Theoretical light curve for the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi - Determination of the white dwarf mass, composition, and distance
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA) Illinois Univ., Urbana (USA)
Sequences of steady mass-loss solutions are constructed for the envelopes on a white dwarf with mass 1.33, 1.35, 1.36, 1.37, and 1.377 solar mass as models of the decay phase of novae. The envelopes are assumed to have a uniform chemical composition with X = 0.73, 0.6, 0.52, 0.44, 0.33, and 0.11 for hydrogen and Z = 0.02 for heavy elements by weight. An excellent agreement with the observed light curves of UV and optical is obtained in the models with a white dwarf mass of 1.36 solar mass with hydrogen content X = 0.52, and 1.37 solar mass with X = 0.6. The distance of RS Oph is obtained to be 1.6 kpc from the comparison between the theoretical and observed light curves. The success of this wind model is a strong indication from the theoretical point of view that RS Oph is a thermonuclear runaway event. 31 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 5702288
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Vol. 369; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
NOVAE
STAR MODELS
BINARY STARS
BRIGHTNESS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DISTANCE
HYDROGEN
MASS
MASS TRANSFER
STAR ACCRETION
THERMONUCLEAR REACTIONS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
VISIBLE RADIATION
WHITE DWARF STARS
DWARF STARS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
SYNTHESIS
VARIABLE STARS
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources