Novae have long been expected to be sources of emission at several MeV from the decay of radioactive elements in the novae ejecta, however, they were not anticipated to be sources of continuum emission in the GeV energy domain. In March 2010 the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope discovered for the first time >100 MeV gamma-ray emission from a nova within our galaxy, V407 Cyg. The high-energy spectrum and light curve was explained as a consequence of shock acceleration in the nova shell as it interacts with the local ambient medium. While this was an exciting and important discovery it was suspected that the necessary conditions for high-energy emission from novae would be rare. In June 2012 the LAT detected two new transient sources that have been associated with classical novae observed in the optical, Nova Sco 2012 and Nova Mon 2012. We report on the observational properties of the population of gamma-ray novae, their similarities and differences and the emission processes that generate the high energy radiation in these systems.
In the last few years the Fermi -LAT instrument has detected GeV gamma-ray emission from a few novae. Such GeV emission can be interpreted in terms of an inverse Compton process of electrons accelerated in a shock. It is expected that hadrons can be accelerated in the same conditions, but reaching much higher energies. They can produce a second component in the gamma-ray spectrum at TeV energies. We performed follow-up observations of selected novae and dwarf novae in a search of the second component in the gamma-ray spectrum. This can shed light on the acceleration process of leptons and hadr…
Novae had not been widely considered as high-energy (>100 MeV) gamma-ray sources before the launch of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). In March 2010, the LAT made the first gamma-ray detection of a nova in the symbiotic binary V407 Cygni. The LAT observations uniquely probed the high-energy particle acceleration mechanism in the environs of the V407 Cyg binary system consisting of a white dwarf and its red giant companion. Subsequently in June 2012, two more novae were detected with the LAT, Nova Sco 2012 and Nova Mon 2012, thus heralding novae as a new gamma-ray source class. For Nova Mo…
Context. A number of novae have been found to emit high-energy gamma rays (>100 MeV). However, the origin of this emission is not yet understood. We report on the search for gamma-ray emission from 75 optically-detected Galactic novae in the first 7.4 years of operation of the Fermi Large Area Telescope using the Pass 8 data set. Aims. We compile an optical nova catalog including light curves from various resources and estimate the optical peak time and optical peak magnitude in order to search for gamma-ray emission to test if all novae are gamma-ray emitters. Methods. We repeat the analysis …
We report the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) detections of high-energy (>100 MeV) gamma-ray emission from two recent optically bright classical novae, V1369 Centauri 2013 and V5668 Sagittarii 2015. At early times, Fermi target-of-opportunity observations prompted by their optical discoveries provided enhanced LAT exposure that enabled the detections of gamma-ray onsets beginning ~2 days after their first optical peaks. Significant gamma-ray emission was found extending to 39-55 days after their initial LAT detections, with systematically fainter and longer duration emission compared to previ…
Classical Novae were revealed as a surprise source of gamma-rays in Fermi LAT observations. During the first 8 years since the LAT was launched, 6 novae in total have been detected to > 5 sigma in gamma-rays, in contrast to the 69 discovered optically in the same period. We attempt to resolve this discrepancy by assuming all novae are gamma-ray emitters, and assigning peak one-day fluxes based on a flat distribution of the known emitters to a simulated population. To determine optical parameters, the spatial distribution and magnitudes of bulge and disc novae in M31 are scaled to the Milky Way…
A classical nova results from runaway thermonuclear explosions on the surface of a white dwarf that accretes matter from a low-mass main-sequence stellar companion. In 2012 and 2013, three novae were detected in gamma rays and stood in contrast to the first gamma-ray detected nova V407 Cygni 2010, which belongs to a rare class of symbiotic binary systems. Despite likely differences in the compositions and masses of their white dwarf progenitors, the three classical novae are similarly characterized as soft spectrum transient gamma-ray sources detected over 2-3 week durations. The gamma-ray det…
In the last few years the Fermi-LAT instrument has detected GeV gamma-ray emission from several novae. Such GeV emission can be interpreted in terms of inverse Compton emission from electrons accelerated in the shock or in terms of emission from hadrons accelerated in the same conditions. The latter might reach much higher energies and could produce a second component in the gamma-ray spectrum at TeV energies. We perform follow-up observations of selected novae and dwarf novae in search of the second component in TeV energy gamma rays. This can shed light on the acceleration process of leptons…
