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Ultraviolet Observations of Classical Novae in Outburst

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Angelo Cassatella
Affiliation:
ESA IUE Observatory, Villafranca, Spain
Rosario Gonzalez-Riestra
Affiliation:
ESA IUE Observatory, Villafranca, Spain

Extract

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More than a dozen classical novae in outburst have been observed with the International Ultraviolet Explorer since its launch in 1978. These data represent a crucial breakthrough in understanding several aspects of the classical novae phenomenon including nucleosynthesis, the energetics of the explosion, the dynamics of the mass ejection, and the processes of dust formation. Also they are important to gain insight on the nature of the white dwarf components and then on the evolutionary scenario of these binary systems.

The UV emission lines include important transitions from several species such as He, C, N and O, Ne, Mg, and Al which, whenever symultaneous optical data were available, have lead to a detailed knowledge of the physical conditions in the nebular phases and to the determination, with unprecedented accuracy, of the chemical abundances in the ejecta (see e.g.: Stickland et al. 1981; Williams et al. 1985; Snijders et al. 1987). Precise abundance determinations provide crucial constraints on nucleosinthesis during TNR as well as on the efficiency of diffusion and mixing processes. The ultraviolet range provides also effective means to determine the value of the reddening from the strength of the 2200 A dust feature or from the emission line ratios; an accurate determination of this parameter from the UV is essential, for example, to determine the energy budget of novae and the temperature of the remnants.

Type
1b. Novae During Outbursts
Copyright
Copyright © Springer-Verlag 1990

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