Infrared coronal line novae

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6598934

Greenhouse, M A

This dissertation discusses the discovery and analysis of infrared coronal emission lines in Nova Vulpeculae 1984 No. 2, Nova Cygni 1986, and Nova Herculis 1987. These new results increase the number of known infrared coronal line novae from one to four, comprise the major body of work done on infrared coronal line emission in novae, and form an important fraction of all near-infrared spectra of these objects. These new observations show that each coronal line nova is characterized by approximately the same (Si VI)/(Si VII) line intensity ratio which reflects a common coronal zone electron temperature of approximately 3.3 {times} 10{sup 5} K among these objects. Among the most significant results of this study of novae is that each coronal line nova exhibits a remarkably similar near-infrared spectrum. This uniformity suggests that coronal line emission will be only occasionally observed at optical wavelengths. The abundance pattern for Al, Mg, is derived for two of the coronal line novae discussed, and the Ne abundance pattern is derived for QU Vul. The author finds that these novae are substantially overabundant in these elements. These data double the number of novae for which Al and Mg abundances have been determined. Observational evidence for novae outbursts on oxygen-neon magnesium white dwarfs is increased as a consequence. The first speckle interferometry of the coronal line emission region of nova is presented. A new technique for interpreting the coronal line spectra which relates their infrared spectral evolution to electron temperature and density gradients in the expanding ejecta is presented.

• Research Organization: Wyoming Univ., Laramie, WY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6598934
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABUNDANCE
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ALUMINIUM
DWARF STARS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELEMENT ABUNDANCE
ELEMENTS
EMISSION SPECTRA
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
FLUIDS
GASES
INFRARED RADIATION
INFRARED SPECTRA
INTERFEROMETRY
IONIZATION
MAGNESIUM
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NEAR INFRARED RADIATION
NEON
NONMETALS
NOVAE
PHOTOIONIZATION
RADIATIONS
RARE GASES
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SPECTRA
STARS
VARIABLE STARS
WHITE DWARF STARS