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 have confirmed the dependence of the normalized nova rate (i.e., the nova rate per unit of luminosity of the host galaxy) with the colors and/or class of luminosity of the parent galaxies. The nova rates in the Milky Way and in external galaxies have been collected from literature and critically discussed. They are the necessary ingredient to asses the contribution of novae to the nucleosynthesis of the respective host galaxies, particularly to explain the origin of the overabundance of lithium observed in young stellar populations. A direct comparison between distances obtained via GAIA DR2 and Maximum Magnitude vs.\ Rate of Decline (MMRD) relationship points out that the MMRD can provide distances with an uncertainty better than 30\%. Multiwavelength observations of novae along the whole electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to gamma-rays, have revealed that novae undergo a complex evolution characterized by several emission phases and a non-spherical geometry for the nova ejecta.
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.
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…
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…
We present observations of the unusual optical transient SN 2010U, including spectra taken 1.03 days to 15.3 days after maximum light that identify it as a fast and luminous Fe II type nova. Our multi-band light curve traces the fast decline (t_2 = 3.5 days) from maximum light (M_V = -10.2 mag), placing SN 2010U in the top 0.5% of the most luminous novae ever observed. We find typical ejecta velocities of approximately 1100 km/s and that SN 2010U shares many spectral and photometric characteristics with two other fast and luminous Fe II type novae, including Nova LMC 1991 and M31N-2007-11d. Fo…
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…
Nova rates have now been measured for more than a dozen galaxies spanning a wide range of Hubble types. When normalized to the infrared K-band luminosity of the galaxy, the luminosity-specific nova rates typically fall in the range of 1-3 novae per year per 10^10 solar luminosities in K, and do not vary significantly across the Hubble sequence. Preliminary nova rates are presented for three Virgo ellipticals (M49, M84, and M87) with differing globular cluster specific frequencies. No dependence of the luminosity-specific nova rate on globular cluster specific frequency was found. Photometric a…
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya（加泰罗尼亚理工大学）；Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)（加泰罗尼亚空间研究所）；Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE)（马克斯·普朗克地外物理研究所）；Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)（波茨坦莱布尼茨天体物理研究所）；Potsdam University（波茨坦大学）
Of the approximately 400 known Galactic classical novae, only ten of them, the recurrent novae, have been seen to erupt more than once. At least eight of these recurrents are known to harbor evolved secondary stars, rather than the main sequence secondaries typical in classical novae. In this paper, we propose a new nova classification system, based solely on the evolutionary state of the secondary, and not (like the current schemes) based on the properties of the outbursts. Using archival optical and near-infrared photometric observations of a sample of thirty eight quiescent Galactic novae w…
Of all the light elements, the evolution of lithium (Li) in the Milky Way is perhaps the most difficult to explain. Li is difficult to synthesize and is easily destroyed, making most stellar sites unsuitable for producing Li in sufficient quantities to account for the proto-solar abundance. For decades, novae have been proposed as a potential explanation to this 'Galactic Li problem', and the recent detection of 7Be in the ejecta of multiple nova eruptions has breathed new life into this theory. In this work, we assess the viability of novae as dominant producers of Li in the Milky Way. We pre…
All novae recur, but only a handful have been observed in eruption more than once. These systems, the recurrent novae (RNe), are among the most extreme examples of novae. RNe have long been thought of as potential type Ia supernova progenitors, and their claim to this 'accolade' has recently been strengthened. In this short review RNe will be presented within the framework of the maximum magnitude-rate of decline (MMRD) phase-space. Recent work integrating He-flashes into nova models, and the subsequent growth of the white dwarf, will be explored. This review also presents an overview of the G…
Utilising the unique location of red clump giants on colour-magnitude diagrams obtained from various near-IR surveys, we derived specific reddening-distance relations towards 119 Galactic novae for which independent reddening measurements are available. Using the derived distance-extinction relation and the independent measurements of reddening we calculated the most likely distances for each system. We present the details of our distance measurement technique and the results of this analysis, which yielded the distances of 73 Galactic novae and allowed us to set lower limits on the distances …