Novae are now firmly established as a high-energy (>100 MeV) gamma-ray source class by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). In symbiotic binary systems such as V407 Cyg 2010, there is a firm theoretical framework for the production of shock-accelerated particles in the nova ejecta from interactions with the dense wind of the red giant companion. Yet, the high-energy gamma-ray emission detected in classical novae involving less evolved stellar companions cannot be explained in the same way and could instead be produced in internal shocks in the ejecta. We summarize the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray obse…
Gamma-ray emission at energies >100MeV has been detected from nine novae using the Fermi-LAT, and it can be explained by particle acceleration at shocks in these systems. Eight out of these nine objects are classical novae in which interaction of the ejecta with a tenuous circumbinary material is not expected to generate detectable gamma-ray emission. We examine whether particle acceleration at internal shocks can account for the gamma-ray emission from these novae. The shocks result from the interaction of a fast wind radiatively-driven by nuclear burning on the white dwarf with material ejec…
Multiwavelength radiation from relativistic particles accelerated at shocks in novae and other astrophysical sources carries a wealth of information about the outflow properties and the microphysical processes at work near the shocks. The observation of GeV gamma-rays from novae by Fermi/LAT demonstrates that the shocks in these systems can accelerate particles to energies of at least $\sim 10$ GeV. The low-energy extension of the same non-thermal particle distribution inevitably gives rise to emission extending into the X-ray band. Above $\gtrsim 10$ keV this radiation can escape the system w…
Novae were discovered to emit transient gamma rays during the period of several days to a few weeks after initial explosion, indicating presence of acceleration processes of particles in their expanding shells. In the case of recurrent novae, electrons can be in principle accelerated in the nova shells for the whole recurrence period of nova producing delayed $γ$ ray emission as considered in Bednarek (2022). Here we extend the ideas presented in this article by considering the fate of electrons which diffuse out of the shells of novae supplying fresh relativistic electrons to the recurrent no…
Galactic Novae is at present well established class of gamma-ray sources. We wonder for how long the mechanism of acceleration of electrons operates in shells of Novae. In order to put constraints on the time scale of the electron acceleration, we consider a specific model for the injection and propagation of electrons within the shell of the recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi. We calculate the equilibrium spectra of electrons within the Nova shell and the gamma-ray fluxes produced by these electrons in the comptonization of the soft radiation from the Red Giant within the Nova binary system and also …
Classical novae produce radioactive nuclei which are emitters of gamma-rays in the MeV range. Some examples are the lines at 478 and 1275 keV (from 7Be and 22Na) and the positron-electron annihilation emission, with the 511 keV line and a continuum. Gamma-ray spectra and light curves are potential unique tools to trace the corresponding isotopes and to give insights on the properties of the expanding envelope. Another possible origin of gamma-rays is the acceleration of particles up to very high energies, so that either neutral pions or inverse Compton processes produce gamma-rays of energies …
Classical novae produce radioactive nuclei which are emitters of gamma-rays in the MeV range. Some examples are the lines at 478 and 1275 keV (from 7Be and 22Na) and the positron-electron annihilation emission (511 keV line and a continuum below this energy, with a cut-off at 20-30 keV). The analysis of gamma-ray spectra and light curves is a potential unique and powerful tool both to trace the corresponding isotopes and to give insights on the properties of the expanding envelope determining its transparency. Another possible origin of gamma-rays is the acceleration of particles up to very hi…
The nucleosynthesis in classical novae, in particular that of radioactive isotopes, is directly measurable by its $γ$-ray signature. Despite decades of observations, MeV $γ$-rays from novae have never been detected -- neither individually at the time of the explosion, nor as a result of radioactive decay, nor the diffuse Galactic emission from the nova population. Thanks to recent developments in modeling of instrumental background for MeV telescopes such as INTEGRAL/SPI and Fermi/GBM, the prospects to finally detect these elusive transients are greatly enhanced. This demands for updated and r…
An Optically Motivated Gamma-ray Study of Fermi-LAT Novae
Department of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History（美国自然历史博物馆天体物理系）；Department of Earth & Physical Sciences, York College, City University of New York（纽约市立大学约克学院地球与物理科学系）；Department of Natural Sciences, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York（纽约市立大学拉瓜迪亚社区学院自然科学系）
