Abstract
The classical nova outburst is caused by a thermonuclear explosion on the surface of a white dwarf1,2. The explosion ignites at the base of an envelope of hydrogen-rich material which has been accreted from a binary companion star. It has long been evident, however, that in the explosion most of the envelope is not consumed by nuclear burning, but is ejected from the system. This is because to consume the envelope mass (~ 10−4 M⊙) at the maximum possible rate (with luminosity equal to the Eddington limit) would take ~300 years, whereas classical novae return to their pre-outburst brightness within ~10 years (ref. 3). Rough confirmation of this is given by the fact that the masses of shells of material observed to be ejected from novae are in the range 10−3 to 10−5 M⊙ (ref. 4). Here we consider the effect on the orbital parameters of a classical nova of the ejection of mass during the nova explosion. The most easily observable consequence is the generation of a small eccentricity in the orbit which leads to a luminosity modulation at a period just longer than the orbital period. Observation of such an effect, would have implications not just for interpreting the dynamics of the explosion but also for measuring the secular effect of tidal interaction after the outburst.
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References
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Edwards, D., Pringle, J. Orbital eccentricity in classical novae. Nature 328, 505 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/328505a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/328505a0
