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Binary Orbits as the Driver of Gamma-Ray Emission and Mass Ejection in Classical NovaeClassical novae are the most common astrophysical thermonuclear explosions, occurring on the surfaces of white dwarf stars accreting gas from companions in binary star systems. Novae typically expel about 10 (sup -4) solar masses of material at velocities exceeding 1,000 kilometers per second.However, the mechanism of mass ejection in novae is poorly understood, and could be dominated by the impulsive flash of thermonuclear energy, prolonged optically thick winds or binary interaction with the nova envelope. Classical novae are now routinely detected at giga-electronvolt gamma-ray wavelengths, suggesting that relativistic particles are accelerated by strong shocks in the ejecta. Here we report high-resolution radio imaging of the gamma-ray-emitting nova V959 Mon. We find that its ejecta were shaped by the motion of the binary system: some gas was expelled rapidly along the poles as a wind from the white dwarf, while denser material drifted out along the equatorial plane, propelled by orbital motion..At the interface between the equatorial and polar regions, we observe synchrotron emission indicative of shocks and relativistic particle acceleration, thereby pinpointing the location of gamma-ray production. Binary shaping of the nova ejecta and associated internal shocks are expected to be widespread among novae, explaining why many novae are gamma-ray emitters.
Document ID
20150023329
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Chomiuk, Laura
(Michigan State Univ. East Lansing, MI, United States)
Linford, Justin D.
(Michigan State Univ. East Lansing, MI, United States)
Yang, Jun
(Academia Sinica Shanghai, China)
O'Brien, T. J.
(Manchester Univ. United Kingdom)
Paragi, Zsolt
(Joint Inst. for VLBI in Europe Dwingeloo, Netherlands)
Mioduszewski, Amy J.
(National Radio Astronomy Observatory Socorro, NM, United States)
Beswick, R. J.
(Manchester Univ. United Kingdom)
Cheung, C. C.
(Naval Research Lab. Washington, DC, United States)
Mukai, Koji
(Maryland Univ. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Nelson, Thomas
(Minnesota Univ. Minneapolis, MN, United States)
Date Acquired
December 18, 2015
Publication Date
October 8, 2014
Publication Information
Publication: Nature
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved
Volume: 514
Issue: 7522
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Astronomy
Space Radiation
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN23143
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EO90A
OTHER: NASA-10-FERMI10-C4-0060
CONTRACT_GRANT: EC-FP/2007-2013-283393
CONTRACT_GRANT: EC-FP/2007-2013-RI-261525
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF-AST-1211778
OTHER: NASA-DPR S-15633-Y
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX13AO91G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
binary orbits as the driver of gamma-ray

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