Nuclear Ashes: Reviewing Thirty Years of Nucleosynthesis in Classical Novae

Details Nuclear Ashes: Reviewing Thirty Years of Nucleosynthesis in Classical Novae Nuclear Ashes: Reviewing Thirty Years of Nucleosynthesis in Classical Novae

2002-09-10

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0209185v1

AIP Conf.Proc. 637 (2003) 104-113

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

10 pages. To appear in "Classical Nova Explosions", M. Hernanz and J. Jose (eds.), AIP

Scientific paper

10.1063/1.1518186

One of the observational evidences in support of the "thermonuclear runaway model" for the classical nova outburst relies on the accompanying nucleosynthesis. In this paper, we stress the relevant role played by nucleosynthesis in our understanding of the nova phenomenon by constraining models through a comparison with both the atomic abundance determinations from the ejecta and the isotopic ratios measured in presolar grains of a likely nova origin. Furthermore, the endpoint of nova nucleosynthesis provides hints for the understanding of the mixing process responsible for the enhanced metallicities found in the ejecta, and reveals also information on the properties of the underlying white dwarf (mass, luminosity...). We discuss first the interplay between nova outbursts and the Galactic chemical abundances: Classical nova outbursts are expected to be the major source of 13C, 15N and 17O in the Galaxy, and to contribute to the abundances of other species with A < 40, such as 7Li or 26Al. We describe the main nuclear path during the course of the explosion, with special emphasis on the synthesis of radioactive species, of particular interest for the gamma-ray output predicted from novae (7Li, 18F, 22Na, 26Al). An overview of the recent discovery of presolar nova candidate grains, as well as a discussion of the role played by nuclear uncertainties associated with key reactions of the NeNa-MgAl and Si-Ca regions, are also given.

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