Timeline for Can a Nova occur outside of a binary star system?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 at 4:59 | vote | accept | Shawn Lim | ||
| Mar 28 at 10:11 | comment | added | Shawn Lim | Thanks for the clear explanations. I suppose I ought to clarify on the black hole part. In the paper and article referenced, M87's jet seems to have increased Nova rates of binary systems along its path, possibly due to the hydrogen-rich plasma it irradiates. This made me curious as to whether a black hole could in a binary system with a white dwarf, be directly responsible for a nova occuring. | |
| Mar 28 at 9:11 | comment | added | James K | It's not possible for 3 stars to be in a close system, as that makes an unstable three-body-problem. The only stable three body orbits are hierarchical, That is the the white-dwarf-red-giant binary must either be alone, or be orbiting a third body, or be orbited by a third body. And given the likely distribution of mass, any three body system is likely to be a circumbinary, with a third star orbiting the binary at some distance. Otherwise it's just not stabel | |
| Mar 28 at 9:07 | comment | added | James K | From the original paper "The enhanced rate of novae along M87’s jet is now firmly established, and unexplained." - arxiv.org/abs/2309.16856. But the accretion disk of a black hole is not the jets that your paper refer to. I'm not quite sure what you have in mind, I suppose a white dwarf could be orbiting in the (outer parts of a black hole accretion disk, and have it's own accretion, much as a proto planet can orbit in the accretion disc of a protostar. I don't (offhand) know of any examples of this | |
| Mar 28 at 8:45 | comment | added | Shawn Lim | Possibly a silly question on the side. In regards to "influence of a black hole", I wonder if the accretion disk of a black hole could contribute to a white dwarf accumulating enough matter for a nova to occur | |
| Mar 28 at 8:37 | comment | added | Shawn Lim | Thanks for the answer. I'm specifically asking in context of "classical novae". May I ask why a potential third star (or any further stars in a multiple star system) would not play a part in the accretion leading to the nova? Would it not orbitally possible be for 3 (or more) stars to be in a close system with one another? | |
| Mar 28 at 8:25 | history | answered | James K | CC BY-SA 4.0 |