Spitzer Observations of the New Luminous Red Nova M85 OT2006-1

Creators: Rau, A.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Ofek, E. O.; Yan, L.

Abstract

M85 OT2006-1 is the latest and most brilliant addition to the small group of known luminous red novae (LRNe). An identifying characteristic of the previously detected events (M31 RV, V4332 Sgr, and V838 Mon) was a spectral redward evolution connected with an emerging infrared component following the optical decay. Here we report on the discovery of a similar feature in Keck NIRC and Spitzer photometry of M85 OT2006-1 6 months posteruption. We find that its 2.1-22 μm spectral energy distribution is best described by a blackbody with effective temperature T_(eff) = 950 ± 150 K and bolometric luminosity L = 2.9^(+0.4)_(-0.5) × 10^5 L_⊙. Assuming spherical geometry, the blackbody effective radius, R = 2.0^(+0.6)_(-0.4) × 10^4 R_⊙, and corresponding expansion velocity, v = 870^(+260)_(-180) km s^(-1), are remarkably similar to the properties of M31 RV 70 days after its eruption. Furthermore, we propose a search strategy for LRNe in the local universe making use of the longevity of their infrared excess emission and discuss the expected number of events in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey.

Additional Information

© 2007 The American Astronomical Society. Received 2006 December 6; accepted 2007 January 7. We are grateful to T. Soifer, Director of the Spitzer Space Telescope, for executing the IRAC and IRS observations during Director's Discretionary Time. Spitzer is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under NASA contract 1407. We thank G. Helou and L. Storrie- Lombardi for performing the Keck NIRC observations. We also thank M. Salvato for valuable discussions, as well as D. Thompson for providing his near-IR data reduction routines. This work is supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA.

Attached Files

Published - RAUapj07a.pdf

Files

RAUapj07a.pdf

Files (310.7 kB)

Name	Size	Download all
RAUapj07a.pdf md5:94d73e895fb25b47db5097c948f81dbc	310.7 kB	Preview Download

Additional details

	All versions	This version
Views	0	0
Downloads	0	0
Data volume	0 Bytes	0 Bytes