Multidimensional reactive flow models of accreted hydrogen rich envelopes on
top of degenerate cold white dwarfs are very effective tools for the study of
critical, non spherically symmetric, behaviors during the early stages of nova
outbursts. Such models can shed light both on the mechanism responsible for the
heavy element enrichment observed to characterize nova envelope matter and on
the role of perturbations during the early stages of ignition of the runaway.
The complexity of convective reactive flow in multi-dimensions makes the
computational model itself complex and sensitive to the details of the
numerics. In this study, we demonstrate that the imposed outer boundary
condition can have a dramatic effect on the solution. Several commonly used
choices for the outer boundary conditions are examined. It is shown that the
solutions obtained from Lagrangian simulations, where the envelope is allowed
to expand and mass is being conserved, are consistent with spherically
symmetric solutions. In Eulerian schemes which utilize an outer boundary
condition of free outflow, the outburst can be artificially quenched.Comment: 12 Pages 3 figures; Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa