A Photoionization Model for the Infrared Coronal Line Emission in the Classical Nova V1716 Scorpii

Abstract A near-infrared spectrum of nova V1716 Scorpii (PNV J17224490-4137160), a recent bright ( V max = 7.3 mag), Fermi-LAT detected γ -ray source, was modeled using the photoionization code CLOUDY. Abundances were estimated for He, C, N, O, Si, Al, Mg, Fe, Ne, S, Ca, and P. Notably, P (a factor of 120) and N (a factor of 248) are highly overabundant. It was necessary to assume the ejecta consist of two components (with a cylindrical geometry): a dense component from which the bulk of the H, He, and neutral O i and N emission arises and a more diffuse component from which most of the coronal lines arise. Some of the coronal lines are found to originate from both the dense and diffuse components. The mass of the ejecta, including neutral and ionized gas, is ≃4.19 × 10 −4 M ⊙ . Our analysis indicates that in the case of V1716 Sco (which has a carbon–oxygen white dwarf), a fraction of 25% white dwarf matter rather than 50% is favored for the mixing between a white dwarf and the accreted envelope before the outburst. This mixing ratio is like that found for oxygen–neon novae where a 25% mixing fraction is also indicated. Helium hydride—the first molecule to form after the Big Bang—may have formed in the ejecta of V1716 Sco based on photoionization modeling. This prediction suggests that novae may be potential formation sites of this important molecular ion.