arXiv subjects

Marat Gilfanov

Publications and source records attributed to Marat Gilfanov.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

New Active Galactic Nuclei Detected by the ART-XC and eROSITA Telescopes Onboard the SRG Observatory during an All-Sky X-ray Survey

We present the results of our identification of 17 X-ray sources detected in the 4-12 keV energy range by the Mikhail Pavlinsky ART-XC telescope during the first year of the SRG all-sky survey. Three of them have been discovered by the ART-XC telescopes, while the remaining ones have already been known previously as X-ray sources, but their nature has remained unknown. We took optical spectra for nine sources located in the northern sky $δ> -20$ deg with the 1.6-m AZT-33IK telescope at the Sayan Observatory (the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and the 1.5-m Russian-Turkish telescope at the TUBITAK National Observatory. For the remaining objects we have analyzed the archival optical spectra taken during the 6dF survey. All of the investigated objects have turned out to be Seyfert galaxies (eight of type 1, seven of type 2, and two of intermediate type 1.8) at redshifts up to $z\approx 0.15$. Based on data from the eROSITA and ART-XC telescopes onboard the SRG observatory, we have obtained X-ray spectra in the energy range 0.2-20 keV for eight sources. A significant intrinsic absorption ($N_H > 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$) has been detected in three of them, with two of them being probably strongly absorbed ($N_H \sim 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$). This paper is a continuation of the series of publications on the optical identification of active galactic nuclei detected by the ART-XC telescope.

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arXiv2022

Candidate Tidal Disruption Event AT2019fdr Coincident with a High-Energy Neutrino

The origins of the high-energy cosmic neutrino flux remain largely unknown. Recently, one high-energy neutrino was associated with a tidal disruption event (TDE). Here we present AT2019fdr, an exceptionally luminous TDE candidate, coincident with another high-energy neutrino. Our observations, including a bright dust echo and soft late-time X-ray emission, further support a TDE origin of this flare. The probability of finding two such bright events by chance is just 0.034%. We evaluate several models for neutrino production and show that AT2019fdr is capable of producing the observed high-energy neutrino, reinforcing the case for TDEs as neutrino sources.

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arXiv2022

The X-ray and Radio Loud Fast Blue Optical Transient AT2020mrf: Implications for an Emerging Class of Engine-Driven Massive Star Explosions

We present AT2020mrf (SRGe J154754.2$+$443907), an extra-galactic ($z=0.1353$) fast blue optical transient (FBOT) with a rise time of $t_{g,\rm rise}=3.7$ days and a peak luminosity of $M_{g,\rm peak}=-20.0$. Its optical spectrum around peak shows a broad ($v\sim0.1c$) emission feature on a blue continuum ($T\sim2\times10^4$ K), which bears a striking resemblance to AT2018cow. Its bright radio emission ($νL_ν= 1.2\times 10^{39}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$; $ν_{\rm rest}= 7.4$ GHz; 261 days) is similar to four other AT2018cow-like events, and can be explained by synchrotron radiation from the interaction between a sub-relativistic ($\gtrsim0.07$-$0.08c$) forward shock and a dense environment ($\dot M \lesssim 10^{-3}\,M_\odot \,{\rm yr^{-1}}$ for $v_{\rm w}=10^3\,{\rm km\,s^{-1}}$). AT2020mrf occurs in a galaxy with $M_\ast \sim 10^8\,M_\odot$ and specific star formation rate $\sim 10^{-10}\, {\rm yr^{-1}}$, supporting the idea that AT2018cow-like events are preferentially hosted by dwarf galaxies. The X-ray luminosity of AT2020mrf is the highest among FBOTs. At 35-37 days, SRG/eROSITA detected luminous ($L_{\rm X}\sim 2\times 10^{43}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$; 0.3-10 keV) X-ray emission. The X-ray spectral shape ($f_ν\propto ν^{-0.8}$) and erratic intraday variability are reminiscent of AT2018cow, but the luminosity is a factor of $\sim20$ greater than AT2018cow. At 328 days, Chandra detected it at $L_{\rm X}\sim10^{42}\,{\rm erg\,s^{-1}}$, which is $>200$ times more luminous than AT2018cow and CSS161010. At the same time, the X-ray emission remains variable on the timescale of $\sim1$ day. We show that a central engine, probably a millisecond magnetar or an accreting black hole, is required to power the explosion. We predict the rates at which events like AT2018cow and AT2020mrf will be detected by SRG and Einstein Probe.

