X-ray detection of a nova in the fireball phase.

Autor: König O; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany. ole.koenig@fau.de., Wilms J; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany. joern.wilms@sternwarte.uni-erlangen.de., Arcodia R; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany., Dauser T; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany., Dennerl K; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany., Doroshenko V; Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany., Haberl F; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany., Hämmerich S; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany., Kirsch C; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany., Kreykenbohm I; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany., Lorenz M; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany., Malyali A; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany., Merloni A; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany., Rau A; Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Germany., Rauch T; Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany., Sala G; Departament de Física EEBE, Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain.; Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC), Barcelona, Spain., Schwope A; Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany., Suleimanov V; Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany., Weber P; Dr. Karl Remeis-Observatory and Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Bamberg, Germany., Werner K; Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Kepler Center for Astro and Particle Physics, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature [Nature] 2022 May; Vol. 605 (7909), pp. 248-250. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 May 11.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04635-y
Abstrakt: Novae are caused by runaway thermonuclear burning in the hydrogen-rich envelopes of accreting white dwarfs, which leads to a rapid expansion of the envelope and the ejection of most of its mass 1,2 . Theory has predicted the existence of a 'fireball' phase following directly on from the runaway fusion, which should be observable as a short, bright and soft X-ray flash before the nova becomes visible in the optical 3-5 . Here we report observations of a bright and soft X-ray flash associated with the classical Galactic nova YZ Reticuli 11 h before its 9 mag optical brightening. No X-ray source was detected 4 h before and after the event, constraining the duration of the flash to shorter than 8 h. In agreement with theoretical predictions 4,6-8 , the source's spectral shape is consistent with a black-body of 3.27 +0.11 -0.33  × 10 5  K (28.2 +0.9 -2.8  eV), or a white dwarf atmosphere, radiating at the Eddington luminosity, with a photosphere that is only slightly larger than a typical white dwarf.
(© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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