Unravelling the infrared transient VVV-WIT-06: the case for an origin in a classical nova
Abstract
The enigmatic near-infrared transient VVV-WIT-06 underwent a large amplitude eruption of unclear origin in July 2013. Based on its lightcurve properties and late-time post-outburst spectra various possibilities have been proposed in the literature for the origin of the object viz. a Type I supernova, a classical nova (CN) and a violent stellar merger event. We show that out of these possibilities, an origin in a CN outburst convincingly explains the observed properties of VVV-WIT-06. We estimate that the absolute K band magnitude of the nova at maximum was MK = -8.2 0.5, its distance d = 13.35 2.18 kpc and the extinction AV = 15.0 0.55 magnitudes.
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