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arXiv2021

Optical emission line spectra of symbiotic binaries

Symbiotic stars are long-period interacting binaries where the compact objects, most commonly a white dwarf, is embedded in the dense stellar wind of an evolved companion star. UV and soft X-ray emission of the accretion disk and nuclear burning white dwarf plays a major role in shaping the ionisation balance of the surrounding wind material and giving rise to the rich line emission. In this paper, we employ 2D photoionisation calculations based on Cloudy code to study the ionisation state of the circumbinary material in symbiotic systems and to predict their emission line spectra. Our simulations are parameterized via the orbital parameters of the binary and the wind mass-loss rate of the donor star, while the mass accretion rate, temperature and luminosity of the WD are computed self-consistently. We explore the parameter space of symbiotic binaries and compute luminosities of various astrophysicaly important emission lines. The line ratios are compared to the traditional diagnostic diagrams used to distinguish symbiotic binaries from other types of sources and it is shown how the binary system parameters shape these diagrams. In the significant part of the parameter space the wind material is nearly fully ionized, except for the "shadow" behind the donor star, thus the WD emission is typically freely escaping the system

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arXiv2020

Observing imprints of black hole event horizon on X-ray spectra

A fundamental difference between a neutron star (NS) and a black hole (BH) is the absence of a physical surface in the latter. For this reason, any remaining kinetic energy of the matter accreting onto a BH is advected inside its event horizon. In the case of an NS, on the contrary, accreting material is decelerated on the NS surface, and its kinetic energy is eventually radiated away. Copious soft photons produced by the NS surface will affect the properties of the Comptonised component dominating spectra of X-ray binaries in the hard state. Thus, parameters of the Comptonised spectra -- the electron temperature $kT_{\rm e}$ and the Compton $y$-parameter, could serve as an important tool for distinguishing BHs from NSs. In this paper, we systematically analyse heretofore the largest sample of spectra from the BH and NS X-ray binaries in the hard state for this purpose, using archival RXTE/PCA and RXTE/HEXTE observations. We find that the BHs and NSs occupy distinctly different regions in the $y-kT_{\rm e}$ plane with NSs being characterised by systematically lower values of $y$-parameter and electron temperature. Due to the shape of the boundary between BHs and NSs on the $y-kT_{\rm e}$ plane, their one-dimensional $y$ and $kT_{\rm e}$ distributions have some overlap. A cleaner one parameter diagnostic of the nature of the compact object in X-ray binaries is provided by the Compton amplification factor $A$, with the boundary between BHs and NSs lying at $A\approx 3.5-4$. This is by far the most significant detection of the imprint of the event horizon on the X-ray spectra for stable stellar-mass BHs.

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arXiv2018

Populations of accreting white dwarfs

Using a hybrid binary population synthesis approach, we modelled the formation and evolution of populations of accreting WDs for differing star formation histories. We found that the delay time distribution of SNe Ia in the single degenerate scenario is inconsistent with observations. Additionally, we found that our predicted X-ray and UV emission of populations of accreting WDs are consistent with the X-ray luminosities of early-type galaxies observed by Chandra and the HeII 4686Å/Hβline ratio measured in stacked SDSS spectra of passively evolving galaxies. Moreover, we found that the majority of current novae in elliptical-like galaxies have low-mass WDs, long decay times, long recurrence periods and are relatively faint. In contrast, the majority of current novae in spiral-like galaxies have massive WDs, short decay times, short recurrence periods and are relatively bright. Our predicted distribution of mass-loss timescales in an M31-like galaxy is consistent with observations for Andromeda.

