A Search For Pulsations in the Optical Light Curve of the Nova ASASSN-17hx

Abstract

We present high-speed optical observations of the nova ASASSN-17hx, taken both immediately after its discovery and close to its first peak in brightness, to search for seconds -- minutes pulsations associated with the convective eddy turnover timescale within the nova envelope. We do not detect any periodic signal with greater than $3\sigma$ significance. Through injection and recovery, we rule out periodic signals of fractional amplitude $>7.08\times10^{-4}$ on timescales of 2 seconds and fractional amplitude $>1.06\times10^{-3}$ on timescales of 10 minutes. Additional observations of novae are planned to further constrain ongoing simulations of the launch and propagation of nova winds.