A Century of Novae in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

A comprehensive study of novae in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is presented. A total of 66 nova eruptions have been reported in the LMC over the past century ($1926 \unicode{x2013} 2025$). Of these, a total of 48 eruptions from 39 unique progenitor systems (nine eruptions are recurrences of four known recurrent novae) have sufficient photometric data to permit the maximum magnitudes and rates of decline to be reliably estimated. These data confirm earlier studies showing that LMC novae are, on average, slightly more luminous and faster evolving compared with novae in the Andromeda galaxy (M31) or the Milky Way. For the first time, the nova models of Yaron et al. have been used in conjunction with the light-curve data to estimate the fundamental properties of the LMC nova population. The models suggest that LMC novae are characterized by generally higher white dwarf (WD) masses and higher expansion velocities compared with M31 novae. The higher average WD masses have resulted in a higher percentage of recurrent nova eruptions in the LMC ($\sim$20.6%) compared with that seen in M31 ($\sim$6.40%). Future observations made possible by the Vera Rubin Observatory promise to revolutionize our understanding of nova populations in the LMC and in galaxies beyond the Local Group.

arXiv comment34 pages; 6 tables; 15 figures; typos corrected; reference added; published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

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