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arXiv2018

Probing large-scale structure with large samples of X-ray selected AGN: I Baryonic acoustic oscillations

We investigate the potential of large X-ray-selected AGN samples for detecting baryonic acoustic oscillations (BAO). Though AGN selection in X-ray band is very clean and efficient, it does not provide redshift information, and thus needs to be complemented with an optical follow-up. The main focus of this study is (i) to find the requirements needed for the quality of the optical follow-up and (ii) to formulate the optimal strategy of the X-ray survey, in order to detect the BAO. We demonstrate that redshift accuracy of $σ_0=10^{-2}$ at $z=1$ and the catastrophic failure rate of $f_{\rm fail}\lesssim 30\%$ are sufficient for a reliable detection of BAO in future X-ray surveys. Spectroscopic quality redshifts ($σ_0=10^{-3}$ and $f_{\rm fail}\sim 0$) will boost the confidence level of the BAO detection by a factor of $\sim 2$. For meaningful detection of BAO, X-ray surveys of moderate depth of $F_{\rm lim}\sim {\rm few~} 10^{-15}$ erg/s/cm$^2$ covering sky area from a few hundred to $\sim$ten thousand square degrees are required. The optimal strategy for the BAO detection does not necessarily require full sky coverage. For example, in a 1000-day long survey by an eROSITA type telescope, an optimal strategy would be to survey a sky area of $\sim 9000$ deg$^2$, yielding a $\sim 16σ$ BAO detection. A similar detection will be achieved by ATHENA+ or WFXT class telescopes in a survey with a duration of 100 days, covering a similar sky area. XMM-Newton can achieve a marginal BAO detection in a 100-day survey covering $\sim 400$ deg$^2$. These surveys would demand a moderate-to-high cost in terms the optical follow-ups, requiring determination of redshifts of $\sim 10^5$ (XMM-Newton) to $\sim 3\times 10^6$ objects (eROSITA, ATHENA+, and WFXT) in these sky areas.

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arXiv2018

A multi-wavelength approach to classifying transient events in the direction of M31

(abridged) In the hunt for rare time-domain events, confusing exotic extragalactic phenomena with more common Galactic foreground events is an important consideration. We show how observations from multiple wavebands, in this case optical and X-ray observations, can be used to facilitate the distinction between the two. We discovered an extremely bright and rapid transient event in optical observations of M31 with the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF). The persistent optical counterpart of this transient was previously thought to be a variable star in M31 without any dramatic flux excursions. The iPTF event initially appeared to be an extraordinarily rapid and energetic extragalactic transient, a very fast nova in M31 being one of the exciting possibilities, with a ~3mag positive flux excursion in less than a kilosecond. The nature of the source was resolved with the help of Chandra archival data, where we found an X-ray counterpart and obtained its X-ray spectrum. We find the X-ray spectrum of the quiescent emission can be described by a model of optically thin plasma emission with a temperature of ~7MK, typical for coronal emission from an active star. The combination of the X-ray luminosity, calculated assuming the source is located in M31 (~3.10^36 erg/s), and the color temperature exclude any type of known accreting compact object or active star in M31. We argue instead that the optical transient source is an M type main-sequence, active star located in the disk of the Milky Way at a distance of ~0.5-1 kpc. Its persistent X-ray luminosity is in the ~(1.3-5).10^30 erg/s range and it has the absolute optical magnitude of 9.5-11.0 mag in R-band. The observed optical flare has the equivalent duration of ~95min and total energy of ~(0.3-1).10^35 erg in R-band, which places it among the brightest flares ever observed from an M-type star.

