An asymmetric shock wave in the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi

T. J. O'Brien (), M. F. Bode, R. W. Porcas, T. W. B. Muxlow, S. P. S. Eyres, R. J. Beswick, S. T. Garrington, R. J. Davis and A. Evans
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T. J. O'Brien: School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Manchester
M. F. Bode: Liverpool John Moores University, Twelve Quays House
R. W. Porcas: Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
T. W. B. Muxlow: School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Manchester
S. P. S. Eyres: University of Central Lancashire
R. J. Beswick: School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Manchester
S. T. Garrington: School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Manchester
R. J. Davis: School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Manchester
A. Evans: School of Physical & Geographical Sciences, Keele University

Nature, 2006, vol. 442, issue 7100, 279-281

Abstract: A star is reborn In February this year the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi (RS Oph) burst into life. Every 20 years or so the white dwarf component of this binary accumulates sufficient material from its red giant companion to power a thermonuclear explosion that we see as an increase in magnitude from a very dim 12.5 to magnitude 5. Two groups report observations of the recent outburst. Satellite X-ray observations by Sokoloski et al. reveal an initial phase in which the blast wave expanded freely. Within two days the outbound wave started to slow, suggesting that there was much less debris than had been expected from such an event. O'Brien et al. trained the largest terrestrial radio telescope arrays on RS Oph and were able to directly image a shock wave in a nova explosion for the first time, 14 days after its initial discovery. The structures revealed show an evolution to a remnant similar to that of a type II supernova — but evolving over months rather than millennia.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature04949

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