Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jun 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007apj...662l.103j&link_type=abstract
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 662, Issue 2, pp. L103-L106.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
7
Stars: Circumstellar Matter, Ism: Dust, Extinction, Galaxy: Abundances, Stars: Novae, Cataclysmic Variables, Nuclear Reactions, Nucleosynthesis, Abundances
Scientific paper
Classical novae are stellar explosions with an energy release that is only overcome by supernovae and γ-ray bursts. Theoretical and observational evidence suggests that these cataclysmic events are major sources of the Galactic 15N, 17O, and 13C, and contribute to the abundances of 7Li, and 26Al, with a likely nucleosynthetic endpoint around Ca. However, there are reasons to believe that these nuclear signatures have changed during the overall Galactic history. In this Letter, the first that addresses the nature of nova explosions in the most primitive, low-metallicity binaries, we show that primordial novae eject more massive envelopes and display a larger nuclear activity than classical novae, leading to a new type of explosion, halfway between a supernova and a nova. The ejected shells from the most violent, massive primordial novae yield large excesses of Ti and a likely nucleosynthetic endpoint around Cu-Zn, signatures never before associated with a nova-like explosion. We conclude that the chemical abundance pattern of the nova ejecta is strongly modified at low metallicities and suggest that primordial novae are a possible birthplace of a rare variety of presolar grains whose origin remains uncertain.
Garcia-Berro Enrique
Gil-Pons Pilar
Hernanz Margarita
Jose Jordi
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