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arXiv2018

Variability of Red Supergiants in M31 from the Palomar Transient Factory

Most massive stars end their lives as Red Supergiants (RSGs), a short-lived evolution phase when they are known to pulsate with varying amplitudes. The RSG period-luminosity (PL) relation has been measured in the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds and M33 for about 120 stars in total. Using over 1500 epochs of R-band monitoring from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) survey over a five-year period, we study the variability of 255 spectroscopically cataloged RSGs in M31. We find that all RGSs brighter than M_K~ -10 mag (log(L/L_sun)>4.8) are variable at dm_R>0.05 mag. Our period analysis finds 63 with significant pulsation periods. Using the periods found and the known values of M_K for these stars, we derive the RSG PL relation in M31 and show that it is consistent with those derived earlier in other galaxies of different metallicities. We also detect, for the first time, a sequence of likely first-overtone pulsations. Comparison to stellar evolution models from MESA confirms the first overtone hypothesis and indicates that the variable stars in this sample have 12 M_sun<M<24 M_sun. As these RSGs are the immediate progenitors to Type II-P core-collapse supernovae (SNe), we also explore the implication of their variability in the initial-mass estimates for SN progenitors based on archival images of the progenitors. We find that this effect is small compared to the present measurement errors.

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arXiv2017

AGN Populations in Large Volume X-ray Surveys: Photometric Redshifts and Population Types found in the Stripe 82X Survey

Multi-wavelength surveys covering large sky volumes are necessary to obtain an accurate census of rare objects such as high luminosity and/or high redshift active galactic nuclei (AGN). Stripe 82X is a 31.3 deg$^2$ X-ray survey with $Chandra$ and $XMM$-Newton observations overlapping the legacy Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 field, which has a rich investment of multi-wavelength coverage from the ultraviolet to the radio. The wide-area nature of this survey presents new challenges for photometric redshifts for AGN compared to previous work on narrow-deep fields because it probes different populations of objects that need to be identified and represented in the library of templates. Here we present an updated X-ray plus multi-wavelength matched catalog, including $Spitzer$ counterparts, and estimated photometric redshifts for 5961 (96% of a total of 6181) X-ray sources, which have a normalized median absolute deviation, $σ_{\rm nmad}$ = 0.06 and an outlier fraction, $η$ = 13.7%. The populations found in this survey, and the template libraries used for photometric redshifts, provide important guiding principles for upcoming large-area surveys such as $eROSITA$ and 3$XMM$ (in X-ray) and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST; optical).

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arXiv2017

Studying the ICM in clusters of galaxies via surface brightness fluctuations of the cosmic X-ray background

We study the surface brightness fluctuations of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) using Chandra data of XBOOTES. After masking out resolved sources we compute the power spectrum of fluctuations of the unresolved CXB for angular scales from ~2 arcsec to ~3 deg. The non-trivial large-scale structure (LSS) signal dominates over the shot-noise of unresolved point sources at all scales above ~1 arcmin and is produced mainly by the intracluster medium (ICM) of unresolved clusters and groups of galaxies, as shown in our previous publication. The shot-noise-subtracted power spectrum of CXB fluctuations has a power-law shape with the slope of $Γ= 0.96 \pm 0.06$. Its energy spectrum is well described by the redshifted emission spectrum of optically-thin plasma with the best-fit temperature of $T \approx 1.3$ keV and the best-fit redshift of $z \approx 0.40$. They are in good agreement with theoretical expectations based on the X-ray luminosity function and scaling relations of clusters. From these values we estimate the typical mass and luminosity of the objects responsible for CXB fluctuations, $M_{500} \sim 10^{13.6}\,{\rm M}_{\odot}/h$ and $L_{0.5-2.0\,{\rm keV}} \sim 10^{42.5}$ erg/s. On the other hand, the flux-weighted mean temperature and redshift of resolved clusters are $T \approx 2.4$ keV and $z \approx 0.23$, confirming that fluctuations of unresolved CXB are caused by cooler (i.e. less massive) and more distant clusters, as expected. We show that the power spectrum shape is sensitive to the ICM structure all the way to the outskirts, out to $\sim{\rm few}\times R_{500}$. We also look for possible contribution of the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) to the observed CXB fluctuations. Our results underline the significant diagnostics potential of the CXB fluctuation analysis in studying the ICM structure in clusters.

