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Paper: Light Curves and Absolute Magnitudes of Four Recent Fast LMC Novae
Volume: 310, Variable Stars in the Local Group (IAU Colloquium 193)
Page: 103
Authors: Hearnshaw, J.B.; Livingston, C.M.; Gilmore, A.C.; Kilmartin, P.M.
Abstract: The light curves of four recent fast LMC novae (Nova LMC 1988a, 1992, 1995, 2000) have been analysed to obtain the parameter t2, the time for a two magnitude decline below maximum light. Using the calibration of Della Valle & Livio (1995), values of MV at maximum are obtained. The weighted mean distance modulus to the LMC based on these novae is 18.89 ± 0.16. This differs significantly drom the distance modulus adpoted by Della Valle & Livio of 18.50, but only differs at the 1σ-level from Feast's (1999) value of 18.70 ± 0.10. The evidence based on these novae suggests that either: (i) DMLMC = 18.50 is too close for the LMC; or (ii) some novae in the LMC, including these four, are significantly underluminous at maximum light compared with those in M31, by about 0.4 mag. This could be a metallicity effect, given that more metal-rich M31 novae were predominantly used by Della Valle & Livio to obtain their calibration.
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