We show that the extremely high luminosity of the short-period recurrent nova
T Pyx in quiescence can be understood if this system is a wind-driven supersoft
x-ray source (SSS). In this scenario, a strong, radiation-induced wind is
excited from the secondary star and accelerates the binary evolution. The
accretion rate is therefore much higher than in an ordinary cataclysmic binary
at the same orbital period, as is the luminosity of the white dwarf primary. In
the steady state, the enhanced luminosity is just sufficient to maintain the
wind from the secondary. The accretion rate and luminosity predicted by the
wind-driven model for T Pyx are in good agreement with the observational
evidence. X-ray observations with Chandra or XMM may be able to confirm T Pyx's
status as a SSS.
T Pyx's lifetime in the wind-driven state is on the order of a million years.
Its ultimate fate is not certain, but the system may very well end up
destroying itself, either via the complete evaporation of the secondary star,
or in a Type Ia supernova if the white dwarf reaches the Chandrasekhar limit.
Thus either the primary, the secondary, or both may currently be committing
assisted stellar suicide.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A Letters; 5 pages; no figure