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arXiv2016

A novel method for transient detection in high-cadence optical surveys: Its application for a systematic search for novae in M31

[abridged] In large-scale time-domain surveys, the processing of data, from procurement up to the detection of sources, is generally automated. One of the main challenges is contamination by artifacts, especially in regions of strong unresolved emission. We present a novel method for identifying candidates for variables and transients from the outputs of such surveys' data pipelines. We use the method to systematically search for novae in iPTF observations of the bulge of M31. We demonstrate that most artifacts produced by the iPTF pipeline form a locally uniform background of false detections approximately obeying Poissonian statistics, whereas genuine variables and transients as well as artifacts associated with bright stars result in clusters of detections, whose spread is determined by the source localization accuracy. This makes the problem analogous to source detection on images produced by X-ray telescopes, enabling one to utilize tools developed in X-ray astronomy. In particular, we use a wavelet-based source detection algorithm from the Chandra data analysis package CIAO. Starting from ~2.5x10^5 raw detections made by the iPTF data pipeline, we obtain ~4000 unique source candidates. Cross-matching these candidates with the source-catalog of a deep reference image, we find counterparts for ~90% of them. These are either artifacts due to imperfect PSF matching or genuine variable sources. The remaining ~400 detections are transient sources. We identify novae among these candidates by applying selection cuts based on the expected properties of nova lightcurves. Thus, we recovered all 12 known novae registered during the time span of the survey and discovered three nova candidates. Our method is generic and can be applied for mining any target out of the artifacts in optical time-domain data. As it is fully automated, its incompleteness can be accurately computed and corrected for.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2016

Can AGN and galaxy clusters explain the surface brightness fluctuations of the cosmic X-ray background?

Fluctuations of the surface brightness of cosmic X-ray background (CXB) carry unique information about faint and low luminosity source populations, which is inaccessible for conventional large-scale structure (LSS) studies based on resolved sources. We used Chandra data of the XBOOTES field ($\sim9\,\mathrm{deg^2}$) to conduct the most accurate measurement to date of the power spectrum of fluctuations of the unresolved CXB on the angular scales of $\sim3\,$arcsec $-$ $\sim17\,$arcmin. We find that at sub-arcmin angular scales, the power spectrum is consistent with the AGN shot noise, without much need for any significant contribution from their one-halo term. This is consistent with the theoretical expectation that low-luminosity AGN reside alone in their dark matter halos. However, at larger angular scales we detect a significant LSS signal above the AGN shot noise. Its power spectrum, obtained after subtracting the AGN shot noise, follows a power law with the slope of $-0.8\pm0.1$ and its amplitude is much larger than what can be plausibly explained by the two-halo term of AGN. We demonstrate that the detected LSS signal is produced by unresolved clusters and groups of galaxies. For the flux limit of the XBOOTES survey, their flux-weighted mean redshift equals $\left \sim0.3$, and the mean temperature of their intracluster medium (ICM), $\left \approx 1.4$ keV, corresponds to the mass of $M_{500} \sim 10^{13.5}\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$. The power spectrum of CXB fluctuations carries information about the redshift distribution of these objects and the spatial structure of their ICM on the linear scales of up to $\sim$Mpc, i.e. of the order of the virial radius.

