Aydi, E, Page, KL, Kuin, NPM, Darnley, MJ, Walter, FM, Mróz, P, Buckley, D, Mohamed, S, Whitelock, P, Woudt, P, Williams, SC, Orio, M, Williams, RE, Beardmore, AP, Osborne, JP, Kniazev, A, Ribeiro, VARM, Udalski, A, Strader, J and Chomiuk, L (2017) Multiwavelength observations of nova SMCN 2016-10a --- one of the brightest novae ever observed. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 474 (2). pp. 2679-2705. ISSN 0035-8711

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Abstract

We report on multiwavelength observations of nova SMCN 2016-10a. The present observational set is one of the most comprehensive for any nova in the Small Magellanic Cloud, including: low, medium, and high resolution optical spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry from SALT, FLOYDS, and SOAR; long-term OGLE $V$- and $I$- bands photometry dating back to six years before eruption; SMARTS optical and near-IR photometry from $\sim$ 11 days until over 280 days post-eruption; $Swift$ satellite X-ray and ultraviolet observations from $\sim$ 6 days until 319 days post-eruption. The progenitor system contains a bright disk and a main sequence or a sub-giant secondary. The nova is very fast with $t_2 \simeq$ 4.0 $\pm$ 1.0 d and $t_3 \simeq$ 7.8 $\pm$ 2.0 d in the $V$-band. If the nova is in the SMC, at a distance of $\sim$ 61 $\pm$ 10 kpc, we derive $M_{V,\mathrm{max}} \simeq - 10.5$ $\pm$ 0.5, making it the brightest nova ever discovered in the SMC and one of the brightest on record. At day 5 post-eruption the spectral lines show a He/N spectroscopic class and a FWHM of $\sim$ 3500 kms$^{-1}$ indicating moderately high ejection velocities. The nova entered the nebular phase $\sim$ 20 days post-eruption, predicting the imminent super-soft source turn-on in the X-rays, which started $\sim$ 28 days post-eruption. The super-soft source properties indicate a white dwarf mass between 1.2 M$_{\odot}$ and 1.3 M$_{\odot}$ in good agreement with the optical conclusions.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2017 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	astro-ph.SR; astro-ph.SR
Subjects:	Q Science > QB Astronomy Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions:	Astrophysics Research Institute
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Related URLs:	http://arxiv.org/abs/1710.03716v1
Date Deposited:	11 Oct 2017 09:29
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 03:45
DOI or ID number:	10.1093/mnras/stx2678
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7331

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