Eruptions of classical novae are possible sources of lithium formation and gamma-ray emission. Nova remnants can also become Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). The contribution of novae to these phenomena depends on nova rates, which are not well established for the Galaxy. Here, we directly measure a Galactic bulge nova rate of $13.8 \pm 2.6$ per year. This measurement is much more accurate than any previous measurement of this kind thanks to many years' monitoring of the bulge by the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) survey. Our sample consists of 39 novae eruptions, $\sim$1/3 of whi…
The origin and calibration of the maximum absolute magnitude relation with decline time (MMRD) for novae, first derived by Zwicky (1936) empirically validated by McLaughlin (1940) and widely used to estimate distances to classical novae and the near-constancy of the absolute magnitude of novae, 15 days after optical maximum, suggested by Buscombe and de Vaucouleurs (1955) are revisited in this paper and found to be valid. The main results presented in the paper are: (1) A physical derivation of the MMRD based on instantaneous injection of energy to the nova system. (2) A significantly better-c…
There is a longstanding discrepancy between the observed Galactic classical nova rate of $\sim 10$ yr$^{-1}$ and the predicted rate from Galactic models of $\sim 30$--50 yr$^{-1}$. One explanation for this discrepancy is that many novae are hidden by interstellar extinction, but the degree to which dust can obscure novae is poorly constrained. We use newly available all-sky three-dimensional dust maps to compare the brightness and spatial distribution of known novae to that predicted from relatively simple models in which novae trace Galactic stellar mass. We find that only half ($\sim 48$\%) …
We review infrared observations of classical and recurrent novae, at wavelengths >3microns, including both broad-band and spectroscopic observations. In recent years infrared spectroscopy in particular has revolutionised our understanding of the nova phenomenon, by revealing fine-structure and coronal lines, and the mineralogy of nova dust. Infrared spectroscopic facilities that are, or will be, becoming available in the next 10 - 20 years have the potential for a comprehensive study of nova line emission and dust mineralogy, and for an unbiassed assessment of the extragalactic nova population…
I derive the overall best distances for all 402 known galactic novae, and I collect their many properties. The centrepiece is the 74 novae with accurate parallaxes from the new Gaia data release. For the needed priors, I have collected 171 distances based on old methods (including expansion parallaxes and extinction distances). Further, I have collected the V-magnitudes at peak and the extinction measures, so as to produce absolute magnitudes at peak and then derive a crude distance as a prior. Further, I have recognized that 41 per cent of the known novae are concentrated in the bulge, with 6…
The Swift GRB satellite is an excellent facility for studying novae. Its rapid response time and sensitive X-ray detector provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the previously poorly sampled evolution of novae in the X-ray regime. This paper presents Swift observations of 52 Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae. We included the XRT (0.3-10 keV) X-ray instrument count rates and the UVOT (1700-8000 Angstroms) filter photometry. Also included in the analysis are the publicly available pointed observations of 10 additional novae the X-ray archives. This is the largest X-ray sample of Galac…
Models have long predicted that the frequency-averaged masses of white dwarfs in Galactic classical novae are twice as large as those of field white dwarfs. Only a handful of dynamically well-determined nova white dwarf masses have been published, leaving the theoretical predictions poorly tested. The recurrence time distributions and mass accretion rate distributions of novae are even more poorly known. To address these deficiencies, we have combined our extensive simulations of nova eruptions with the Strope et al (2010) and Schaefer et al (2010) databases of outburst characteristics of Gala…
We obtained the absolute magnitudes, distances, and white dwarf (WD) masses of 32 recent galactic novae based on the time-stretching method for nova light curves. A large part of the light/color curves of two classical novae often overlap each other if we properly squeeze/stretch their timescales. Then, a target nova brightness is related to the other template nova brightness by $(M_V[t])_{\rm template} = (M_V[t/f_{\rm s}] - 2.5 \log f_{\rm s})_{\rm target}$, where $t$ is the time, $M_V[t]$ is the absolute $V$ magnitude, and $f_{\rm s}$ is their timescaling ratio. Moreover, when these two time…
The nova rate in the Milky Way remains largely uncertain, despite its vital importance in constraining models of Galactic chemical evolution as well as understanding progenitor channels for Type Ia supernovae. The rate has been previously estimated in the range of $\approx10-300$ yr$^{-1}$, either based on extrapolations from a handful of very bright optical novae or the nova rates in nearby galaxies; both methods are subject to debatable assumptions. The total discovery rate of optical novae remains much smaller ($\approx5-10$ yr$^{-1}$) than these estimates, even with the advent of all-sky o…
