Evidence for nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration of cosmic-rays in the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi

TL;DR

This paper presents evidence that nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration explains the observed shock deceleration and high-energy particle acceleration in the 2006 outburst of RS Ophiuchi, aligning with X-ray and IR data.

Contribution

It demonstrates that nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration accounts for shock dynamics and particle energies in a nova outburst, extending understanding beyond standard models.

Findings

Shock deceleration exceeds standard model predictions.

Particles reach energies of a few TeV within days.

Moderate acceleration efficiency inferred from X-ray data.

Abstract

Spectroscopic observations of the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi at both infrared (IR) and X-ray wavelengths have shown that the blast wave has decelerated at a higher rate than predicted by the standard test-particle adiabatic shock-wave model. Here we show that the observed evolution of the nova remnant can be explained by the diffusive shock acceleration of particles at the blast wave and the subsequent escape of the highest energy ions from the shock region. Nonlinear particle acceleration can also account for the difference of shock velocities deduced from the IR and X-ray data. The maximum energy that accelerated electrons and protons can have achieved in few days after outburst is found to be as high as a few TeV. Using the semi-analytic model of nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration developed by Berezhko & Ellison, we show that the postshock temperature of the shocked gas measured with RXTE/PCA and Swift/XRT imply a relatively moderate acceleration efficiency.