post-outburst
The sub-millimetre evolution of V4334 Sgr (Sakurai's Object)
We report the results of monitoring of V4334 Sgr (Sakurai's Object) at 450
microns and 850 microns with SCUBA on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The
flux density at both wavelengths has increased dramatically since 2001, and is
consistent with continued cooling of the dust shell in which Sakurai's Object
is still enshrouded, and which still dominates the near-infrared emission.
Assuming that the dust shell is optically thin at sub-millimetre wavelengths
and optically thick in the near-infrared, the sub-millimetre data imply a
mass-loss rate during 2003 of ~3.4(+/0.2)E-5 for a gas-to-dust ratio of 75.
This is consistent with the evidence from 1-5micron observations that the
mass-loss is steadily increasing.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
V723 Cas (Nova Cassiopeiae 1995): MERLIN observations from 1996 to 2001
MERLIN observations of the unusually slow nova V723 Cas are presented. Nine
epochs of 6-cm data between 1996 and 2001 are mapped, showing the initial
expansion and brightening of the radio remnant, the development of structure
and the final decline. A radio light curve is presented and fitted by the
standard Hubble flow model for radio emission from novae in order to determine
the values of various physical parameters for the shell. The model is
consistent with the overall development of the radio emission. Assuming a
distance of 2.39 (+/-0.38) kpc and a shell temperature of 17000 K, the model
yields values for expansion velocity of 414 +/- 0.1 km s^-1 and shell mass of
1.13 +/- 0.04 * 10^-4 Msolar. These values are consistent with those derived
from other observations although the ejected masses are rather higher than
theoretical predictions. The structure of the shell is resolved by MERLIN and
shows that the assumption of spherical symmetry in the standard model is
unlikely to be correct.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Sakurai's Object: characterizing the near-infrared CO ejecta between 2003 and 2007
We present observations of Sakurai's Object obtained at 1–5 μm between 2003 and 2007. By fitting a radiative transfer model to an echelle spectrum of CO fundamental absorption features around 4.7 μm, we determine the excitation conditions in the line-forming region. We find 12C/13C = 3.5+2.0−1.5, consistent with CO originating in ejecta processed by the very late thermal pulse, rather than in the pre-existing planetary nebula. We demonstrate the existence of 2.2 × 10−6≤MCO≤ 2.7 × 10−6 M⊙ of CO ejecta outside the dust, forming a high-velocity wind of 500 ± 80 km s−1. We find evidence for significant weakening of the CO band and cooling of the dust around the central star between 2003 and 2005. The gas and dust temperatures are implausibly high for stellar radiation to be the sole contributor
The symbiotic star CH Cygni. III. A precessing radio jet
VLA, MERLIN and Hubble Space Telescope imaging observations of the extended
regions of the symbiotic system CH Cygni are analysed. These extensions are
evidence of a strong collimation mechanism, probably an accretion disk
surrounding the hot component of the system. Over 16 years (between 1985 and
2001) the general trend is that these jets are seen to precess. Fitting a
simple ballistic model of matter ejection to the geometry of the extended
regions suggests a period of 6520 +/- 150 days, with a precession cone opening
angle of 35 +/- 1 degrees. This period is of the same order as that proposed
for the orbital period of the outer giant in the system, suggesting a possible
link between the two. Anomalous knots in the emission, not explained by the
simple model, are believed to be the result of older, slower moving ejecta, or
possibly jet material that has become disrupted through sideways interaction
with the surrounding medium.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Six months of mass outflow and inclined rings in the ejecta of V1494 Aql
V1494 Aql was a very fast nova which reached a visual maximum of mv≃ 4.0 by the end of 1999 December 3. We report observations from 4 to 284 d after discovery, including submillimetre- and centimetre-band fluxes, a single MERLIN image and optical spectroscopy in the 410 to 700 nm range. The extent of the radio continuum emission is consistent with a recent lower distance estimate of 1.6 kpc. We conclude that the optical and radio emission arises from the same expanding ejecta. We show that these observations are not consistent with simple kinematical spherical shell models used in the past to explain the rise and fall of the radio flux density in these objects. The resolved remnant structure is consistent with an inclined ring of enhanced density within the ejecta. Optical spectroscopy indicates likely continued mass ejection for over 195 d, with the material becoming optically thin in the visible sometime between 195 and 285 d after outburst
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