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Register a new userOn the M31 Nova Progenitor Population
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Authors
S. C. Williams
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We present a survey of M31 novae in quiescence. This is the first catalogue of extragalactic systems in quiescence and contains 37 spectroscopically confirmed novae from 2006 to 2013. We used Liverpool Telescope and Faulkes Telescope North images taken during outburst to identify accurate positions for each system. These positions were then transformed to archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and we performed photometry on any resolvable source that was consistent with the transformed positions. As red giants in M31 will be resolvable in the HST images, we can detect systems with red giant secondaries. There are only a few confirmed examples of such systems in our Galaxy (e.g. RS Oph and T CrB). However, we find a much higher portion of the nova population in M31 may contain red giant secondaries. For some novae, coincident HST images had been taken when the nova was still fading, allowing us to produce light curves that go fainter than is possible to achieve for most extragalactic systems. Finally, we compare the M31 and Galactic quiescent nova populations.
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Of the 350 or more known Galactic classical novae, only a handful of them, the recurrent novae, have been observed in outburst more than once. At least eight of these recurrents are known to harbour evolved secondary stars, rather than the main sequence secondaries typical in classical novae. Here we present a selection of the work and rationale that led to the proposal of a new nova classification scheme based not on the outburst properties but on the nature of the quiescent system. Also outlined are the results of a photometric survey of a sample of quiescent Galactic novae, showing that the evolutionary state of the secondary can be easily determined and leading to a number of predictions. We discuss the implications of these results, including their relevance to extragalactic work and the proposed link to type Ia supernovae. We also present a summary of the work using the SMEI instrument to produce exquisite nova light-curves and confirmation of the pre-maximum halt.
Nova V2491 Cyg is one of just two detected pre-outburst in X-rays. The light curve of this nova exhibited a rare re-brightening which has been attributed by some as the system being a polar, whilst others claim that a magnetic WD is unlikely. By virtue of the nature of X-ray and spectroscopic observations the system has been proposed as a recurrent nova, however the adoption of a 0.1 day orbital period is generally seen as incompatible with such a system. In this research note we address the nature of the progenitor system and the source of the 0.1 day periodicity. Through the combination of Liverpool Telescope observations with published data and archival 2MASS data we show that V2491 Cyg, at a distance of 10.5 - 14 kpc, is likely to be a recurrent nova of the U Sco-class; containing a sub-giant secondary and an accretion disk, rather than accretion directly onto the poles. We show that there is little evidence, at quiescence, supporting a ~ 0.1 day periodicity, the variation seen at this stage is likely caused by flickering of a re-established accretion disk. We propose that the periodicity seen shortly after outburst is more likely related to the outburst rather than the - then obscured - binary system. Finally we address the distance to the system, and show that a significantly lower distance (~ 2 kpc) would result in a severely under-luminous outburst, and as such favour the larger distance and the recurrent nova scenario.
Context: In late November 2013 a fifth eruption in five years of the M31 recurrent nova M31N 2008-12a was announced. Aims: In this Letter we address the optical lightcurve and progenitor system of M31N 2008-12a. Methods: Optical imaging data of the 2013 eruption from the Liverpool Telescope, La Palma, and Danish 1.54m Telescope, La Silla, and archival Hubble Space Telescope near-IR, optical and near-UV data are astrometrically and photometrically analysed. Results: Photometry of the 2013 eruption, combined with three previous eruptions, enabled construction of a template light curve of a very fast nova, t2(V)~4 days. The archival data allowed recovery of the progenitor system in optical and near-UV data, indicating a red-giant secondary with bright accretion disk, or alternatively a system with a sub-giant secondary but dominated by a disk. Conclusions: The eruptions of M31N 2008-12a, and a number of historic X-ray detections, indicate a unique system with a recurrence timescale of ~1 year. This implies the presence of a very high mass white dwarf and a high accretion rate. The recovered progenitor system is consistent with such an elevated rate of accretion.We encourage additional observations, especially towards the end of 2014.
In our preceding paper, Liverpool Telescope data of M31 novae in eruption were used to facilitate a search for their progenitor systems within archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data, with the aim of detecting systems with red giant secondaries (RG-novae) or luminous accretion disks. From an input catalog of 38 spectroscopically confirmed novae with archival quiescent observations, likely progenitors were recovered for eleven systems. Here we present the results of the subsequent statistical analysis of the original survey, including possible biases associated with the survey and the M31 nova population in general. As part of this analysis we examine the distribution of optical decline times (t(2)) of M31 novae, how the likely bulge and disk nova distributions compare, and how the M31 t(2) distribution compares to that of the Milky Way. Using a detailed Monte Carlo simulation, we determine that 30 (+13/-10) percent of all M31 nova eruptions can be attributed to RG-nova systems, and at the 99 percent confidence level, >10 percent of all M31 novae are RG-novae. This is the first estimate of a RG-nova rate of an entire galaxy. Our results also imply that RG-novae in M31 are more likely to be associated with the M31 disk population than the bulge, indeed the results are consistent with all RG-novae residing in the disk. If this result is confirmed in other galaxies, it suggests any Type Ia supernovae that originate from RG-nova systems are more likely to be associated with younger populations, and may be rare in old stellar populations, such as early-type galaxies.
We present and discuss accurate and densely mapped BVRI lightcurves of the neon Nova Mon 2012, supplemented by the evolution in Stromgren b and y bands and in the integrated flux of relevant emission lines. Our monitoring started with the optical discovery of the nova and extend to day +270, well past the end of the super-soft phase in X-rays. The nova displayed very smoothly evolving lightcurves. A bifurcation between y and V light-curves took place at the start of the SSS phase, and a knee developed toward the end of the SSS phase. The apparent magnitude of the nova at the unobserved optical maximum is constrained to +2.8=<V=<4.2. The appearance, grow in amplitude and then demise of a 0.29585 (+/-0.00002) days orbital modulation of the optical brightness was followed along the nova evolution. The observed modulation has a near-sinusoidal shape and a weak secondary minimum at phase 0.5. We favor an interpretation in terms of super-imposed ellipsoidal distortion of the Roche lobe filling companion and irradiation of its side facing the WD. Similar lightcurves are typical of symbiotic stars where a Roche lobe filling giant is irradiated by a very hot WD. Given the high orbital inclination, mutual occultation between the donor star and the accretion disk could contribute to the observed modulation. The optical+infrared spectral energy distribution of Nova Mon 2012 during the quiescence preceeding the outburst is nicely fitted by a early K-type main-sequence star (~K3V) at 1.5 kpc distance, reddened by E(B-V)=0.38, with a WD companion and an accretion disk contributing to the observed blue excess and moderate Halpha emission. A typical early K-type main-sequence star with a mass of ~0.75 Msun and a radius of ~0.8 Rsun, would fill its Roche lobe for a P=0.29585 day orbital period and a more massive WD companion.
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