Fermi establishes classical novae as a distinct class of gamma-ray sources

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Albert, A.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bellazzini, R.; Bissaldi, E.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bottacini, E.; Brandt, T. J.; Bregeon, J.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Caragiulo, M.; Caraveo, P. A.; Cavazzuti, E.; Charles, E.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiang, J.; Chiaro, G.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cohen Tanugi, J.; Conrad, J.; Corbel, S.; D'Ammando, F.; de Angelis, A.; den Hartog, P. R.; de Palma, F.; Dermer, C. D.; Desiante, R.; Digel, S. W.; Di Venere, L.; Silva, E. do Couto e.; Donato, D.; Drell, P. S.; Drlica Wagner, A.; Favuzzi, C.; Ferrara, E. C.; Focke, W. B.; Franckowiak, A.; Fuhrmann, L.; Fukazawa, Y.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Germani, S.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grenier, I. A.; Grove, J. E.; Guiriec, S.; Hadasch, D.; Harding, A. K.; Hayashida, M.; Hays, E.; Hewitt, J. W.; Hill, A. B.; Hou, X.; Jean, P.; Jogler, T.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, W. N.; Kerr, M.; Knödlseder, J.; Kuss, M.; Larsson, S.; Latronico, L.; Lemoine Goumard, M.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lott, B.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Manfreda, A.; Martin, P.; Massaro, Francesco; Mayer, M.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Mcenery, J. E.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Nemmen, R.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Omodei, N.; Orienti, M.; Orlando, E.; Ormes, J. F.; Paneque, D.; Panetta, J. H.; Perkins, J. S.; Pesce Rollins, M.; Piron, F.; Pivato, G.; Porter, T. A.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Razzano, M.; Razzaque, S.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Reposeur, T.; Saz Parkinson, P. M.; Schaal, M.; Schulz, A.; Sgrò, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Stawarz, Ł.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J. G.; Thayer, J. B.; Thompson, D. J.; Tibaldo, L.; Tinivella, M.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Troja, E.; Uchiyama, Y.; Vianello, G.; Winer, B. L.; Wolff, M. T.; Wood, D. L.; Wood, K. S.; Wood, M.; Charbonnel, S.; Corbet, R. H. D.; De Gennaro Aquino, I.; Edlin, J. P.; Mason, E.; Schwarz, G. J.; Shore, S. N.; Starrfield, S.; Teyssier, F.

doi:10.1126/science.1253947

A classical nova results from runaway thermonuclear explosions on the surface of a white dwarf that accretes matter from a low-mass main-sequence stellar companion. In 2012 and 2013, three novae were detected in g rays and stood in contrast to the first g-ray–detected nova V407 Cygni 2010, which belongs to a rare class of symbiotic binary systems. Despite likely differences in the compositions and masses of their white dwarf progenitors, the three classical novae are similarly characterized as soft-spectrum transient g-ray sources detected over 2- to 3-week durations. The g-ray detections point to unexpected high-energy particle acceleration processes linked to the mass ejection from thermonuclear explosions in an unanticipated class of Galactic g-ray sources.