VVV-WIT-01: highly obscured classical nova or protostellar collision?

Lucas, P. W.; Minniti, D.; Kamble, A.; Kaplan, D. L.; Cross, N. J. G.; Dékány, I.; Ivanov, V. D.; Kurtev, R.; Saito, R. K.; Smith, Leigh C.; Catelan, M.; Masetti, N.; Toledo, I.; Hempel, M.; Peña, C. Contreras; Forbrich, Jan; Krause, Martin; Dale, James E.; Borissova, J.; Emerson, J. P.

doi:10.1093/mnras/staa155

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…This was a somewhat serendipitous discovery, using data from the WISE satellite (Wright et al 2010) (with pre-outburst data from Spitzer/ GLIMPSE Benjamin et al 2003). It followed from our investigation of the (unrelated) infrared transient VVV-WIT-01 (Lucas et al 2020), though 22 additional high amplitude mid-infrared variables were found in the same search (see section 2.1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 83%

“…The search was undertaken during an investigation of a very red transient, VVV-WIT-01, which was projected against an IRDC from the list of Peretto & Fuller (2009), see Lucas et al (2020). The covering fraction of IRDCs in the GLIMPSE region is only 1-2% (depending on whether unconfirmed IRDCs are included) so it was thought that VVV-WIT-01 might be a pre-main sequence event.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Discovery of a mid-infrared protostellar outburst of exceptional amplitude

Lucas,

Elias,

Points

et al. 2020

Preprint

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We report the discovery of a mid-infrared outburst in a Young Stellar Object (YSO) with an amplitude close to 8 mag at λ ≈ 4.6 µm. WISEA J142238.82-611553.7 is one of 23 highly variable WISE sources discovered in a search of Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs). It lies within the small IRDC G313.671-0.309 (d≈2.6 kpc), seen by the Herschel/Hi-Gal survey as a compact, massive cloud core that may have been measurably warmed by the event. Pre-outburst data from Spitzer in 2004 suggest it is a class I YSO, a view supported by observation of weak 2.12 µm H 2 emission in an otherwise featureless red continuum spectrum in 2019 (6 mag below the peak in K s ). Spitzer, WISE and VVV data show that the outburst began by 2006 and has a duration > 13 yr, with a fairly flat peak from 2010-2014. The low pre-outburst luminosity implies a low mass progenitor. The outburst luminosity of a few ×10 2 L is consistent with an accretion rate close to M = 10 −4 M yr −1 , comparable to a classical FU Orionis event. The 4.6 µm peak in 2010 implies T = 800-1000 K and a disc radial location R ≈ 4.5 au for the emitting region. The colour evolution suggests subsequent progression outward. The apparent absence of the hotter matter expected in thermal instability or MRI models may be due to complete obscuration of the innermost disc, e.g. by an edge-on disc view. Alternatively, disc fragmentation/infalling fragment models might more naturally explain a mid-infrared peak, though this is not yet clear.

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mentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of a mid-infrared protostellar outburst of exceptional amplitude

Lucas,

Elias,

Points

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Radio detections could also overcome extinction effects and gaps in optical novae monitoring, which account for a large discrepancy of ∼30-50 novae between observed and theoretical discovery rates per year (Shafter 2017;De et al 2021). For example, VVV-WIT-01 was classified as a classical nova using only radio and IR multiwavelength analysis, with no detection in optical (Lucas et al 2020). The availability of a statistically robust sample of novae observed in radio would also aid in more accurate ejecta mass predictions.…”

Section: Detectability Of Classical Novae With Askapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classical novae in the ASKAP pilot surveys

Ashna

Murphy

Kaplan

et al. 2023

Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust.

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We present a systematic search for radio counterparts of novae using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). Our search used the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey, which covered the entire sky south of declination $+41^{\circ}$ ( $\sim$ $34000$ square degrees) at a central frequency of 887.5 MHz, the Variables and Slow Transients Pilot Survey, which covered $\sim$ $5000$ square degrees per epoch (887.5 MHz), and other ASKAP pilot surveys, which covered $\sim$ 200–2000 square degrees with 2–12 h integration times. We crossmatched radio sources found in these surveys over a two–year period, from 2019 April to 2021 August, with 440 previously identified optical novae, and found radio counterparts for four novae: V5668 Sgr, V1369 Cen, YZ Ret, and RR Tel. Follow-up observations with the Australian Telescope Compact Array confirm the ejecta thinning across all observed bands with spectral analysis indicative of synchrotron emission in V1369 Cen and YZ Ret. Our light-curve fit with the Hubble Flow model yields a value of $1.65\pm 0.17 \times 10^{-4} \rm \:M_\odot$ for the mass ejected in V1369 Cen. We also derive a peak surface brightness temperature of $250\pm80$ K for YZ Ret. Using Hubble Flow model simulated radio lightcurves for novae, we demonstrate that with a 5 $\sigma$ sensitivity limit of 1.5 mJy in 15-min survey observations, we can detect radio emission up to a distance of 4 kpc if ejecta mass is in the range $10^{-3}\rm \:M_\odot$ , and upto 1 kpc if ejecta mass is in the range $10^{-5}$ – $10^{-3}\rm \:M_\odot$ . Our study highlights ASKAP’s ability to contribute to future radio observations for novae within a distance of 1 kpc hosted on white dwarfs with masses $0.4$ – $1.25\:\rm M_\odot$ , and within a distance of 4 kpc hosted on white dwarfs with masses $0.4$ – $1.0\:\rm M_\odot$ .

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“…A few previously unclassified variable sources that we call "WIT" objects-short for What Is This?-have been discovered by the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey (Minniti et al 2010). These represent a wide variety of extreme or rare astrophysical phenomena, including a very reddened novae or supernova or a protostellar collision (VVV-WIT-01; Lucas et al 2020), an extragalactic radio source violently variable in the near-IR (VVV-WIT-04; Saito et al 2019b), another Tabby star or Mamajek object (VVV-WIT-07; Saito et al 2019a) and a giant star that blinked (VVV-WIT-08 Smith et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

VVV-WIT-12 and Its Fashionable Nebula: A 4 yr Long-period Young Stellar Object with a Light Echo?

Saito,

Stecklum,

Minniti

et al. 2023

ApJL

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We report the serendipitous discovery of VVV-WIT-12, an unusual variable source that seems to induce variability in its surrounding nebula. The source belongs to the rare objects that we call WITs (short for What Is This?) discovered within the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey. VVV-WIT-12 was discovered during a pilot search for light echoes from distant supernovae in the Milky Way using the near-IR images of the VVV survey. This source has an extremely red spectral energy distribution, consistent with a very reddened (A V ∼ 100 mag) long-period variable star (P ∼ 1525 days). Furthermore, it is enshrouded in a nebula that changes brightness and color with time, apparently in sync with the central source variations. The near-IR light curve and complementary follow-up spectroscopy observations are consistent with a variable young stellar object illuminating its surrounding nebula. In this case the source periodic variation along the cycles produces an unprecedented light echo in the different regions of the nebula.

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VVV-WIT-01: highly obscured classical nova or protostellar collision?

Cited by 5 publications

References 94 publications

Discovery of a mid-infrared protostellar outburst of exceptional amplitude

Discovery of a mid-infrared protostellar outburst of exceptional amplitude

Classical novae in the ASKAP pilot surveys

VVV-WIT-12 and Its Fashionable Nebula: A 4 yr Long-period Young Stellar Object with a Light Echo?

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