NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011A-0386
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011A-0386 |
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PI: Ashley Pagnotta, Louisiana State University, pagnotta@phys.lsu.edu
Address: Physics Department, 202 Nicholson Hall, Tower Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
CoI: Bradley E. Schaefer, Louisiana State University
Title: Testing the Hibernation Hypothesis: Measuring Long-Term Brightness Changes in Northern Classical Novae
Abstract:
The evolutionary track of cataclysmic variables, including classical
novae, is still not well known. The hibernation model originally
proposed by Shara et al. (1986) is the currently-favored scenario,
however it not universally accepted. This model explicitly predicts a
slow decline in magnitude of classical novae in the decades and
centuries following the nova outburst, on the order of 1 mag/century.
We have the ability to obtain and standardize old data from many
sources, therefore we propose to obtain modern magnitudes of the full
set of galactic classical novae to compare to previous observations and
test the hibernation model. Using a large sample size allows us to
perform a robust statistical analysis to minimize the errors introduced
by flickering and older data sources. This proposal addresses the novae
visible during summer in the Northern hemisphere.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2011A-0386 |
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