Classical novae are the most common astrophysical thermonuclear explosions, occurring on the surfaces of white dwarf stars accreting gas from companions in binary star systems. Novae typically expel ~10^(-4) solar masses of material at velocities exceeding 1,000 kilometres per second. However, the mechanism of mass ejection in novae is poorly understood, and could be dominated by the impulsive flash of thermonuclear energy, prolonged optically thick winds, or binary interaction with the nova envelope. Classical novae are now routinely detected in gigaelectronvolt gamma-ray wavelengths, suggest…
We present one-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations including radiative losses, of internal shocks in the outflows from classical novae, to explore the role of shocks in powering multi-wavelength emission from radio to gamma-ray wavelengths. Observations support a picture in which the initial phases of some novae generate a slow, equatorially-focused outflow (directly from the outer Lagrange point, or from a circumbinary disk), which then transitions to, or is overtaken by, a faster more isotropic outflow from the white dwarf which collides and shocks the slower flow, powering gamma-ray and …
We survey our understanding of classical novae: non-terminal, thermonuclear eruptions on the surfaces of white dwarfs in binary systems. The recent and unexpected discovery of GeV gamma-rays from Galactic novae has highlighted the complexity of novae and their value as laboratories for studying shocks and particle acceleration. We review half a century of nova literature through this new lens, and conclude: --The basics of the thermonuclear runaway theory of novae are confirmed by observations. The white dwarf sustains surface nuclear burning for some time after runaway, and until recently, it…
Nova outbursts take place in binary star systems comprising a white dwarf (WD) and either a low-mass Sun-like star (classical novae) or, a red giant. GeV gamma-ray emission has been detected from a dozen of classical novae and from one novae in symbiotic system (V407 Cyg) by Fermi-LAT. For classical novae, gamma-ray emission is generally thought to be related to internal shocks formed as fast outflow collides with the slow outflow. However, for V407 Cyg, the origin of the gamma-ray emission has been debated, as both internal shock and external shock, resulted from the collision between the nov…
The outbursts of novae are among the strongest explosions in the Universe. The eruptions involve physical processes that span the whole electromagnetic spectrum, demanding multifrequency observations. The photometric and spectroscopic observations in the optical domain are combined with radio, infrared, X-ray and gamma ray observations, allowing to discover new phenomena, like the GeV gamma ray emission.
Very fast novae are novae which evolve exceptionally quickly (on timescales of only days). Due to their rapid evolution, very fast novae are challenging to detect and study, especially at early times. Here we report the discovery, which was made as part of our Transient UV Objects project, of a probable very fast nova in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300. We detected the rise to the peak (which is rarely observed for very fast novae) in the near-ultraviolet (NUV), with the first detection just ~2 hours after the eruption started. The peak and early stages of the decay were also observed in UV a…
The Fermi LAT discovery that classical novae produce >100 MeV gamma-rays establishes that shocks and relativistic particle acceleration are key features of these events. These shocks are likely to be radiative due to the high densities of the nova ejecta at early times coincident with the gamma-ray emission. Thermal X-rays radiated behind the shock are absorbed by neutral gas and reprocessed into optical emission, similar to Type IIn (interacting) supernovae. Gamma-rays are produced by collisions between relativistic protons with the nova ejecta (hadronic scenario) or Inverse Compton/bremsstra…
Classical novae are runaway thermonuclear burning events on the surfaces of accreting white dwarfs in close binary star systems, sometimes appearing as new naked-eye sources in the night sky. The standard model of novae predicts that their optical luminosity derives from energy released near the hot white dwarf which is reprocessed through the ejected material. Recent studies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope have shown that many classical novae are accompanied by gigaelectronvolt gamma-ray emission. This emission likely originates from strong shocks, providing new insights into the properti…
The discovery of novae as sources of ~GeV gamma-rays highlights the key role of shocks and relativistic particle acceleration in these transient systems. Although there is evidence for a spectral cut-off above energies ~1-100 GeV at particular epochs in some novae, the maximum particle energy achieved in these accelerators has remained an open question. The high densities of the nova ejecta (~10 orders of magnitude larger than in supernova remnants) render the gas far upstream of the shock neutral and shielded from ionizing radiation. The amplification of the magnetic field needed for diffusiv…
