arXiv subjects

C. E. Woodward

Publications and source records attributed to C. E. Woodward.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A large shell around the hypergiant VY Canis Majoris

We report the detection of a remarkable shell around the red hypergiant VY CMa using data from the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). The shell, which in projection on the plane of the sky appears as a ring, is almost circular in appearance. It has an external diameter of $\sim14'$ to $15'$, and is seen most clearly in the SPHEREx 7827A spectro-photometric image. Filaments, radially aligned with VY CMa, are seen to cut across the shell in several places. We discuss the possibility that the shell is matter swept out from the neighboring star forming region Sh 2-310, by the wind from VY CMa. Resonant atomic scattering, a light echo, or Extended Red Emission are explored as the source of the observed SPHEREx emission. However, no interpretation is without difficulty and further observations are most desirable.

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arXiv2026

Pre-nova Observations of T CrB: A view from the CHARA Array

T CrB is a symbiotic recurrent nova consisting of a red giant and white dwarf with recent eruptions in 1866 and 1946 and an anticipated eruption in the mid 2020s. We report CHARA Array observations obtained with MIRC-X (H -band) and MYSTIC (K-band) in 2022-2025. We fit limb darkened disk models constrained with literature limb darkening coefficients to the squared visibilities as only the first visibility lobe is sampled. The average limb darkened diameter of the star across these epochs is $0.70\pm0.04$ mas in H-band and $0.72\pm0.07$ mas in K-band. Adopting a distance of $914^{+24}_{-22}$ pc, the stellar radius is $69\pm5~R_{\odot}$ in H-band and $71\pm8~R_{\odot}$ in K-band. This is consistent with filling a Roche lobe volume radius of $71~R_{\odot}$ inferred from published orbital solutions. These measurements provide a pre-eruption angular diameter and support a Roche lobe filling donor.

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arXiv2026

Dimming and pulsation shock of the coalesced star V838 Monocerotis

V838 Mon is the remnant of a stellar merger that occurred in 2002. Twenty-four years after the merger, the remnant closely resembles a red supergiant, but its luminosity is sustained by core H burning and continued contraction toward hydrostatic equilibrium. In late 2025, the system entered the deepest dimming event observed since 2006. We characterize the 2026 dimming using multiband photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy spanning from the dimming minimum through the recovery phase. The photometric color evolution during the dimming can be well reproduced by dust extinction with $A_V=1.26$ mag and $R_V=1.8$, consistent with a transiting clump of freshly formed circumstellar dust composed of small silicate or alumina grains. The photospheric effective temperature changed by no more than ~200 K during the event. During the recovery phase, H recombination lines from the Balmer, Paschen, and Brackett series appeared in emission, with anomalous line ratios matching those of pulsating Mira stars near maximum light. These features are interpreted as arising from a sub-photospheric pulsation shock. Simultaneously, low-ionization metal lines appeared blueshifted by 90 km/s relative to the stellar rest frame, tracing shock-affected gas on the near side of the stellar disk. The spectroscopic sequence suggests that the 2026 dimming was itself triggered by a preceding pulsation shock that occurred earlier in 2025. We present the first observational evidence for pulsations in a stellar merger remnant. Twenty-four years after the coalescence, V838 Mon exhibits pulsation shocks qualitatively identical to those of red supergiants and Mira stars, confirming predictions of pulsational instability in post-merger objects. A further dimming event, triggered by the observed shock, is predicted to start in northern summer 2026.

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arXiv2026

Detection of a molecular hydrogen envelope around nova GK Persei

The eruption of Nova Persei 1901 (GK Per) occurred 125 yrs ago; remarkably it still holds major surprises. Using data from the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx), we find it has a bipolar molecular hydrogen shell. This shell, which has dimensions 18'x10', is co-spatial with the Halpha nebulosity surrounding the nova, which is purported to be an ancient planetary nebula (PN). The shell is detected most strongly in the 0--0 S(9) 4.6947 micron line. A filament of emission in the S(9) 4.6947 micron line is seen 45" SW of GKPer. This coincides, over much of its length, with the site of X-ray and non-thermal radio emission where the 1901 nova ejecta impinges on the ambient medium. We propose that the H_2 emission from the filament arises from the predicted neutral zone between the forward and reverse shocks. Since it is common for bipolar PNe to be accompanied by H_2 envelopes, it ostensibly suggests that the 18'x10' nebulosity is a conventional PN with a luminous, ionizing central source. We show this is not the case, and that the H$α$ nebulosity may be surrounding gas belonging to pre-existing material that was ionized during the 1901 eruption. The ionized gas is presently undergoing recombination on a timescale of ~3000 years, explaining why the nebulosity is still visible.

