On the Raman O VI and related lines in classical novae

We critically examine the recent claimed detection of Raman scattered O VI at around 6830AA in the iron curtain stage spectra of the classical CO nova V339 Del. The observed line variations are compatible in profile and timing of emission line strength with an excited state transition of neutral carbon. Line formation in classical nova ejecta is physically very different from that in symbiotic binaries, in which the O VI emission line is formed within the wind of the companion red giant at low differential velocity. The ejecta velocity and density structure prevent the scattering from producing analogous features. There might , however, be a broadband spectropolarimetric signature of the Raman process and also Rayleigh scattering at some stage in the expansion. We show that the neutral carbon spectrum, hitherto under-exploited for novae, is especially useful as a probe of the structure of the ejecta during the early, optically thick stages of the expansion

Spectroscopy of Novae -- A Users Manual

The spectroscopic development of classical novae is described as a narrative of the various stages of the outburst. The review highlights the multiwavelength aspects of the phenomenology and the recent developments related to structure, inhomogeneity, and dynamics of the ejecta. Special emphasis is placed on the distinct behavior of the symbiotic-like recurrent novae.

But since the affairs of men rest still uncertain, lets reason with the worst that may befall: Probability, risk, and the 2009 LAquila Earthquake

This article is a commentary on the verdict of the LAquila Six, the group of bureaucrats and scientists tried by an Italian court as a result of their public statements in advance of the quake of 2009 Apr. 6 that left the city in ruins and cause more than 300 deaths. It was not the worst such catastrophic event in recent Italian history, but it was one of -- if not the -- worst failures of risk assessment and preventive action. The six were found guilty and condemned by a first level of the justice system to substantial prison terms. The outcry provoked by the verdict in the world press and the international scientific community has fueled the already fiery debate over whether the six should have been tried at all. They have been presented as martyrs to science being treated as scapegoats by a scientifically illiterate justice system and inflamed local population for not being able to perform the impossible (predict the event). Petitions of support have been drafted and signed by thousands of working scientists and technical experts in many fields excoriating the court and the country for such an outrage against the scientific community, often accompanied by ominous warnings about the chilling effect this will have on the availability of expert advice in times of need. My purpose in this essay is to explain why this view of the events of the trial is misguided, however well intentioned, and misinformed.