A distinguishing trait of the three known Galactic recurrent novae with the shortest orbital periods, T Pyx, IM Nor, and CI Aql, is that their optical decline time-scales are significantly longer than those of the other recurrent systems. On the other hand, some estimates of the mass of the ejecta, the velocity of the ejecta, and the duration of the soft X-rays emission of these systems are of the order of those of the other recurrent systems and the fast classical novae. We put forth a tentative explanation of this phenomenon. We propose that in these systems part of the material transferred …
We present the first estimate of the Galactic nova rate based on optical transient surveys covering the entire sky. Using data from the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) and \textit{Gaia} -- the only two all-sky surveys to report classical nova candidates -- we find 39 confirmed Galactic novae and 7 additional unconfirmed candidates discovered from 2019--2021, yielding a nova discovery rate of $\approx 14$ yr$^{-1}$. Using accurate Galactic stellar mass models, three-dimensional dust maps, and incorporating realistic nova light curves, we have built a sophisticated Galactic nov…
We report the discovery of forty erupting cataclysmic variable stars in the OGLE-III Galactic disk fields: seventeen objects of U Gem type, four of Z Cam type, and nineteen stars showing outbursts and superoutbursts typical for SU UMa type dwarf novae. In the case of five stars we were able to estimate their supercycle lengths. The obtained lengths are in the range 20-90 d, generally between the typical SU UMa type variables and a few objects classified as the ER UMa type variables. Since there is no significant difference between the two types but a higher mass-transfer rate resulting in more…
Ten weeks of daily imaging of the giant elliptical galaxy M87 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has yielded 41 nova light curves of unprecedented quality for extragalactic cataclysmic variables. We have recently used these light curves to demonstrate that the observational scatter in the so-called Maximum-Magnitude Rate of Decline (MMRD) relation for classical novae is so large as to render the nova-MMRD useless as a standard candle. Here we demonstrate that a modified Buscombe - de Vaucouleurs hypothesis, namely that novae with decline times t2 > 10 days converge to nearly the same absolu…
In this study, a new Galactic novae catalogue is introduced collecting important parameters of these sources such as their light curve parameters, classifications, full width half maximum (FWHM) of H$_α$ line, distances and interstellar reddening estimates. The catalogue is also published on a website with a search option via a SQL query and an online tool to re-calculate the distance/reddening of a nova from the derived reddening-distance relations. Using the novae in the catalogue, the existence of a maximum magnitude-rate of decline (MMRD) relation in the Galaxy is investigated. Although an…
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…
Near-IR data of Classical Novae contain useful information about the ejected gas mass and the thermal emission by dust formed during eruption, and provide independent methods to classify the objects according to the colour of their progenitors, and the fading rate and features seen after eruption. The VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea survey (VVV) is a near-IR ESO Public Survey mapping the MW bulge and southern plane. Data taken during 2010-2011 covered the entire area in the JHKs bands plus some epochs in Ks-band of the ongoing VVV variability campaign. We used the novae list provided by VSX/…
Red novae are optical transients erupting at luminosities typically higher than those of classical novae. Their outbursts are believed to be caused by stellar mergers. We present millimeter/submillimeter-wave observations with ALMA and SMA of the three best known Galactic red novae, V4332 Sgr, V1309 Sco, and V838 Mon. The observations were taken 22, 8, and 14 yr after their respective eruptions and reveal the presence of molecular gas at excitation temperatures of 35-200 K. The gas displays molecular emission in rotational transitions with very broad lines (full width $\sim$400 km\s). We found…
A class of optical transients known as Luminous Red Novae (LRNe) have recently been associated with mass ejections from binary stars undergoing common-envelope evolution. We use the population synthesis code COMPAS to explore the impact of a range of assumptions about the physics of common-envelope evolution on the properties of LRNe. In particular, we investigate the influence of various models for the energetics of LRNe on the expected event rate and light curve characteristics, and compare with the existing sample. We find that the Galactic rate of LRNe is $\sim 0.2$ yr$^{-1}$, in agreement…
Despite its fundamental importance, a reliable estimate of the Galactic nova rate has remained elusive. Here, the overall Galactic nova rate is estimated by extrapolating the observed rate for novae reaching $m\leq2$ to include the entire Galaxy using a two component disk plus bulge model for the distribution of stars in the Milky Way. The present analysis improves on previous work by considering important corrections for incompleteness in the observed rate of bright novae and by employing a Monte Carlo analysis to better estimate the uncertainty in the derived nova rates. Several models are c…
