Umberto Sollecchia | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

From Light to Sound: Spectroscopic Evolution & Sonification of the flaring Nova V612 Scuti

We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the 2017 Galactic nova V612 Sct, whose optical evolution was marked by multiple unusually large maxima. The eruption included two prominent flares lasting around a month each and reaching amplitudes of about 2.5 mag, followed by a series of smaller flares. Extensive spectroscopic monitoring reveals a striking pattern: with each flare, new absorption systems emerge at progressively higher velocities. This behavior, also seen in other flaring novae, provides evidence for repeated episodes of mass ejection or outflow at increasing velocities. V612 Sct also alternated between Fe II and He/N spectral phases during different stages of the eruption, establishing a clear connection between the photometric flares and major spectral transitions. We present two-dimensional dynamic spectra that directly trace the appearance of new absorption features contemporaneous with the light-curve flares. We also introduce a sonification of the spectroscopic sequence, offering an alternative representation of the temporal evolution of the eruption. These results support a picture in which repeated ejection episodes and shock formation play a central role in powering the multiple maxima observed in flaring novae.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Irregular emission cycles in the Oe star HD 60848

We analyse the spectroscopic and photometric variability of the Oe star HD 60848 over the last twenty five years. The spectra reveal recurrent, but irregular cycles of increased circumstellar emission lines. These cycles are highly asymmetric displaying a slow increase over about 6 years, followed by a fast decay within about 6 months. Our analysis focuses on the most recent cycle (2013 - 2020). The equivalent width and velocity separation of the emission peaks indicate variations of the outer disk radius by a factor ~ 2.2, although the variability appears more complex than expected from first principle relations for optically thin Keplerian disks. We observe a time delay between the variations of the strengths of He I 5876 on the one hand and H-alpha and H-beta on the other hand. We interpret this behaviour in a two-step disk growth scenario, where the disk first expands radially before its density increases. A difference in behaviour is also seen between H-alpha and the H I Paschen lines, with the latter displaying a more symmetric cycle, similar to the photometric variability. The rather fast decays of the H-alpha emission observed in 2001, 2009 and 2018 - 2019 suggest that the strong radiation field and early spectral type of the star lead to a faster dissipation of the disk than in later-type Be stars, as theoretically expected. We discuss X-ray observations of the star both during a high and a low-emission state. The X-ray spectrum is soft at both epochs, and the X-ray fluxes are only marginally different and remain consistent with the canonical Lx/Lbol relation of O-type stars. These results indicate that the circumstellar decretion disk of HD 60848 has essentially no impact on the star's X-ray emission, and that the latter most likely arises inside the stellar wind.

astro-ph.SR↗