Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 376, Issue 6588, Pages 77-+Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.abn0567
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Funding
- German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF)
- Max Planck Society
- German Research Foundation (DFG)
- Helmholtz Association
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS/IN2P3)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS/INSU)
- Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA)
- UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
- Irish Research Council (IRC)
- Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
- Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
- Polish Ministry of Education and Science [2021/WK/06]
- South African Department of Science and Technology
- National Research Foundation
- University of Namibia
- National Commission on Research, Science & Technology of Namibia (NCRST)
- Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research
- Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
- Australian Research Council (ARC)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- University of Amsterdam
- Science Committee of Armenia [21AG-1C085]
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Recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi has been observed to emit very-high-energy gamma rays up to 1 month after its 2021 outburst, and the temporal profile of the emission is similar to lower-energy gamma rays, suggesting a common origin. These observations provide constraints on models of particle acceleration.
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: greater than or similar to 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.
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