Of the 350 or more known Galactic classical novae, only a handful of them, the recurrent novae, have been observed in outburst more than once. At least eight of these recurrents are known to harbour evolved secondary stars, rather than the main sequence secondaries typical in classical novae. Here we present a selection of the work and rationale that led to the proposal of a new nova classification scheme based not on the outburst properties but on the nature of the quiescent system. Also outlined are the results of a photometric survey of a sample of quiescent Galactic novae, showing that the…
The unprecedented sky coverage and observing cadence of the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) has resulted in the discovery and continued monitoring of a large sample of Galactic transients. The vast majority of these are accretion-powered dwarf nova outbursts in cataclysmic variable systems, but a small subset are thermonuclear-powered classical novae. Despite improved monitoring of the Galaxy for novae from ASAS-SN and other surveys, the observed Galactic nova rate is still lower than predictions. One way classical novae could be missed is if they are confused with the much l…
[Abridged] Classical novae (CNe) represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central region of our neighbouring galaxy M31. We performed a dedicated monitoring of the M31 central region, aimed to detect SSS counterparts of CNe, with XMM-Newton and Chandra between Nov and Mar of the years 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12. In total we detected 24 novae in X-rays. Seven of these sources were known from previous observations, including the M31 nova with the longest SSS phase, M31N~1996-08b, which was found to fade below our X-ray detection limit 13.8 yr after outburst. Of the ne…
We present the first light curve analysis of Population II novae that appeared in M31 globular clusters. Our light curve models, based on the optically thick wind theory, reproduce well both the X-ray turn-on and turnoff times with the white dwarf (WD) mass of about 1.2 Mo for M31N 2007-06b in Bol 111 and about 1.37 Mo for M31N 2010-10f in Bol 126. The transient supersoft X-ray source CXO J004345 in Bol 194 is highly likely a nova remnant of 1.2 -- 1.3 Mo WD. These WD masses are quite consistent with the temperatures deduced from X-ray spectra. We also present the dependence of nova light curv…
We present a survey of M31 novae in quiescence. This is the first catalogue of extragalactic systems in quiescence and contains 37 spectroscopically confirmed novae from 2006 to 2013. We used Liverpool Telescope and Faulkes Telescope North images taken during outburst to identify accurate positions for each system. These positions were then transformed to archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and we performed photometry on any resolvable source that was consistent with the transformed positions. As red giants in M31 will be resolvable in the HST images, we can detect systems with red gi…
SPHEREx as a frontier for infrared transients: Classification of new Galactic FU Ori outbursts and classical novae
Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学）；Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Research Institute（平顶山研究所计算天体物理中心）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian（哈佛与史密森尼天体物理中心）；University of Washington（华盛顿大学）
I collect virtually all photometry of the ten known galactic recurrent novae (RNe) and their 37 known eruptions. This consists of my modern measures of nearly all archival plates (providing the only data for half of 37 known eruptions), my own 10,000 CCD magnitudes from 1987 to present (providing virtually all of the magnitudes in quiescence for seven RNe), over 140,000 visual magnitude estimates recorded by amateur astronomers (who discovered half the known eruptions), and the small scattering of magnitudes from all the literature. From this, I produce various uniform products; (1) BVRIJHK co…
We report the results of a survey of M31 novae in quiescence. This is the first catalog of extragalactic systems in quiescence to be published, and contains data for 38 spectroscopically confirmed novae from 2006 to 2012. We used Liverpool Telescope (LT) images of each nova during eruption to define an accurate position for each system. These positions were then matched to archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and we performed photometry on any resolved objects that were coincident with the eruption positions. The survey aimed to detect quiescent systems with red giant secondaries, as o…
The recent measurements of internal variations of helium in Galactic and extragalactic Globular Clusters (GCs) set binding constraints to the models of formation of Multiple Populations (MPs) in GCs, and gave rise, at the same time, to crucial questions related with the influence of the environment on MP formation as well as with the role played by GCs in the early galactic formation. We present the most recent estimates of helium enrichment in the main populations of a large sample of Galactic and extragalactic GCs.
