Can I read X-ray and UV emission from the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi in quiescence: Signatures of accretion and shocked gas on EtoBox?

X-ray and UV emission from the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi in quiescence: Signatures of accretion and shocked gas by Nelson, Thomas; Mukai, Koji; Orio, Marina; Luna, Juan; Sokoloski, Jeno is a scholarly article available to read on EtoBox.

What is X-ray and UV emission from the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi in quiescence: Signatures of accretion and shocked gas about?

RS Ophiuchi is a recurrent nova system that experiences outbursts every ~20 years, implying accretion at a high rate onto a massive white dwarf. However, previous X-ray observations of the system in quiescence have detected only faint emission that is difficult to reconcile with the high accretion rate predicted by nova theory for such frequent outbursts. Here, we use new Chandra and XMM-Newton observations obtained 537 and 744 days after the 2006 outburst to constrain both the accretion rate onto the white dwarf and the properties of the nova ejecta at these times. We detect low level UV variability with the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor on day 744 that is consistent with accretion disk flickering, and use this to place a lower limit on the accretion rate. The X-ray spectra in both observations are well described by a two component thermal plasma model. The first component originates in the nova shell, which can emit X-rays for up to a decade after the outburst. The other component likely arises in the accretion disk boundary layer, and can be equally well fit by a single temperature plasma or a cooling flow model. Although the flux of the single temperature model implies an accretio

Author

Nelson, Thomas; Mukai, Koji; Orio, Marina; Luna, Juan; Sokoloski, Jeno

Published

2011

Language

EN