In the realm of energy and astrophysics, a team of researchers from various institutions, including Arizona State University and the University of Texas at Austin, has made a notable discovery that could enhance our understanding of stellar phenomena and potentially impact energy research. The team, led by Dr. D. P. K. Banerjee, has detected specific infrared lines in the spectrum of a recurrent nova, shedding light on the electron density and temperature of these celestial events.
The researchers focused on the forbidden lines of [Fe XIII] at 10,747 Angstrom and 10,798 Angstrom, which are prominent in the near-infrared spectrum of the solar corona. These lines have been used extensively to study the electron density and polarization in the solar corona. The team reported the detection of these lines in the spectrum of the recurrent nova V3890 Sgr, observed 23.43 and 31.35 days after its August 2019 outburst. This detection is significant because, despite the similarities between the conditions in novae and the solar corona, robust detections of these [Fe XIII] lines in novae had not been previously reported.
From the line strengths of the detected [Fe XIII] lines, the researchers derived electron densities of approximately 10^10 per cubic centimeter and 10^[8.5-9] per cubic centimeter at the two observation epochs. The decrease in density between these epochs suggests that the density decreased with a power law, n ~ r^alpha, with an inferred alpha of -3. The average temperature of the coronal gas was estimated to be around (2.51±0.06) x 10^6 Kelvin. The research was published in the Astrophysical Journal.
The practical applications of this research for the energy sector are not immediately apparent, as the study is primarily focused on astrophysical phenomena. However, understanding the fundamental physics of high-energy environments, such as novae and the solar corona, can contribute to broader scientific knowledge that may eventually inform energy research. For instance, insights into plasma behavior and energy transfer in extreme environments could have implications for fusion energy research, which aims to harness the power of nuclear fusion for clean energy production.
The researchers also noted that recurrent novae with giant secondaries, including T CrB, whose eruption is imminent, are the most suitable sources for further detections of the [Fe XIII] lines. Continued observations of these events could provide valuable data for astrophysical studies and potentially contribute to our understanding of high-energy processes relevant to the energy industry.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.