Discovery of a nova super-remnant surrounding the recurrent nova LMCN 1971-08a in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

A nova super-remnant (NSR) is a greatly-extended structure grown by repeated nova eruptions sweeping the surrounding material away from a nova into a dense outer shell and are predicted to form around all novae. To date, four NSRs are known, with three located in the Galaxy and one residing in M31. Here we present the discovery of the first NSR in the Large Magellanic Cloud and only the second extragalactic nova shell to be identified, hosted by the recurrent nova LMCN 1971-08a. The structure is coincident with the nova, has a circular morphology and is visible in narrowband H$\alpha$ and [S II] filters but very faint in [O III], as expected. HI data also potentially reveal the existence of a coincident structure. Further, with a diameter of ${\sim}200$ pc, this NSR is the largest example yet found, with models indicating an ${\sim}4130 \ \text{M}_{\odot}$ shell expanding at ${\sim}20 \ \text{km} \ \text{s}^{-1}$ into the surrounding medium and an age of $\sim$2.4 Myr. The existence of the NSR also suggests that LMCN 1971-08a may have a much shorter recurrence period than currently presumed.