The discovery of GeV gamma-rays from classical novae has led to a reassessment of these garden-variety explosions, and highlighted their importance for understanding radiative shocks, particle acceleration, and dust formation in more exotic, distant transients. Recent collaboration between observers and theorists has revealed that shocks in novae are energetically important, and can even dominate their bolometric luminosity. Shocks may also explain long-standing mysteries in novae such as dust production, super-Eddington luminosities, and `flares' in optical light curves. Here, we highlight th…
We present photometric and spectroscopic follow-up of a sample of extragalactic novae discovered by the Palomar 60-inch telescope during a search for "Fast Transients In Nearest Galaxies" (P60-FasTING). Designed as a fast cadence (1-day) and deep (g < 21 mag) survey, P60-FasTING was particularly sensitive to short-lived and faint optical transients. The P60-FasTING nova sample includes 10 novae in M31, 6 in M81, 3 in M82, 1 in NGC2403 and 1 in NGC891. This significantly expands the known sample of extragalactic novae beyond the Local Group, including the first discoveries in a starburst enviro…
More than a dozen binary systems are now established as sources of variable, high energy (HE, 0.1-100 GeV) gamma rays. Five are also established sources of very high energy (VHE, >100 GeV) gamma rays. The mechanisms behind gamma-ray emission in binaries are very diverse. My current understanding is that they divide up into four types of systems: gamma-ray binaries, powered by pulsar rotation; microquasars, powered by accretion onto a black hole or neutron star; novae, powered by thermonuclear runaway on a white dwarf; colliding wind binaries, powered by stellar winds from massive stars. Some o…
Recent observations found that electrons are accelerated to $\sim$10 GeV and emit synchrotron hard X-rays in two magnetic white dwarfs (WDs), also known as cataclysmic variables (CVs). In nova outbursts of WDs, multi-GeV gamma-rays were detected inferring that protons are accelerated to 100 GeV or higher. In recent optical surveys, the WD density is found to be higher near the Sun than in the Galactic disk by a factor $\sim$2.5. The cosmic rays (CR) produced by local CVs and novae will accumulate in the local bubble for $10^6$ - $10^7$ yrs. On these findings, we search for CRs from historic CV…
Shock interaction has been argued to play a role in powering a range of optical transients, including supernovae (particularly the superluminous class), classical novae, stellar mergers, tidal disruption events, and fast blue optical transients. These same shocks can accelerate relativistic ions, generating high-energy neutrino and gamma-ray emission via hadronic pion production. The recent discovery of time-correlated optical and gamma-ray emission in classical novae has revealed the important role of radiative shocks in powering these events, enabling an unprecedented view of the properties …
Supernovae (SNe) are the most fascinating objects in astronomy and are intensely investigated. However, many mysteries such as nucleosynthesis and the origin of SNe Ia remain unsolved. Although the thermonuclear explosion of a single-degenerate white dwarf has been considered to be the origin of SNe Ia, a merger of two white dwarfs (double-degenerate scenario) has been frequently denoted to be more promising than a single-degenerate white dwarf. Recently the importance of observing the MeV gamma-ray band to conclusively determine the origin has been remarked. MeV gamma-rays are unique probes d…
It has recently been discovered that some, if not all, classical novae emit GeV gamma rays during outburst, but the mechanisms involved in the production of the gamma rays are still not well understood. We present here a comprehensive multi-wavelength dataset---from radio to X-rays---for the most gamma-ray luminous classical nova to-date, V1324 Sco. Using this dataset, we show that V1324 Sco is a canonical dusty Fe-II type nova, with a maximum ejecta velocity of 2600 km s$^{-1}$ and an ejecta mass of few $\times 10^{-5}$ M$_{\odot}$. There is also evidence for complex shock interactions, inclu…
I report new orbital periods (P) for 13 classical novae, based on light curves from TESS, AAVSO, and other public archives. These new nova periods now constitute nearly one-seventh of all known nova periods. Five of my systems have P>1 day, which doubles the number of such systems that must have evolved companion stars. (This is simply because ground-based time series have neither the coverage nor the stability required to discover these small-amplitude long periods.) V1016 Sgr has a rare P below the period gap, and suddenly becomes useful for current debates on evolution of novae. Five of the…
Detection of high-energy (~> 100 MeV) gamma rays by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) from a nova in the symbiotic binary system V407 Cygni has opened possibility of high-energy neutrino detection from this type of sources. Thermonuclear explosion on the white dwarf surface sets off a nova shell in motion that expands and slows down in a dense surrounding medium provided by the red giant companion. Particles are accelerated in the shocks of the shell, and interact with surrounding medium to produce observed gamma rays. We show that proton-proton interaction, which is most likely responsible…
