Time-resolved hadronic particle acceleration in the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi

F. Aharonian , F. Ait Benkhali , E.O. Angüner (1) , H. Ashkar (2) , M. Backes , V. Baghmanyan , V. Barbosa Martins , R. Batzofin , Y. Becherini (3) , D. Berge , K. Bernlöhr , B. Bi , M. Böttcher , C. Boisson (4) , J. Bolmont (5) , M. de Bony de Lavergne (6) , M. Breuhaus , R. Brose , F. Brun (7) , S. Caroff (5) , S. Casanova , M. Cerruti (3) , T. Chand , A. Chen , G. Cotter , J. Damascene Mbarubucyeye , A. Djannati-Ataï (3) , A. Dmytriiev (4) , V. Doroshenko , C. Duffy , K. Egberts , J.-P. Ernenwein (1) , S. Fegan (2) , K. Feijen , A. Fiasson (6) , G. Fichet de Clairfontaine (4) , G. Fontaine (2) , M. Füssling , S. Funk , S. Gabici (3) , Y.A. Gallant (8) , S. Ghafourizadeh , G. Giavitto , L. Giunti (3, 7) , D. Glawion , J.F. Glicenstein (7) , M.-H. Grondin (9) , G. Hermann , J.A. Hinton , M. Hörbe , W. Hofmann , C. Hoischen , T.L. Holch , M. Holler , D. Horns , Zhiqiu Huang , M. Jamrozy , F. Jankowsky , I. Jung-Richardt , E. Kasai , K. Katarzyński , U. Katz , D. Khangulyan , B. Khélifi (3) , S. Klepser , W. Kluźniak , Nu. Komin , R. Konno , K. Kosack (7) , D. Kostunin , S. Le Stum (1) , A. Lemière (3) , M. Lemoine-Goumard (9) , J.-P. Lenain (5) , F. Leuschner , T. Lohse , A. Luashvili (4) , I. Lypova , J. Mackey , D. Malyshev , V. Marandon , P. Marchegiani , A. Marcowith (8) , G. Martí-Devesa , R. Marx , G. Maurin (6) , M. Meyer , A. Mitchell , R. Moderski , L. Mohrmann , A. Montanari (7) , E. Moulin (7) , J. Muller (2) , T. Murach , K. Nakashima , M. de Naurois (2) , A. Nayerhoda , J. Niemiec , A. Priyana Noel , P. O'Brien , S. Ohm , L. Olivera-Nieto , E. de Ona Wilhelmi , M. Ostrowski , S. Panny , M. Panter , R.D. Parsons , G. Peron , S. Pita (3) , V. Poireau (6) , D.A. Prokhorov , H. Prokoph , G. Pühlhofer , M. Punch (3) , A. Quirrenbach , P. Reichherzer (7) , A. Reimer , O. Reimer , M. Renaud (8) , B. Reville , F. Rieger , G. Rowell , B. Rudak , H. Rueda Ricarte (7) , E. Ruiz-Velasco , V. Sahakian , S. Sailer , H. Salzmann , D.A. Sanchez (6) , A. Santangelo , M. Sasaki , J. Schäfer , F. Schüssler (7) , H.M. Schutte , U. Schwanke , M. Senniappan , J.N.S. Shapopi , R. Simoni , A. Sinha (8) , H. Sol (4) , A. Specovius , S. Spencer , Ł. Stawarz , S. Steinmassl , C. Steppa , T. Takahashi , T. Tanaka , A.M. Taylor , R. Terrier (3) , C. Thorpe-Morgan , M. Tsirou , N. Tsuji , R. Tuffs , Y. Uchiyama , T. Unbehaun , C. van Eldik , B. van Soelen , J. Veh , C. Venter , J. Vink , S.J. Wagner , F. Werner , R. White , A. Wierzcholska , Yu Wun Wong , A. Yusafzai , M. Zacharias (4) , D. Zargaryan , A.A. Zdziarski , A. Zech (4) , S.J. Zhu , S. Zouari (3) , N. Żywucka

1 CPPM - Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille
2 LLR - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
3 APC (UMR_7164) - AstroParticule et Cosmologie
4 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories
5 LPNHE (UMR_7585) - Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies
6 LAPP - Laboratoire d'Annecy de Physique des Particules
7 IRFU - Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers
8 LUPM - Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier
9 LP2I - Bordeaux - Laboratoire de Physique des Deux Infinis Bordeaux

Recurrent novae are repeating thermonuclear explosions in the outer layers of white dwarfs, due to the accretion of fresh material from a binary companion. The shock generated when ejected material slams into the companion star’s wind can accelerate particles. We report very-high-energy (VHE; ≳100  giga–electron volts≳100  giga–electron volts) gamma rays from the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi, up to 1 month after its 2021 outburst, observed using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). The temporal profile of VHE emission is similar to that of lower-energy giga–electron volt emission, indicating a common origin, with a 2-day delay in peak flux. These observations constrain models of time-dependent particle energization, favoring a hadronic emission scenario over the leptonic alternative. Shocks in dense winds provide favorable environments for efficient acceleration of cosmic rays to very high energies.

Domaines: Astrophysique [astro-ph]

F. Aharonian, F. Ait Benkhali, E.O. Angüner, H. Ashkar, M. Backes, et al.. Time-resolved hadronic particle acceleration in the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi. Science, 2022, 376 (6588), pp.abn0567. ⟨10.1126/science.abn0567⟩. ⟨hal-03596100⟩