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arXiv2026

Near-infrared spectroscopy of RS Ophiuchi in 2021: the calm, the storm, and the abatement

We present near-infrared (NIR) observations of the 2021 eruption of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi. The dataset provides both pre- and post-eruption perspectives on the eruption, as well as NIR spectra at high cadence. The spectrum obtained in 2020 June (14.3 years after the 2006 eruption, and 428.1 days before the 2021 eruption), is that of the red giant secondary, on which are superimposed several emission lines which most likely arise in the red giant wind. Spectra obtained during the eruption consist of emission (including coronal) lines, superimposed on a bremsstrahlung continuum at 8900K. The temperature of the coronal gas is estimated to be $10^{6.0}$K on day 11.7, and $10^{5.9}$K on day 31.7. The high cadence observations, obtained on day 31.7 of the eruption, provide no conclusive evidence for rapid ($<\sim1$~minute) variations in the HeI 1.0833$\,μ$m line. Data obtained about one year after the eruption show that there may have been changes in the spectral type of the secondary after the 2021 eruption.

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arXiv2026

The [Fe XIII] Infrared 10747 Angstrom and 10798 Angstrom Lines in Novae

The forbidden lines of [Fe XIII] at 10,747 Angstrom and 10,798 Angsrtom are among the most prominent lines in the near-infrared spectrum of the solar corona. They have been used routinely, both outside and during eclipses, as sensitive probes of the electron density and polarization in the solar corona. Many novae pass through a coronal phase, wherein the highly ionized nova ejecta have physical conditions that are remarkably similar to those of the solar corona. Many of the coronal emission lines that are seen are common to the spectra of both the Sun and novae. Yet, it appears that no robust detection of the [Fe XIII] lines has been made in a nova. Here we report the detection of these two infrared [Fe XIII]lines in the spectrum of the recurrent nova V3890 Sgr, taken 23.43 and 31.35 days after its August 2019 outburst. From their line strengths, we derive values of 10^10 per cubic cm and 10^[8.5-9] per cubic cm for the electron density on the two. The decrease in density between epochs can be explained if the density decreased with a power law n ~ r**alpha with a alpha inferred to be -3. The average temperature of the coronal gas is estimated to be T = (2.51\pm0.06) x 10^6~K. We find that recurrent novae with giant secondaries, including T CrB whose eruption is imminent, are the most suitable sources for further detections of the [Fe XIII] lines. epochs.

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arXiv2025

Newborn jet in the symbiotic system R Aquarii

R Aquarii (R Aqr) is a well-known symbiotic binary that has attracted renewed interest during its recent periastron passage, an event that occurs only once every about 40 years. This passage marks the first to be observed with modern, state-of-the-art instruments. We investigate the inner, sub-arcsecond active region of R Aqr during this recent periastron passage, with the goal of gaining insight into the jet-launching mechanisms at work in this system. We analyse Ha speckle interferometric images obtained one month apart using Fourier techniques. These are complemented by high-resolution optical spectra in the same emission line. Our speckle imaging reveals a newborn two-sided jet orientated in the north-south direction. Its proper motion, 66 +- 19 mas per year, confirms that it was launched around 2020 Jan 7, at the onset of the periastron passage. Further analysis of the elongated central structure reveals a knot in the southern counterpart of the jet, moving away from the binary with a 27 +- 17 mas per year at a position angle of 187 degrees, and an ejection time around 2019 Oct 28. This interpretation is further supported by our high-resolution spectroscopic data. In addition, we update the expansion parallax distance of R Aqr to 260 pc.

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arXiv2025

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Recurrent Nova M31N 2008-12a

Near infrared (NIR) 0.9--2.5$μ$m spectra of the remarkable recurrent nova M31N 2008-12a were obtained on days 6.3 and 10.3 after discovery of its 2024 outburst, and are the first NIR spectra of this object. The only prominent line seen in the spectra is that of HeI 1.083$μ$m, on day 6.3. Apart from this HeI line, there are only two other weak emission features: one at 1.0786$μ$m, suggested to be the [FeXIII] 1.075$μ$m coronal line, and one unidentified feature at 1.0969$μ$m. The observed full width at half maximum of the HeI line on day 6.3 (1350 km s$^{-1}$) is consistent with the behaviour of optical HeI lines during earlier eruptions of this RN, which show that the nova ejecta decelerate as they interact with the secondary's wind. The HeI 1.083$μ$m line faded rapidly, and was absent in the day 10.3 spectrum, along with any other emission lines. We use the relative strengths of optical He and H lines in previous eruptions to estimate the expected strengths of the HeI 1.083$μ$m line and of other infrared (including coronal) lines at 6.3 days after eruption. Our findings are consistent with the infrared spectra we observed during the 2024 eruption. We apply our analysis to account for the relative weakness of NIR coronal emission in known Galactic recurrent novae with giant secondaries.

