Nova outbursts and dust formation: where do we stand?

摘要

Infrared observations of nova light curves suggest that most novae form grains in their expanding shells, ejected into the interstellar medium by means of a thermonuclear runaway. The dust condensation phase corresponds to a decline in visual light, together with a rise in infrared emission. Quite different condensates are expected to form in CO and ONe novae. In this paper, we present theoretical isotopic ratios of several nuclear species, ranging from C to Si, for a series of hydrodynamic models of nova outbursts which we expect to match those measured in presolar grains of a putative nova origin. [References: 6]