A WISE view of novae. I. The data

TL;DR

This paper analyzes WISE infrared data on classical and recurrent novae, revealing dust, line, and stellar emissions, and sets the stage for future detailed modeling and variability studies.

Contribution

First comprehensive analysis of WISE data on novae, identifying emission types and establishing a foundation for future detailed modeling and variability research.

Findings

36 novae detected in WISE bands, 16 in all four bands

31 known novae not detected by WISE

Detected emissions include dust, line, and stellar photosphere signals

Abstract

We present the results of data-mining the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) archive for data on classical and recurrent novae. We find that the detections are consistent with dust emission, line emission, emission by a stellar photosphere, or a combination of these. Of the 36 novae detected in one or more WISE bands, 16 are detected in all four; thirty-one known novae are not detected by WISE. We also searched for WISE data on post-WISE novae, to gain information about nova progenitors. In this first paper we consider only the WISE data. In future papers we will provide a more detailed modelling of the WISE data, and discuss WISE data on post-WISE novae - including their variability - and will complement the WISE data with data from other IR surveys.