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arXiv2025

Hydrodynamic Predictions for the Next Outburst of T Coronae Borealis: It will be the Brightest Classical or Recurrent Nova Ever Observed in X-rays

T Coronae Borealis (TCrB) is a recurrent nova (RN) with recorded outbursts in 1866, and 1946 and possible outbursts in 1217 and 1787. It is predicted to explode again in 2025 or 2026 based on multiple observational studies. The system consists of a massive (M$_{wd}$ $\gtrsim$ 1.35 M$_\odot$) white dwarf (WD) and a red giant (M3-M4 III). We have performed 1-D hydrodynamic simulations with NOVA to predict the behavior of the next outburst. These simulations consist of a range of mass accretion rates onto $\sim$1.35 M$_\odot$ WDs, designed to bound the conditions necessary to achieve ignition of an explosion after an $\approx$80 year inter-outburst period. We have used both carbon-oxygen and oxygen-neon initial compositions, in order to include the possible ejecta abundances to be measured in the observations of the next outburst. As the WD in the TCrB system is observed to be massive, theoretical predictions reported here imply that the WD is growing in mass as a consequence of the TNR. Therefore, the secular evolution of the WD may allow it to approach the Chandrasekhar limit and either explode as a Type Ia supernova or undergo accretion induced collapse, depending on its underlying composition. We have followed the evolution of just the WD, after removing the ejected matter from the surface layers. Our intent is to illuminate the mystery of the unique, second, maximum in the two well observed outbursts and we have found conditions that bracket the predictions.

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arXiv2024

Near-infrared spectroscopy of the LMC recurrent nova LMCN 1968-12a

We have obtained near-infrared ($0.80-2.45μ$m) spectra of the recurrent nova LMCN 1968-12a on two occasions during its 2024 August eruption. This is the first near-infrared spectroscopy of an extragalactic nova. The initial spectrum, on day 8.48, caught the nova in the coronal phase, with the [SiX] $1.43μ$m line being extremely strong. This line had a luminosity of $\sim95$L$_\odot$, and is clearly a very powerful coolant. Its presence, together with the absence of [SiIX] 1.56$μ$m, implies a coronal temperature $\gtrsim3\times10^6$K, possibly amongst the highest recorded coronal temperature in a nova eruption. With the exception of the [SiX] line, the near-infrared spectra are remarkable for being devoid of metal lines. We suggest that this is due, in part, to the exceptionally high temperature of the coronal gas, causing ions, whose emission lines would normally appear in the near-infrared spectrum, to be collisionally ionised to higher stages.

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arXiv2024

The Dusty Aftermath of a Rapid Nova: V5579 Sgr

V5579 Sgr was a fast nova discovered in 2008 April 18.784 UT. We present the optical spectroscopic observations of the nova observed from the Castanet Tolosan, SMARTS and CTIO observatories spanning over 2008 April 23 to 2015 May 11. The spectra are dominated by hydrogen Balmer, Fe II and O I lines with P-Cygni profiles in the early phase, typical of an Fe II class nova. The spectra show He I and He II lines along with forbidden lines from N, Ar, S, and O in the nebular phase. The nova showed a pronounced dust formation episode that began about 20 days after the outburst. The dust temperature and mass were estimated using the WISE data from spectral energy distribution (SED) fits. The PAH-like features are also seen in the nova ejecta in the mid-IR Gemini spectra taken 522 d after the discovery. Analysis of the light curve indicates values of t$_2$ and t$_3$ about 9 and 13 days, respectively, placing the nova in the category of fast nova. The best fit cloudy model of the early decline phase JHK spectra obtained on 2008 May 3 and the nebular optical spectrum obtained on 2011 June 2 shows a hot white dwarf source with T$_{BB}$ $\sim$ 2.6 $\times$ 10$^5$ K having a luminosity of 9.8 $\times$ 10$^{36}$ ergs s$^{-1}$. Our abundance analysis shows that the ejecta is significantly enhanced relative to solar, O/H = 32.2, C/H = 15.5 and N/H = 40.0 in the early decline phase and O/H = 5.8, He/H = 1.5 and N/H = 22.0 in the nebular phase.

