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First Science with the Keck Interferometer Nuller High Spatial Resolution N-Band Observations of the Recurrent Nova RS OphiuchiWe report observations of the nova RS 0phiuchi using the Keck Interferometer Nuller (KIN) taken approximately 3.8 days following the most recent outburst that occurred on 2006 February 12. The KIN operates in N-band from approx. 8 to 12.5 microns in a nulling mode - the sparse aperture equivalent of the conventional coronagraphic technique used in filled aperture te1escopes. In this mode the stellar light is suppressed by a destructive fringe, effectively enhancing the contrast of the circumstellar material located near the star. In a second, constructive-fringe mode, the instrument detects primarily the light from the central, bright source. These are the outer and inner spatial regimes, resprectively. We will describe the capabilities of the KIN, including these unique modes, and outline how they were key in our discovery that dust does not appear to be created in the outburst as in previous models, but instead was created between nova events. We also show how these first results from the KIN are consistent with Spitzer data. The KIN data show evidence of enhanced neutral atomic hydrogen emission and atomic metals including silicon located in the inner spatial regime near the white dwarf (WD) relative to the outer regime. There are also nebular emission lines and evidence of hot silicate dust in the outer spatial region, centered at approximately 17 AU from the WD, that are not found in the inner regime. The KIN and Spitzer data suggest that these emissions were excited by the nova flash in the outer spatial regime before the blast wave reached these regions. We describe the present results in terms of a new model for dust creation in recurrent novae that includes an increase in density in the plane of the orbit of the two stars created by a spiral shock wave caused by the motion of the stars through the cool wind of the red giant star. These data show the power and potential of the nulling technique which has been developed for the detection of Earth-like planets around nearby stars for the Terrestrial Planet Finder and Darwin missions.
Document ID
20080032903
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Barry, Richard K.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Danchi, W. C.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Traub, W.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Kuchner, M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Wisniewski, J. P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Akeson, R.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Colavita, M.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Greenhouse, M, A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Koresko, C.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Serabyn, E.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Sokoloski, J. L.
(Columbia Univ. New York, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
June 23, 2008
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Meeting Information
Meeting: SPIE 2008
Location: Marseille
Country: France
Start Date: June 23, 2008
End Date: June 28, 2008
Sponsors: International Society for Optical Engineering
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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