The metallicity of a star affects its evolution in a variety of ways, changing stellar radii, luminosities, lifetimes, and remnant properties. In this work, we use the population synthesis code binary_c to study how metallicity affects novae in the context of binary stellar evolution. We compute a 16-point grid of metallicities ranging from $Z=10^{-4}$ to 0.03, presenting distributions of nova white dwarf masses, accretion rates, delay-times, and initial system properties at the two extremes of our 16-point metallicity grid. We find a clear anti-correlation between metallicity and the number o…
Examples are presented for appearance of geometric symmetry in the shape of various astronomical objects and phenomena. Usage of these symmetries in astrophysical and extragalactic research is also discussed.
After an optical peak, a classical or recurrent nova settles into a brief (days to years) period of quasi-stable thermonuclear burning in a compact configuration nearly at the white dwarf (WD) radius. During this time, the underlying WD becomes visible as a strong emitter of supersoft X-rays. Observations during this phase have revealed oscillations in the X-ray emission with periods on the order of tens of seconds. A proposed explanation for the source of these oscillations are internal gravity waves excited by nuclear reactions at the base of the hydrogen-burning layer. In this work, we pres…
We report combined optical and X-ray observations of nova M31N 2007-12b. Optical spectroscopy obtained 5 days after the 2007 December outburst shows evidence of very high ejection velocities (FWHM H$α\simeq 4500$ km s$^{-1}$). In addition, Swift X-ray data show that M31N 2007-12b is associated with a Super-Soft Source (SSS) which appeared between 21 and 35 days post-outburst and turned off between then and day 169. Our analysis implies that $M_{\rm WD} \ga 1.3 $M$_{\odot}$ in this system. The optical light curve, spectrum and X-ray behaviour are consistent with those of a recurrent nova. Hubbl…
The radio source 18P87, previously thought to be a point source, has been serendipitously found to be resolved into a core-jet geometry in VLA maps. HI absorption of continuum emission (in data from the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey) appears in gas with radial velocities > +2 km/s but not in brightly emitting gas at lower radial velocity. Examination of further archival observations at radio, infrared and optical wavelengths suggests that the "obvious" interpretation as a radio galaxy requires a rather unusual object of this kind and a highly unusual local line of sight. We argue that 18P87 m…
We report the detection of a dispersed Fast Radio Burst (FRB) in archival intermediate-latitude Parkes Radio Telescope data. The burst appears to be of the same physical origin as the four purported extragalactic FRBs reported by Thornton et al. (2013). This burst's arrival time precedes the Thornton et al.~bursts by ten years. We consider that this survey, and many other archival low-latitude (|gb|<30deg) pulsar surveys, have been searched for FRBs but produced fewer detections than the comparatively brief Thornton et al.~search. Such a rate dependence on Galactic position could provide criti…
Studies based on Hubble Space Telescope ($HST$) photometry in F275W, F336W, and F438W have shown that the incidence and complexity of multiple populations (MPs) in Globular Clusters (GCs) depend on cluster mass. This result, however, is based on nearby, low-reddening Galactic GCs, for which we can obtain accurate F275W photometry. In this work we exploit $HST$ photometry in F336W, F438W, and F814W to characterize MPs in 68 Galactic and extragalactic GCs by using the pseudo-color $C_{F336W,F438W,F814W}$, which is more efficient in terms of observation time than the pseudo-color $C_{F275W,F336W,…
As more missions attempt to directly image and characterize exoplanets orbiting nearby sun-like stars, advance characterization of possible contaminating background sources becomes more important and can impact target selection. This paper describes an exploration of the Hubble Source catalog, Gaia catalog and Besancon galaxy simulations in order to determine the likelihood of having a contaminating source in the background of a set of high proper motion stars in the expected timeframe of observations for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraphic Instrument. The analysis shows that f…