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arXiv2024

A Photoionization model for the Infrared Coronal Line Emission in the Classical Nova V1716 Scorpii

A near-infrared spectrum of nova V1716 Scorpii (PNV J17224490-4137160), a recent bright (V_max = 7.3 mag), Fermi-LAT detected gamma-ray source, was modeled using the photoionization code CLOUDY. Abundances were estimated for He, C, N, O, Si, Al, Mg, Fe, Ne, S, Ca, and P. Notably, P (a factor of 120) and N (a factor of 248) are highly overabundant. It was necessary to assume the ejecta consist of two components (with a cylindrical geometry): a dense component from which the bulk of the H, He, and neutral O~I and N emission arises and a more diffuse component from which most of the coronal lines arise. Some of the coronal lines are found to originate from both the dense and diffuse components. The mass of the ejecta, including neutral and ionized gas, is ~ 4.19e-4 solar masses. Our analysis indicates that in the case of V1716 Sco (which has a carbon-oxygen white dwarf), a fraction of 25% white dwarf matter rather than 50% is favored for the mixing between white dwarf and the accreted envelope before the outburst. This mixing ratio is like that found for Oxygen-Neon novae where a 25% mixing fraction is also indicated. Helium hydride -- the first molecule to form after the Big Bang -- may have formed in the ejecta of V1716 Sco based on photoionization modeling. This prediction suggests that novae may be potential formation sites of this important molecular ion.

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arXiv2024

Deep JWST/NIRCam imaging of Supernova 1987A

JWST/NIRCam obtained high angular-resolution (0.05-0.1''), deep near-infrared 1--5 micron imaging of Supernova (SN) 1987A taken 35 years after the explosion. In the NIRCam images, we identify: 1) faint H2 crescents, which are emissions located between the ejecta and the equatorial ring, 2) a bar, which is a substructure of the ejecta, and 3) the bright 3-5 micron continuum emission exterior to the equatorial ring. The emission of the remnant in the NIRCam 1-2.3 micron images is mostly due to line emission, which is mostly emitted in the ejecta and in the hot spots within the equatorial ring. In contrast, the NIRCam 3-5 micron images are dominated by continuum emission. In the ejecta, the continuum is due to dust, obscuring the centre of the ejecta. In contrast, in the ring and exterior to the ring, synchrotron emission contributes a substantial fraction to the continuum. Dust emission contributes to the continuum at outer spots and diffuse emission exterior to the ring, but little within the ring. This shows that dust cooling and destruction time scales are shorter than the synchrotron cooling time scale, and the time scale of hydrogen recombination in the ring is even longer than the synchrotron cooling time scale. With the advent of high sensitivity and high angular resolution images provided by JWST/NIRCam, our observations of SN 1987A demonstrate that NIRCam opens up a window to study particle-acceleration and shock physics in unprecedented details, probed by near-infrared synchrotron emission, building a precise picture of how a SN evolves.

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arXiv2023

Snowflakes in a furnace: formation of CO and dust in a recurrent nova eruption

We report the detection of carbon monoxide (CO) and dust, formed under hostile conditions, in recurrent nova V745 Sco about 8.7 days after its 2014 outburst. The formation of molecules or dust has not been recorded previously in the ejecta of a recurrent nova. The mass and temperature of the CO and dust are estimated to be T(CO) = 2250 +/- 250 K, M(CO) = (1 to 5) E-8 solar masses, and T(dust) = 1000 +/- 50 K, M(dust) approximately E-8 to E-9 solar masses respectively. At the time of their detection, the shocked gas was at a high temperature of approximately E+7 K as evidenced by the presence of coronal lines. The ejecta were simultaneously irradiated by a large flux of soft X-ray radiation from the central white dwarf. Molecules and dust are not expected to form and survive in such harsh conditions; they are like snowflakes in a furnace. However, it has been posited in other studies that, as the nova ejecta plow through the red giant's wind, a region exists between the forward and reverse shocks that is cool, dense and clumpy where the dust and CO could likely form. We speculate that this site may also be a region of particle acceleration, thereby contributing to the generation of gamma-rays.

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arXiv2023

V445 Puppis -- Dustier than a Thousand Novae

V445 Puppis, the only known Galactic helium nova, is a unique test-bed to verify supernova (SN) theories in the single degenerate channel that involve a white dwarf (WD) accreting matter from a helium-rich donor. An estimate of the mass of the helium shell on the WD is crucial to deciding whether or not it will undergo a SN detonation. In this context, this study estimates the dust and ejecta masses in the 2000 November eruption of V445 Pup. Subsequent to its outburst, the star became cocooned in a dust envelope. An analysis of the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the dust using infrared data shows that V445 Pup produced at least $10^{-3}$ solar masses of dust which is unprecedented for a classical or recurrent nova. The SED can be explained by a combination of a cold dust component at 105 +/- 10 K, mass (1.9 +/- 0.8) $\times 10^{-3}$ solar masses, and a warm dust component at 255 +/- 10 K, mass (2.2 +/- 1.2) $\times 10^{-5}$ solar masses. For a conservative choice of the gas-to-dust mass ratio in the range 10--100, the mass of the ejecta is 0.01--0.1 solar masses. Such a high mass range raises the question: why did V445 Pup not detonate as a Type 1a SN as is predicted in certain double-detonation sub-Chandrasekhar supernovae formalisms? We re-examine the nature of V445 Pup and discuss its role as a potential SN progenitor.

