SALT high-resolution spectroscopy of nova PNV J15384000-4744500

ATel #11684; E. Aydi (South African Astronomical Observatory, University of Cape Town), D. A. H. Buckley (SAAO), S. Mohamed (SAAO, UCT), P. A. Whitelock (SAAO, UCT)
on 5 Jun 2018; 15:59 UT
Credential Certification: David Buckley (dibnob@saao.ac.za)

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We report on high-resolution spectroscopy of PNV J15384000-4744500 which was reported as a possible nova by Rob Kaufman (Bright, Victoria, Australia; CBAT follow-up: http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/followups/J15384000-4744500.html ) and confirmed as a classical nova by F. Walter (ATel #11681).

We obtained a 600 s spectrum of this object under the SALT Large Science Program on transients on 2018 June 04.76 (HJD 2458274.25), using the High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS; Crause et al. 2014, Proc. SPIE, 91476) mounted on the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). Observations were taken in the HR mode of HRS, covering a spectral range of 3800-8900 Å at a resolution of R = 65000-67000. The data were reduced with the SALT HRS MIDAS pipeline (Kniazev et al. 2016, MNRAS 459, 3068).

The spectrum is dominated by emission lines of H I, Fe II, O I, Na I, Ca II, and Si II (see below a full list of the line identification). The lines are characterized by P Cygni profiles with an absorption component at -475 ± 10 km/s, characteristic of optically-thick ejecta. We measure a FWHM of ~1300 ± 100 km/s (for Hα and Hβ). We also detect two broad (~200 km/s) Na I (D) absorption features at a similar velocity to that of the P Cyg absorption, indicative of circumstellar absorption. Narrow interstellar Na I (D) absorption doublet lines, with at least 4 components, are seen at -30 km/s. The spectrum is typical of a classical nova in the optically-thick phase.

Line identifications:
H I (Balmer): 4102, 4340, 4861 and 6563Å
Ca II: 8498, 8542 and 8662Å
Na I: 5686, 5892 and 6159Å
O I: 7773 and 8446Å
Si II: 6347/71 and 6716/31Å

Fe II lines:
Multiplet (27): 4233, 4303, 4352, 4385 and 4417Å
Multiplet (41): 5284Å
Multiplet (42): 4924, 5018 and 5169Å
Multiplet (48): 5265, 5317, 5363,and 5414Å
Multiplet (49): 5198, 5235, 5276, 5317 and 5425Å
Multiplet (55): 5535Å
Multiplet (74): 6148, 6248, 6417 and 6456Å

Relatively strong unidentified emission features at:
7125, 7421, 7445, 7910, 7961, 8057, 8602, 8633, 8721, and 8762Å