Spectroscopic analysis of tremendous-outburst-nova candidates^*

¹ European Southern Observatory, Casilla 19001, Santiago 19, Chile e-mail: lschmidt@eso.org
² Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Casilla 306, Santiago 22, Chile
³ Dipartimento di Astronomia, Università di Padova, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 2, 35122 Padova, Italy
⁴ Grupo de Astronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160–C, Concepción, Chile

Received: 28 May 2004
Accepted: 27 October 2004

Abstract

In the course of a long-term project investigating classical novae with large outburst amplitudes, we have performed optical spectroscopy of several old-nova candidates. We here present the spectra of the candidates V630 Sgr, XX Tau, CQ Vel, V842 Cen, and V529 Ori, that hitherto lacked such classification. While the first four show spectra typical of cataclysmic variables and can thus be identified as such, V529 Ori is probably misclassified. Of special interest are the two systems XX Tau and V842 Cen, which show signs of being low mass transfer systems. As such they can be used to judge the evolution scenarios for novae. In particular, given the rather young age of their outbursts, it appears more likely that these systems are not on their way into hibernation (i.e., cutting off mass transfer for a longer period of time), but are simply settling down towards their original configuration of comparatively low, but steady, mass transfer, such as for dwarf novae.