Physics
Scientific paper
Jun 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005sptz.prop20100b&link_type=abstract
Spitzer Proposal ID #20100
Physics
Scientific paper
V445 Puppis, which erupted in a nova-like outburst in Dec. 2000, could well be the first, observed example of a "Helium nova". A classical nova eruption occurs on the surface of white-dwarf (WD) due to a thermo-nuclear runaway in the matter accreted by the WD from its companion main sequence star. Since this material is H rich, the outburst spectrum is expected to be rich in H lines in the optical and near-IR regions. Such H lines are invariably observed in novae spectra. However, V445 Puppis showed no sign of any H lines in the optical or near-IR spectra obtained after outburst and also in spectra obtained very recently. Instead it shows an unusual enrichment of Helium and Carbon spectral features. The object defies classification in known categories of eruptive variables and appears to be a potential Helium nova candidate. A "Helium nova" outburst had been predicted to occur when the accreted matter on the WD was Helium rich and appropriate physical conditions prevailed. But such a theoretical prediction had no observable counterpart till the outburst of V445 Puppis. Now, several theoretical studies, which have modelled the low outburst-amplitude observed in V445 Pup and also its slowly-declining light curve, indicate that it has strong potential as a genuine He nova candidate. Our proposed Spitzer observations will (i) study the properties of the thick dust shell that enshrouds V445 Pup. A significant part of the object's emission is in the infrared (ii) explore its spectra in the mid-IR and compare it with spectra of classical novae to see the differences between them. Such spectra, given the nature of V445 Pup, will have the potential to yield new/unanticipated results (iii) estimate physical properties like temperature, electron density etc. of the object's environment based on its spectra and (iv) try to detect the expanding nova shell from the 2000 outburst whose detection in the optical has been reported recently.
Ashok Nagarhalli M.
Banerjee Dipankar
Gehrz Robert D.
Henden Arne A.
Lynch David K.
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