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arXiv2016

Diffuse Gas in Retired Galaxies: Nebular Emission Templates and Constraints on the Sources of Ionization

We present emission line templates for passively evolving ("retired") galaxies, useful for investigation of the evolution of the ISM in these galaxies, and characterization of their high-temperature source populations. The templates are based on high signal-to-noise ($>800$) co-added spectra ($3700-6800$Å) of $\sim11500$ gas-rich Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies devoid of star-formation and active galactic nuclei. Stacked spectra are provided for the entire sample and sub-samples binned by mean stellar age. In Johansson~et al (2014), these spectra provided the first measurements of the He II 4686Å line in passively-evolving galaxies, and the observed He II/H$β$ ratio constrained the contribution of accreting white dwarfs (the "single-degenerate" scenario) to the type Ia supernova rate. In this paper, the full range of unambiguously detected emission lines are presented. Comparison of the observed [O I] 6300Å/H$α$ ratio with photoionization models further constrains any high-temperature single-degenerate scenario for type Ia supernovae (with 1.5 $\lesssim$ T/$10^{5}K$ $\lesssim$ 10) to $\lesssim$3-6\% of the observed rate in the youngest age bin (i.e. highest SN Ia rate). Hence, for the same temperatures, in the presence of an ambient population of post-AGB stars, we exclude additional high-temperature sources with a combined ionizing luminosity of $\approx 1.35\times 10^{30} L_{\odot}/M_{\odot,*}$ for stellar populations with mean ages of 1 - 4 Gyrs. Furthermore, we investigate the extinction affecting both the stellar and nebular continuum. The latter shows about five times higher values. This contradicts isotropically distributed dust and gas that renders similar extinction values for both cases.

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arXiv2015

Luminosity dependent change of the emission diagram in the X-ray pulsar 4U 1626-67

We detect variability of the Fe Ka emission line in the spectrum of X-ray pulsar 4U 1626-67, correlated with changes in its luminosity and in the shape of its pulse profile. Analysis of archival Chandra and RXTE observations revealed the presence of an intrinsically narrow Fe Ka emission line in the spectrum obtained during the source's current high luminosity period. However, the line was not present during an XMM-Newton observation seven years earlier, when the source was ~three times fainter. The line is resolved by the high energy grating of Chandra at the 98% confidence level, and its small intrinsic width, sigma=36.4 (-/+ 11.3,15.3)eV, suggests reflection off an accretion disk at the radius R~7.5(-/+ 3.8,8.2)x10^8cm assuming a Keplerian disk, viewed at an inclination angle of 20deg. This value is consistent with the radius of the magnetosphere of the pulsar, suggesting that the line originates near the inner edge of a disk that is truncated by the magnetic field of the neutron star. Timing analysis of the XMM-Newton and RXTE data revealed a major change in the pulse profile of the source from a distinct double peaked shape during the high luminosity state when the line was present, to a much more complex multi-peak structure during the low luminosity state. We argue that the appearance of the line and the change in the shape of the pulse profile are correlated and are the result of a major change in the emission diagram of the accretion column, from a pencil-beam pattern at low luminosity, to a fan-beam pattern at high luminosity.

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arXiv2015

The 31 Deg$^2$ Release of the Stripe 82 X-ray Survey: The Point Source Catalog

We release the next installment of the Stripe 82 X-ray survey point-source catalog, which currently covers 31.3 deg$^2$ of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 Legacy field. In total, 6181 unique X-ray sources are significantly detected with {\it XMM-Newton} ($>5σ$) and {\it Chandra} ($>4.5σ$). This catalog release includes data from {\it XMM-Newton} cycle AO 13, which approximately doubled the Stripe 82X survey area. The flux limits of the Stripe 82X survey are $8.7\times10^{-16}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, $4.7\times10^{-15}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, and $2.1\times10^{-15}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ in the soft (0.5-2 keV), hard (2-10 keV), and full bands (0.5-10 keV), respectively, with approximate half-area survey flux limits of $5.4\times10^{-15}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, $2.9\times10^{-14}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$, and $1.7\times10^{-14}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$. We matched the X-ray source lists to available multi-wavelength catalogs, including updated matches to the previous release of the Stripe 82X survey; 88\% of the sample is matched to a multi-wavelength counterpart. Due to the wide area of Stripe 82X and rich ancillary multi-wavelength data, including coadded SDSS photometry, mid-infrared {\it WISE} coverage, near-infrared coverage from UKIDSS and VHS, ultraviolet coverage from {\it GALEX}, radio coverage from FIRST, and far-infrared coverage from {\it Herschel}, as well as existing $\sim$30\% optical spectroscopic completeness, we are beginning to uncover rare objects, such as obscured high-luminosity AGN at high-redshift. The Stripe 82X point source catalog is a valuable dataset for constraining how this population grows and evolves, as well as for studying how they interact with the galaxies in which they live.

