Cosmic particle accelerator at its limit

Artist’s impression of the RS Ophiuchi Nova outburst. The fast shockwaves form an hourglass shape as they expand, in which gamma-rays are produced. This gamma-ray emission is then detected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes (shown in the foreground). (Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab.)
Artist’s impression of the RS Ophiuchi Nova outburst. The fast shockwaves form an hourglass shape as they expand, in which gamma-rays are produced. This gamma-ray emission is then detected by the H.E.S.S. telescopes (shown in the foreground). (Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab.)

FAU scientist and H.E.S.S. team observe time-dependent particle acceleration outside our solar system for the first time

22. March 2022

Novae are powerful eruptions on the surface of a white dwarf in a binary star system, in which a larger star and a smaller star orbit each other. A nova creates a shock wave that tears through the surrounding medium, pulling particles with it and accelerating them to extreme energies. Dr. Alison Mitchell, astronomer at FAU, researches novae events. Together with scientists from the H.E.S.S. group, she has now been able to observe the acceleration process for the first time.

Surprisingly, the RS Ophiuchi nova seems to cause particles to accelerate at speeds reaching the theoretical limit, corresponding to ideal conditions. The paper outlining the results has now been published in the renowned journal “Science”.

Artist’s impression of the white dwarf and red giant binary system following the nova outburst. Material ejected from the surface of the white dwarf generates shockwaves that rapidly expand, forming an hour-glass shape. Particles are accelerated at these shock fronts, which collide with the dense wind of the red giant star to produce very-high-energy gamma-ray photons. (Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab)
Artist’s impression of the white dwarf and red giant binary system following the nova outburst. Material ejected from the surface of the white dwarf generates shockwaves that rapidly expand, forming an hour-glass shape. Particles are accelerated at these shock fronts, which collide with the dense wind of the red giant star to produce very-high-energy gamma-ray photons. (Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab)

Novae events occur when the white dwarf gathers material from its massive companion star due to its gravty. Some novae are are known to repeat. These recurrent novae are the result of thermo-nuclear explosions on the surface of old, very compact stars known as white dwarfs. RS Ophiuchi is one of these recurrent novae; there is an explosion on its surface every 15 to 20 years. ‘The stars forming the system are at approximately the same distance from each other as the Earth and the Sun,’ explains Alison Mitchell, researcher at FAU and principal investigator of the H.E.S.S Nova programme. ‘When the nova exploded in August 2021, the H.E.S.S. telescopes allowed us to observe a galactic explosion in very-high-energy gamma rays for the first time,’ she continues.

The research group observed that the particles were accelerated to energies several hundreds of times higher than previously observed in novae. Additionally, the energy released as a result of the explosion was transformed extremely efficiently into accelerated protons and heavy nuclei, such that the particle acceleration reached the maximum speeds calculated in theoretical models. According to Ruslan Konno, one of the lead authors of the study and a doctoral candidate at DESY in Zeuthen, ‘The observation that the theoretical limit for particle acceleration can actually be reached in genuine cosmic shock waves has enormous implications for astrophysics. It suggests that the acceleration process could be just as efficient in their much more extreme relatives, supernovae.’

During the eruption of RS Ophiuchi, the researchers were able for the first time to follow the development of the nova in real time, allowing them to observe and study cosmic particle acceleration as if they were watching a film. The researchers were able to measure high-energy gamma rays up to one month after the explosion. ‘This is the first time we have ever been able to carry out observations like this, and it will allow us to gain even more accurate future insights into how cosmic explosions work,’ explains Dmitry Khangulyan, a theoretical astrophysicist at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan. ‘We may, for example, discover that novae contribute to the ever-present sea of cosmic rays and therefore have a considerable effect on the dynamics of their immediate surroundings.’

Artist’s impression of the RS Ophiuchi binary star system, which is comprised of a white dwarf (background) and red giant that orbit each other. Material from the red giant is continually accreted by the companion star. (Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab.)
Artist’s impression of the RS Ophiuchi binary star system, which is comprised of a white dwarf (background) and red giant that orbit each other. Material from the red giant is continually accreted by the companion star. (Credit: DESY/H.E.S.S., Science Communication Lab.)

Specific telescopes were required for these measurements. The H.E.S.S. facility (which stands for High Energy Stereoscopic System), consists of five Cherenkov telescopes that are used to investigate gamma rays from space. A new, highly sensitive state-of-the-art camera – known as FlashCam – was recently installed in the largest telescope. The FlashCam design is currently being further developed for the next generation gamma-ray observatory, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). ‘The new camera has been in use since late 2019, and this measurement shows just how much potential the latest generation of cameras has,’ explains Simon Steinmassl, a doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, who was involved in analysing the camera data.

The telescopes were pointed towards the nova at very short notice after amateur astronomers first reported the nova to the astrophysics community. The success of the observation was due in no small part to the rapid reaction of the researchers and the wider astronomical community, paving the way for extensive subsequent observations. Stefan Wagner, a professor at the regional observatory in Heidelberg and the director of the H.E.S.S. experiment, explains, ‘over the next few years, research using the CTA telescopes will show whether this type of nova is special.’ In addition, researchers now have a clearer idea of what to look for. This gives rise to a number of new possibilities for gaining a better understanding and being better able to explain events linked to novae. ‘This measurement is a further breakthrough in gamma-ray astronomy and encourages sign that we will be able to study many more cosmic explosions with H.E.S.S. and gamma-ray telescopes of the future.’

About H.E.S.S.

More than 230 researchers from 41 institutes in 15 different countries are involved in the international H.E.S.S. collaboration and have contributed to this research. H.E.S.S. is an array of five imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes for studying cosmic gamma rays. The telescopes are located in Namibia, near the Gamsberg mountain, in a region known for its excellent optical properties. Four H.E.S.S. telescopes went into operation in 2002/2003, the much larger fifth telescope known as H.E.S.S. II is operational since July 2012 and extends the energy coverage towards lower energies, as well as further improving sensitivity.

Further Informationen

Dr. Alison Mitchell
Lehrstuhl für Physik
Tel.: 09131/85-28961
alison.mw.mitchell@fau.de