We present a search for Galactic transient gamma-ray sources using 13 years of the Fermi Large Area Telescope data. The search is based on a recently developed variable-size sliding-time-window (VSSTW) analysis and aimed at studying variable gamma-ray emission from binary systems, including novae, gamma-ray binaries, and microquasars. Compared to the previous search for transient sources at random positions in the sky with 11.5 years of data, we included gamma rays with energies down to 500 MeV, increased a number of test positions, and extended the data set by adding data collected between Fe…
Classical and recurrent nova explosions occur on top of white dwarfs accreting H-rich matter from a companion main sequence or red giant star, in a close binary system. In the recent years, since the launch of the Fermi gamma-ray satellite by NASA in 2008, several novae have been detected by Fermi/LAT (LAT: Large Area Telescope) in high-energy (HE) gamma rays, with energies larger than 100 MeV. This emission is known to be related to the acceleration of particles in the internal and/or external shocks occurring early after the thermonuclear nova explosion. However, very-high-energy (VHE) gamma…
The merger of a double neutron star (NS-NS) binary may result in a rapidly rotating massive NS with an extremely strong magnetic field (i.e., a millisecond magnetar). In this case, the magnetic spin-down of the NS remnant provides an additional source of sustained energy injection, which would continuously power the merger ejecta. The thermal emission from the merger ejecta would give rise to a bright optical "magnetar-powered merger-nova". In this work, we carry out a complete search for magnetar-powered merger-nova from Swift short gamma-ray burst (SGRB) sample. We focus on short GRBs with e…
We show that several features reminiscent of short-hard Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) arise naturally when Quark-Novae occur in low-mass X-ray binaries born with massive neutron stars (> 1.6M_sun) and harboring a circumbinary disk. Near the end of the first accretion phase, conditions are just right for the explosive conversion of the neutron star to a quark star (Quark-Nova). In our model, the subsequent interaction of material from the neutron star's ejected crust with the circumbinary disk explains the duration, variability and near-universal nature of the prompt emission in short-hard GRBs. We a…
Ongoing MeV telescopes such as INTEGRAL/SPI and Fermi/GBM, and proposed telescopes including the recently accepted COSI and the e-ASTROGAM and AMEGO missions, provide another window in understanding transients. Their signals contain information about the stellar explosion mechanisms and their corresponding nucleosynthesis of short-lived radioactive isotopes. This raises the need of a radiative transfer code which may efficiently explore different types of astrophysical $γ$-ray sources and their dependence on model parameters and input physics. In view of this, we present our new Monte-Carlo Ra…
We present time-lapse spectroscopy of a classical nova explosion commencing 9 days after discovery. These data reveal the appearance of a transient feature in Fe II and [O I]. We explore different models for this feature and conclude that it is best explained by a circumbinary disc shock-heated following the classical nova event. Circumbinary discs may play an important role in novae in accounting for the absorption systems known as THEA, the transfer of angular momentum, and the possible triggering of the nova event itself.
The physical mechanism driving mass ejection during a nova eruption is still poorly understood. Possibilities include ejection in a single ballistic event, a common envelope interaction, a continuous wind, or some combination of these processes. Here we present a study of 12 Galactic novae, for which we have pre-maximum high-resolution spectroscopy. All 12 novae show the same spectral evolution. Before optical peak, they show a slow P Cygni component. After peak a fast component quickly arises, while the slow absorption remains superimposed on top of it, implying the presence of at least two p…
After initial claims and a long hiatus, it is now established that several binary stars emit high (0.1-100 GeV) and very high energy (>100 GeV) gamma rays. A new class has emerged called 'gamma-ray binaries', since most of their radiated power is emitted beyond 1 MeV. Accreting X-ray binaries, novae and a colliding wind binary (eta Car) have also been detected - 'related systems' that confirm the ubiquity of particle acceleration in astrophysical sources. Do these systems have anything in common ? What drives their high-energy emission ? How do the processes involved compare to those in other …
We report on the Fermi-LAT detection (with ~5.7 sigma significance) as well as the multi-wavelength analysis of the 2017 nova eruption V549 Vel. Unlike the recent shock-powered novae ASASSN-16ma and V906 Car, the optical and gamma-ray light curves of V549 Vel show no correlation, likely implying relatively weak shocks in the eruption. Gaia detected a candidate progenitor of V549 Vel and found a parallax measurement of 1.91+/-0.39 mas, equivalent to a mode distance of d=560 pc (90% credible interval of 380-1050 pc). The progenitor was also observed by the 2MASS and WISE surveys. When adopting t…