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arXiv2015

Population of post-nova supersoft X-ray sources

Novae undergo a supersoft X-ray phase of varying duration after the optical outburst. Such transient post-nova supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) are the majority of the observed SSSs in M31. In this paper, we use the post-nova evolutionary models of Wolf et al. to compute the expected population of post-nova SSSs in M31. We predict that depending on the assumptions about the WD mass distribution in novae, at any instant there are about 250-600 post-nova SSSs in M31 with (unabsorbed) 0.2-1.0 keV luminosity L_x>10^36 erg/s. Their combined unabsorbed luminosity is of the order of ~10^39 erg/s. Their luminosity distribution shows significant steepening around log(L_x)~37.7-38 and becomes zero at L_x~2x10^38 erg/s, the maximum L_x achieved in the post-nova evolutionary tracks. Their effective temperature distribution has a roughly power law shape with differential slope of ~4-6 up to the maximum temperature of T_eff~1.5x10^6 K. We compare our predictions with the results of the XMM-Newton monitoring of the central field of M31 between 2006 and 2009. The predicted number of post-nova SSSs exceed the observed number by a factor of ~2-5, depending on the assumed WD mass distribution in novae. This is good agreement, considering the number and magnitude of uncertainties involved in calculations of the post-nova evolutionary models and their X-ray output. Furthermore, only a moderate circumstellar absorption, with hydrogen column density of the order of ~10^21 cm^-2, will remove the discrepancy.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Constraining the role of novae as progenitors of Type Ia Supernovae

(Abridged) White dwarfs (WDs) undergoing unstable nuclear burning on their surfaces, resulting in the nova phenomenon, have been considered as one of the prospective candidates for the still elusive progenitors of SNeIa. We propose that statistics of novae in nearby galaxies may be a powerful tool to gauge the role of such systems in producing SNeIa. Using multicycle nova evolutionary models, we compute the number and temporal distribution of novae that would be produced by a typical (unstably burning) SNIa progenitor before reaching the Chandrasekhar mass limit (M_ch) and exploding. Combined with the observed nova rates, this can be used to constrain the maximal contribution of the nova channel to the SNIa rate in nearby galaxies. The M31 nova rate measured by the POINT-AGAPE survey is 65/yr. Assuming that all these novae will reach M_ch, we obtain the maximal SNIa rate novae may produce to be (1-5)x10^-4/yr. This constrains the overall contribution of the nova channel to the SNIa rate in M31 at <2-7%. Furthermore, ~80% of novae generated by a successful SNIa progenitor have short decay times (t2<10 days), and are produced when the WD mass is close to M_ch. We point out that statistics of such fast novae can provide a sensitive diagnostic of the contribution of the nova channel to the final stages of mass accumulation by the single degenerate (SD) SNIa progenitors. To explore the prospects of their use, we investigate the efficiency of detecting fast novae in an M31 nova survey of the PTF class. We find that a survey with limiting magnitude of m_R~22 observing at least every 2nd night will catch ~90% of fast novae expected in the SD scenario. Such surveys should be detecting fast novae in M31 at a rate of the order of >10^3xf per yr, where f is the fraction of SNeIa which accreted in the unstable nuclear burning regime while accumulating the final ~0.1M_sun before the SNIa explosion.

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