VLITE Detection of the 2021 Outburst of the Recurrent Nova in RS Ophiuchi
ATel #14908; W. M. Peters (NRL), T. E. Clarke (NRL), S. Giacintucci (NRL), N. E. Kassim (NRL), E. Polisensky (NRL)
on 11 Sep 2021; 01:21 UT
Credential Certification: Emil Polisensky (Emil.Polisensky@nrl.navy.mil)
Referred to by ATel #: 14910
We report observations of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi (AAVSO Alert Notice 752) with the VLA Low-band Ionospheric and Transient Experiment (VLITE). VLITE is a commensal instrument which records data from 18 antennae in a 34 MHz band at a central frequency of 338 MHz during all routine Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations. Results from the GHz-frequency VLA follow up of RS Ophiuchi have been previously reported (ATEL #14886). The nova is not visible in VLITE data from 2021-08-18, with an upper limit on the peak flux of 12.5 mJy/bm. In observations from 2021-08-20 (t0 + 11.5d), the source is seen with a flux of 16.1 ± 4.1 mJy/bm. Two weeks later, on 2021-09-04 (t0 + 26.5d), the flux density had risen to 58.7 ± 12.2 mJy/bm. An additional measurement from 2021-09-06 (t0 + 28.5d), has a similar flux density of 58.0 ± 13.5 mJy/bm. The flux density scale has been calibrated to 3C286, and the measurement uncertainty includes VLITE's 15% flux density calibration accuracy and the fit errors summed in quadrature. The data were taken with the VLA in its relatively compact C-configuration (maximum baseline of 3.4 km), and the resolution is approximately 45 arcsec. The source is unresolved. Ongoing VLA observations to monitor the source at higher frequencies will allow VLITE to continue to track the outburst as well.