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arXiv2023

Infrared spectroscopy of the 2022 eruption of the recurrent nova U Sco

We present near-infrared spectroscopy of the 2022 eruption of the recurrent nova U Sco, over the period from 5.2 to 45.4 days after outburst. This is the most intensive infrared study of this nova. Our observations started early after the outburst and extended almost to the end of the ``Super Soft'' X-ray phase. A major find is the presence of coronal lines from day 9.41, one of the earliest appearances of these in any nova, classical or recurrent. The temperature of the coronal gas is $7\times10^5$ K. There is also evidence for the presence of much cooler ($\lesssim2.5\times10^4$ K) gas. Remarkable changes are seen in the HeI $1.083μ$m line, the strength of which declines, then recovers, in anti-correlation with the X-ray behaviour. We conclude that shock ionisation is the dominant excitation mechanism for the coronal line emission. There is evidence in the infrared spectra for the presence of black body emission at $\sim20000$ K, which we tentatively identify with the irradiated secondary, and for free-free/free-bound emission. For the previously determined binary inclination of $82.7$ degrees, the implied ejection velocities are as high as 22000 km s$^{-1}$. These velocities appear unprecedented in nova outflows, and are comparable to those seen in supernovae, thereby marking U Sco as a truly remarkable object.

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arXiv2022

Rise and fall of silicate dust in RS Ophiuchi following the 2006 eruption

We present an analysis of archival Spitzer InfraRed Spectrograph (IRS) observations of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi obtained on several occasions, beginning about 7 months after the outburst in 2006. These data show atomic emission lines, absorption bands due to photospheric SiO, and the well known silicate dust features at $9.7\,μ$m and $18\,μ$m. The dust emission, arising in the wind of the secondary star, is fitted by Dusty models for mass-loss rates in the range $1.0-1.7\times10^{-7}$M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$. The silicate features are similar in profile to those seen in circumstellar environments of isolated late-type stars and some dusty symbiotic binaries, although the longer wavelength feature peaks at $17\,μ$m,, instead of the usual $18\,μ$m, indicating peculiar grain properties. The dust features are variable, appearing stronger in 2006-2007 during outburst than in 2008-2009 when the system was in the quiescent state. This variability is attributed to changes in the ultraviolet output and the reformation of the accretion disk, although a decline in the mass-loss rate of the red giant secondary star could also play a role. Further observations, in the aftermath of the 2021 eruption, could provide a definitive conclusion.

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arXiv2022

The 2019 outburst of the 2005 classical nova V1047 Cen: a record breaking dwarf nova outburst or a new phenomenon?

We present a detailed study of the 2019 outburst of the cataclysmic variable V1047~Cen, which hosted a classical nova eruption in 2005. The peculiar outburst occurred 14 years after the classical nova event and lasted for more than 400 days, reaching an amplitude of around 6 magnitudes in the optical. Early spectral follow-up revealed what could be a dwarf nova (accretion disk instability) outburst. However, the outburst duration, high velocity ($>$2000\,km\,s$^{-1}$) features in the optical line profiles, luminous optical emission, and presence of prominent long-lasting radio emission together suggest a phenomenon more exotic and energetic than a dwarf nova outburst. The outburst amplitude, radiated energy, and spectral evolution are also not consistent with a classical nova eruption. There are similarities between V1047~Cen's 2019 outburst and those of classical symbiotic stars, but pre-2005 images of the field of V1047~Cen indicate that the system likely hosts a dwarf companion, implying a typical cataclysmic variable system. Based on our multi-wavelength observations, we suggest that the outburst may have started with a brightening of the disk due to enhanced mass transfer or disk instability, possibly leading to enhanced nuclear shell burning on the white dwarf, which was already experiencing some level of quasi-steady shell burning. This eventually led to the generation of a wind and/or bipolar, collimated outflows. The 2019 outburst of V1047~Cen appears to be unique, and nothing similar has been observed in a typical cataclysmic variable system before, hinting at a potentially new astrophysical phenomenon.

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