High energy emission of symbiotic recurrent novae: RS Ophiuchi and V407 Cygni

TL;DR

This paper discusses how symbiotic recurrent novae like RS Ophiuchi and V407 Cygni can produce high energy gamma-ray emission through shock acceleration and inverse Compton processes, similar to supernova remnants but on smaller scales.

Contribution

It analyzes the mechanisms behind high energy emission in symbiotic recurrent novae and highlights recent observational detections by Fermi.

Findings

V407 Cyg was detected by Fermi as a gamma-ray source.

RS Ophiuchi's 2006 explosion provides insights into nova shock processes.

High energy emission is linked to particle acceleration in nova shocks.

Abstract

Recurrent novae occurring in symbiotic binaries are candidate sources of high energy photons, reaching GeV energies. Such emission is a consequence of particle acceleration leading to pion production. The shock between matter ejected by the white dwarf, undergoing a nova explosion, and the wind from the red giant companion is responsible for such a process, which mimics a supernova remnant but with much smaller energetic output and much shorter time scales. Inverse Compton can also be responsible for high energy emission. Recent examples are V407 Cyg, detected by Fermi, and RS Oph, which unfortunately exploded in 2006, before Fermi was launched.