In-depth Analysis of Evolving Binary Systems that Produce Nova Eruptions

TL;DR

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of binary systems with white dwarfs and red dwarfs, exploring their evolution, features, and element abundances in nova eruptions through numerical simulations.

Contribution

It extends previous models by including higher mass white dwarfs and compares core compositions, revealing their effects on nova characteristics and ejecta composition.

Findings

Common features across models on secular and cyclic time scales

Features dependent on WD or RD mass but not both

ONe core WDs significantly alter ejecta abundances

Abstract

This study is the direct continuation of the work performed in Hillman et al. (2020) where they used their feedback dominated numerical simulations to model the evolution of four initial models with white dwarf (WD) masses of 0.7 and 1.0M_Solar and red dwarf (RD) masses of 0.45 and 0.7M_Solar from first Roche-lobe contact of the donor RD, over a few times 10^9 years, until the RD was eroded down to below 0.1M_Solar. This study presents an in-depth analysis of their four models complimented by three models with a higher WD mass of 1.25M_Solar, one of which comprises an oxygen-neon (ONe) core. Common features were found for all seven models on a secular time scale as well as on a cyclic time scale. On the other hand, certain features were found that are strongly dependent either on the WD or the RD mass but are indifferent to the other of the two. Additionally, a model with a WD composed of an ONe core was compared with its corresponding carbon oxygen (CO) core WD model and found to have a significant impact on the heavy element abundances in the ejecta composition.