Nova Explosions in 2040

Alessandro Ederoclite; Domitilla De Martino; Paul Groot; Elena Mason; Gloria Sala; Martín Guerrero; Thomas Kupfer; Anna Francesca Pala; Simone Scaringi; Noel Castro Segura

arXiv · 2512.15821

Nova Explosions in 2040

Alessandro Ederoclite·Domitilla De Martino·Paul Groot·Elena Mason·Gloria Sala·Martín Guerrero·Thomas Kupfer·Anna Francesca Pala·Simone Scaringi·Noel Castro Segura

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Abstract

Novae are thermonuclear explosions on the surface of accreting white dwarfs and are key laboratories for studying explosive nucleosynthesis, particle acceleration, shock physics, and binary evolution. Despite major progress driven by wide-field time-domain surveys and multi-wavelength facilities, our understanding of nova explosions remains limited by incomplete temporal coverage, heterogeneous spectroscopic follow-up, and poorly constrained ejecta properties. In this white paper we outline the open scientific questions that will define nova research in the 2040s, focusing on the mass, composition, geometry, and dynamics of the ejecta, the role of the underlying binary system, and the connection between nuclear burning, shocks, and emission across the electromagnetic spectrum. We argue that decisive progress requires rapid-response, high-cadence, multi-wavelength observations, anchored by systematic high-resolution optical and near-infrared spectroscopy from eruption to quiescence. Finally, we identify key technological requirements needed to enable transformative advances in the physics of nova explosions over the coming decades.

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Alessandro Ederoclite, Domitilla De Martino, Paul Groot, Elena Mason, Gloria Sala, Martín Guerrero, Thomas Kupfer, Anna Francesca Pala, Simone Scaringi, Noel Castro Segura. 2025-12-17. Nova Explosions in 2040. https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15821

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