The evolution of luminous red nova AT 2017jfs in NGC 4470 [Letter to the editor]

Pastorello, A., Chen, T.-W., Cai, Y.-Z., Morales-Garoffolo, A., Cano, Z., Mason, E., Barsukova, E. A., Benetti, S., Berton, M., Bose, S., Bufano, F., Callis, E., Cannizzaro, G., Cartier, R., Chen, Ping, Dong, Subo, Dyrbye, S., Elias-Rosa, N., Flörs, A., Fraser, M., Geier, S., Goranskij, V. P., Kann, D. A., Kuncarayakti, H., Onori, F., Reguitti, A., Reynolds, T., Losada, I. R., Sagués Carracedo, A., Schweyer, T., Smartt, S. J., Tatarnikov, A. M., Valeev, A. F., Vogl, C., Wevers, T., de Ugarte Postigo, A., Izzo, L., Inserra, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3968-4409, Kankare, E., Maguire, K., Smith, K. W., Stalder, B., Tartaglia, L., Thöne, C. C., Valerin, G. and Young, D. R. 2019. The evolution of luminous red nova AT 2017jfs in NGC 4470 [Letter to the editor]. Astronomy and Astrophysics 625 , L8. 10.1051/0004-6361/201935511

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Abstract

We present the results of our photometric and spectroscopic follow-up of the intermediate-luminosity optical transient AT 2017jfs. At peak, the object reaches an absolute magnitude of Mg = −15.46 ± 0.15 mag and a bolometric luminosity of 5.5 × 1041 erg s−1. Its light curve has the double-peak shape typical of luminous red novae (LRNe), with a narrow first peak bright in the blue bands, while the second peak is longer-lasting and more luminous in the red and near-infrared (NIR) bands. During the first peak, the spectrum shows a blue continuum with narrow emission lines of H and Fe II. During the second peak, the spectrum becomes cooler, resembling that of a K-type star, and the emission lines are replaced by a forest of narrow lines in absorption. About 5 months later, while the optical light curves are characterized by a fast linear decline, the NIR ones show a moderate rebrightening, observed until the transient disappears in solar conjunction. At these late epochs, the spectrum becomes reminiscent of that of M-type stars, with prominent molecular absorption bands. The late-time properties suggest the formation of some dust in the expanding common envelope or an IR echo from foreground pre-existing dust. We propose that the object is a common-envelope transient, possibly the outcome of a merging event in a massive binary, similar to NGC 4490−2011OT1.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Physics and Astronomy
Publisher:	EDP Sciences
ISSN:	0004-6361
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	4 June 2019
Date of Acceptance:	23 April 2019
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 21:02
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/123157

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