X-Ray Flashes on Helium Novae

TL;DR

This paper models the X-ray flash phase in helium novae, predicting long-lasting, luminous X-ray emissions that serve as precursors to optical outbursts, and identifies a candidate observational source.

Contribution

It provides the first theoretical light curves of X-ray flashes in helium novae across different WD masses and accretion rates, highlighting their detectability and observational significance.

Findings

X-ray flashes last from 100 days to 10 years.

X-ray flashes have luminosities around 10^{38} erg s^{-1}.

A candidate X-ray flash source matches the model predictions.

Abstract

A helium nova occurs on a white dwarf (WD) accreting hydrogen-deficient matter from a helium star companion. When the mass of a helium envelope on the WD reaches a critical value, unstable helium burning ignites to trigger a nova outburst. A bright soft X-ray phase appears in an early outbursting phase of a helium nova before it optically rises toward maximum. Such an X-ray bright phase is called the X-ray flash. We present theoretical light curves of X-ray flashes for 1.0, 1.2, and 1.35 $M_\odot$ helium novae with mass accretion rates of $(1.6-7.5) \times 10^{-7}~M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. Long durations of the X-ray flashes (100 days to 10 years) and high X-ray luminosities ($\sim 10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$) indicate that X-ray flashes are detectable as a new type of X-ray transients or persistent X-ray sources. An X-ray flash is a precursor of optical brightening, so that the detection of X-ray flashes on helium novae enables us to plan arranged observation for optical pre-maximum phases that have been one of the frontiers of nova study. We found a candidate object of helium-burning X-ray flash from literature on extra-galactic X-ray surveys. This X-ray transient source is consistent with our X-ray flash model of a $1.35 ~M_\odot$ WD.