Since its launch in June 2008, the Large Area Telescope (LAT), onboard the \emph{Fermi} Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has greatly added to our understanding of gamma-ray pulsars. Its fine point spread function and large effective area, combined with the time-differencing method, make it the first gamma-ray instrument capable of discovering a new population of gamma-ray pulsars. We will present the recent discovery of the youngest (~4600 yr) radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar discovered in a blind frequency search so far: PSR J1022-5746, a pulsar associated with an extended TeV source. We also present m…
There are several types of Galactic sources that can potentially accelerate charged particles up to GeV and TeV energies. We present here the results of our observations of the source class of gamma-ray binaries and the subclass of binary systems known as novae with the MAGIC telescopes. Up to now novae were only detected in the GeV range. This emission can be interpreted in terms of an inverse Compton process of electrons accelerated in a shock. In this case it is expected that protons in the same conditions can be accelerated to much higher energies. Consequently they may produce a second co…
Novae are the observable outcome of a transient thermonuclear runaway on the surface of an accreting white dwarf in a close binary system. Their high peak luminosity renders them visible in galaxies out beyond the distance of the Virgo Cluster. Over the past century, surveys of extragalactic novae, particularly within the nearby Andromeda Galaxy, have yielded substantial insights regarding the properties of their populations and sub-populations. The recent decade has seen the first detailed panchromatic studies of individual extragalactic novae and the discovery of two probably related sub-gro…
In March 2010 the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope discovered for the first time >100 MeV gamma-ray emission from a nova within our galaxy, V407 Cyg. The high-energy spectrum and light curve was explained as a consequence of shock acceleration in the nova shell as it interacts with the local ambient medium. It was suspected that the necessary conditions for high-energy emission from novae would be rare. In June 2012 the LAT detected a new flaring source, Fermi J1750-3243, that is spatially coincident and contemporaneous with a new nova, Nova Sco 2012. We …
In recent years, several nova explosions have been detected by Fermi/LAT at E>100 MeV, mainly early after the explosion and for a short period of time. The first evidence of particle acceleration in novae was found in the 2006 eruption of RS Oph, to explain the faster than expected deceleration of the blast wave. As a consequence, emission of high-energy gamma-rays mainly from neutral pion decay and inverse Compton scattering is expected. We aim to understand the early shock evolution, when acceleration of particles can take place, in nova explosions. To achieve this goal, we perform a multiwa…
We report here a new result extracted from the Fermi Large Area Telescope observation of the classical nova ASASSN-16ma that exhibits coherent gamma-ray pulsations at 544.84(7) seconds during its outburst in 2016. Considering the number of independent trials, the significance of the evidence is 4.0 sigma, equivalent to a false alarm probability of 5.9e-5. The periodicity was steady during the 4 days of its appearance, indicating its origin as the spinning signal of the white dwarf. Given that the optical and gamma-ray light curves of some shock-powered gamma-ray novae have been recently shown …
The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged the central part of M87 over a 10 week span, leading to the discovery of 32 classical novae and nine fainter, likely very slow and/or symbiotic novae. In this first in a series of papers we present the M87 nova finder charts, and the light and color curves of the novae. We demonstrate that the rise and decline times, and the colors of M87 novae are uncorrelated with each other and with position in the galaxy. The spatial distribution of the M87 novae follows the light of the galaxy, suggesting that novae accreted by M87 during cannibalistic episodes are we…
Novae have been reported as transients for more than two thousand years. Their bright optical outbursts are the result of explosive nuclear burning of gas accreted from a binary companion onto a white dwarf. Novae containing a white dwarf close to the Chandrasekhar mass limit and accreting at a high rate are potentially the unknown progenitors of the type Ia supernovae used to measure the acceleration of the Universe. Swift X-ray observations have radically transformed our view of novae by providing dense monitoring throughout the outburst, revealing new phenomena in the super-soft X-rays from…
The recent GAIA DR2 measurements of distances to galactic novae have allowed to re-analyse some properties of nova populations in the Milky Way and in external galaxies on new and more solid empirical bases. In some cases we have been able to confirm results previously obtained, such as the concept of nova populations into two classes of objects, that is \emph{disk} and \emph{bulge} novae and their link with the Tololo spectroscopic classification in \emph{Fe II} and \emph{He/N} novae. The recent and robust estimates of nova rates in the Magellanic Clouds galaxies provided by the OGLE team hav…
