The phases of X-ray emission of RS Oph

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the X-ray emission phases of the recurrent nova RS Oph during its 2006 outburst, utilizing high-resolution spectral and temporal data from Swift, Chandra, and XMM-Newton to refine models of its evolution.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of X-ray observations from different instruments during the 2006 outburst, enhancing understanding of the nova's emission phases and model constraints.

Findings

Decay from the supersoft X-ray phase was observed.

High temporal resolution data from Swift captured rapid changes.

Spectral data from Chandra and XMM-Newton refined emission models.

Abstract

The recurrent symbiotic nova RS Oph reoccurred after 21 years on 12 February 2006. In contrast to the 1985 outburst, much denser coverage with X-ray observations was achieved. Swift observed RS Oph up to several times a day while Chandra and XMM-Newton observed two to four times during each phase of evolution. While the Swift observations provide high resolution in time, the Chandra and XMM-Newton observations provide high spectral resolution. Refined models can be constrained by the grating spectra, and interpolation of the model parameters can be constrained by the wealth of Swift observations. We compared the Swift light curve with six X-ray observations taken with \exosat\ during the 1985 outburst. We found that the decay from the supersoft X-ray binary (SSS) phase had been observed.