Evolution of the recent high-accretion state of the recurrent nova T CrB: HST, Swift, NuSTAR, and XMM-Newton observations

TL;DR

This study analyzes the pre-outburst state of T CrB using multiwavelength observations, revealing increased accretion activity and structural changes in the accretion disk that precede its thermonuclear eruption.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed multiwavelength analysis of T CrB's super-active state, quantifying accretion flow evolution and disputing previous periodicity claims.

Findings

Increased luminosity of the cooling flow during SAS

Decreased boundary layer luminosity as system transitions to faint state

No significant periodicities found in time-series analysis

Abstract

As the recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) approaches its next predicted thermonuclear eruption, it is currently exhibiting a "super-active state" (SAS) characterized by enhanced multiwavelength emission similar to the behavior recorded prior to the 1946 outburst. We present a multiwavelength analysis of the SAS and the subsequent "faint state" using observations from HST, Swift, NuSTAR, and XMM-Newton. Our results indicate that the SAS was driven by an increase in the mass accretion rate, which caused the accretion disk's boundary layer to become optically thick. A weighted least squares regression analysis quantifies the evolution of the accretion components, displaying a highly significant (4.5$\sigma$) increase in the luminosity of the optically thin cooling flow (L$_{cf}$) and a marginal (2.58$\sigma$) decrease in the optically thick boundary layer luminosity (L$_{bb}$) as the system transitioned into the faint state. We find that this dimming is consistent with an intrinsic change in the accretion flow rather than dust obscuration, supported by the lack of infrared excess and the stability of the 2175 \AA\ feature. Additionally, a time-series analysis using autoregressive modeling to account for correlated red noise revealed no significant periodicities, thereby disputing the previously reported $\sim$6000 s signal. These findings suggest that the pre-outburst evolution of T CrB is characterized by significant changes in the accretion disk structure and boundary layer, providing a self-consistent physical framework for the system's behavior as it approaches eruption.