Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0606497

From: Alon Retter [view email]

Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:00:05 GMT (16kb)

The Planets-Capture Model of V838 Monocerotis

Authors: Alon Retter (Penn State University), Bing Zhang (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Lionel Siess (Universite Libre de Bruxelles), Amir Levinson (Tel Aviv University), Ariel Marom (Rafael Institute)

Comments: 9 pages, uses asp2004.sty, an invited talk in the conference on V838 Mon, La Palma, Spain, May 2006, to appear in ASP Conf. Ser., The Nature of V838 Mon and Its Light Echo, eds. R.L.M. Corradi and U. Munari

The planets capture model for the eruption of V838 Mon is discussed. We used three methods to estimate the location where the planets were consumed. There is a nice consistency for the results of the three different methods, and we find that the typical stopping / slowing radius for the planets is about 1Ro. The three peaks in the optical light curve of V838 Mon are either explained by the swallowing of three planets at different radii or by three steps in the slowing down process of a single planet. We discuss the other models offered for the outburst of V838 Mon, and conclude that the binary merger model and the planet/s scenario seem to be the most promising. These two models have several similarities, and the main differences are the stellar evolutionary stage, and the mass of the accreted material. We show that the energy emitted in the V838 Mon event is consistent with the planets scenario. We suggest a few explanations for the trigger for the outburst and for the double structure of the optical peaks in the light curve of V838 Mon.

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0606497