What does an erupting nova do to its red dwarf companion

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/166053· OSTI ID:7222556

Kovetz, A; Prialnik, D; Shara, M M

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. 26 references.

• Research Organization: Tel Aviv Univ. (Israel); Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7222556
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 325
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
NOVAE
MASS TRANSFER
BINARY STARS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
IRRADIATION
LUMINOSITY
RED DWARF STARS
STAR MODELS
STELLAR RADIATION
TIME DEPENDENCE
DWARF STARS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STARS
VARIABLE STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources