What does an erupting nova do to its red dwarf companion?

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (89) References (24) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS What Does an Erupting Nova Do to Its Red Dwarf Companion? Kovetz, Attay ; Prialnik, Dina ; Shara, Michael M. Abstract During nova eruptions and for decades afterward, the red dwards in cataclysmic binaries are irradiated with hundreds of times more luminosity than they themselves produce. Simulations of the time-dependent irradiation of three red dwarf models (0.25, 0.50, and 0.75 solar mass) are presented. The mass transfer rates forced by irradiation after nova eruption are found to be enhanced by two orders of magnitude because of the irradiation. The time scale for irradiation to become unimportant is that of the white dwarf cooling time scale, a few centuries. These two results support the hibernation scenario of novae, which suggests that novae remain bright for a few centuries after eruption because of irradiation-induced mass transfer. After irradiation decreases mass transfer slows, and some very old novae may then become extremely faint. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: February 1988 DOI: 10.1086/166053 Bibcode: 1988ApJ...325..828K Keywords: Cataclysmic Variables; Dwarf Novae; Red Dwarf Stars; Stellar Luminosity; Companion Stars; Mass Transfer; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Models; Stellar Radiation; Astrophysics; STARS: BINARIES; STARS: LATE-TYPE; STARS: NOVAE full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)