Paper: astro-ph/0605552
Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 09:53:57 GMT (114kb)

Title: The planets capture model of V838 Monocerotis: conclusions for the
penetration depth of the planet/s

Authors: Alon Retter, Bing Zhang, Lionel Siess, and Amir Levinson

Comments: 8 pages, 2 figures, MNRAS, accepted
\\
V838 Mon is the prototype of a new class of objects. Understanding the nature
of its multi-stage outburst and similar systems is challenging. So far, several
scenarios have been invoked to explain this group of stars. In this work, the
planets-swallowing model for V838 Mon is further investigated, taking into
account the findings that the progenitor is most likely a massive B type star.
We find that the super-Eddington luminosity during the eruption can explain the
fast rising times of the three peaks in the optical light curve. We used two
different methods to estimate the location where the planets were consumed.
There is a nice agreement between the values obtained from the luminosities of
the peaks and from their rising time scale. We estimate that the planets were
stopped at a typical distance of one solar radius from the center of the host
giant star. The planets-devouring model seems to give a satisfying explanation
to the differences in the luminosities and rising times of the three peaks in
the optical light curve of V838 Mon. The peaks may be explained by the
consumption of three planets or alternatively by three steps in the terminal
falling process of a single planet. We argue that only the binary merger and
the planets-swallowing models are consistent with the observations of the new
type of stars defined by V838 Mon.

\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0605552 , 114kb)