Soft x-ray emission from classical novae in outburst

Abstract

Theoretical modeling of novae in outburst predicts that they should be active emitters of radiation at soft X-ray wavelengths twice during their outburst. The first time occurs very early in the outburst when only a very sensitive all sky survey will be able to detect them. This period lasts only a few hours for the very fastest novae. They again become bright in X-rays late in the outburst when the remnant object becomes very hot and is still luminous. Both simulations and observations show that novae can remain very hot for months to years. It is important to observe them at these late times because a measurement both of the flux and temperature can provide information about the mass of the white dwarf, the turn-off time scale, and the energy budget of the outburst.KeywordsWhite DwarfEquilibrium RadiusWhite Dwarf StarEddington LuminosityClassical NovaThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.