Flaring, Dust Formation, And Shocks In The Very Slow Nova ASASSN-17pf (LMCN 2017-11a)

Understand

We present a detailed study of the 2017 eruption of the classical nova ASASSN-17pf (LMCN 2017-11a), which is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, including data from AAVSO, ASAS-SN, SALT, SMARTS, SOAR, and the Neil Gehrels \textit{Swift} Observatory.

• The optical light-curve is characterized by multiple maxima (flares) on top of a slowly evolving light-curve (with a decline time, $t_2>$ 100 d).
• The maxima correlate with the appearance of new absorption line systems in the optical spectra characterized by increasing radial velocities.
• We suggest that this is evidence of multiple episodes of mass-ejection with increasing expansion velocities.