The Unexplored Dusty Nova LMCN 2009-05a in the Large Magellanic Cloud

TL;DR

This study provides a comprehensive spectrophotometric analysis of the dusty nova LMCN 2009-05a in the Large Magellanic Cloud, detailing its light curve, spectral evolution, dust properties, and comparing its dust formation timing with Galactic novae.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed spectral and dust analysis of this specific nova, including physical properties and dust formation timing, expanding understanding of novae in the LMC.

Findings

Classified as a D-class, moderately fast nova with t2 ~46 days.

Estimated dust temperature of ~700 K on day 395 post-outburst.

Found a correlation between dust condensation time and t2 consistent with Galactic novae.

Abstract

We present a detailed spectrophotometric study of nova LMCN 2009-05a, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Photometric observations reveal a dust dip in the optical light curve, classifying it as a D-class nova. Light curve analysis yields t2 and t3 decline times of approximately 46 and 80 days, respectively, placing the nova in the category of moderately fast novae. Spectroscopic observations cover multiple phases, including pre-maximum, early decline, and nebular. The spectra are initially dominated by hydrogen Balmer and Fe II lines with P-Cygni profiles, which later transition into pure emission. During the optical minimum, a discrete absorption feature was observed in the H{\alpha} and [O I] line profiles. The physical and chemical properties during the early decline and nebular phases were analyzed using the photoionization code CLOUDY. Dust temperature, mass, and grain size were estimated through spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to the WISE data. On day 395 post-outburst, we estimate the dust temperature to be approximately 700 K. Additionally, we examined the correlation between dust condensation time (tcond ) and t2 for LMC novae, finding a trend consistent with previous studies of Galactic novae.