The E-Nova Project: A Multi-Wavelength Initiative to Probe the Ejecta and
by
Laura Chomiuk .(Michigan State University)
→
Europe/Stockholm
FA32
FA32
Description
When imagining a nuclear explosion, we often picture the discrete strong
shock waves from atomic bombs photographed in the 1940's; however, nature's
most common thermonuclear explosions look nothing like this, showing delayed
and multiple phases of mass ejection that can last for months after the
nuclear fuel is ignited. These most common explosions are
novae---thermonuclear runaways on the surfaces of accreting white
dwarfs---and their complexities are best revealed with an intensive
multi-wavelength observational program highlighting radio and X-ray
data---our E-Nova Project. I will discuss our recent results, featuring
observations from the newly-upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, and
spotlighting sources like the recurrent nova T Pyx (which is challenging our
basic assumptions about accretion on white dwarfs) and the three novae that
have been detected in gamma rays to date (an emission process that was not
predicted and remains an intriguing mystery). The implications for Type Ia
supernova progenitors will also be discussed.