Models for the soft X-ray emission of post-outburst classical novae

Abstract

A hydrostatic and stationary white dwarf envelope model has been developed for the study of the post-outburst phases of classical novae and their soft X-ray emission. Several white dwarf masses and chemical compositions typical for classical novae have been considered. The results show that the luminosity, maximum effective temperature and envelope masses depend on the white dwarf mass and on the chemical composition. Envelope masses for which equilibrium solutions exist are pretty small ~10^{-7}-10^{-6} Msun, thus leading to a short duration of the soft X-ray emitting phase of classical novae, in agreement with most of the observations. The models presented provide a useful tool for the determination of the white dwarf properties from observable parameters in the X-ray range.