ASPCS
 
Back to Volume
Paper: Multidimensional Modeling of Nova Outbursts
Volume: 490, Stella Novae: Past and Future Decades
Page: 275
Authors: José, J.
Abstract: Classical novae repeatedly eject ∼10–4–10–5 M enriched in nuclear-processed material relative to solar abundances, recurring on intervals of decades to tens of millennia. They are probably the main sources of Galactic 15N, 17O and 13C. The origin of the large enhancements and inhomogeneous distribution of these species observed in high-resolution spectra of ejected nova shells has, however, remained unexplained for almost 50 years. Several mechanisms, including mixing by diffusion, shear or resonant gravity waves, have been proposed in the framework of one-dimensional or two-dimensional simulations, but none has proven successful because convective mixing can only be modeled accurately in three-dimensions. This review focuses on multidimensional modeling of nova explosions, with emphasis on mixing at the core-envelope interface. Examples of buoyant fingering driving vortices from the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, leading to enrichment of the accreted envelope with material from the outer white dwarf core, will be described. This mixing mechanism naturally accounts for large-scale chemical inhomogeneities. Preliminary simulations of the interaction between the nova ejecta and the secondary star will also be outlined.
Back to Volume