# # Program information file # PROGRAM_ID 2022A004 PROGRAM_TITLE SpeX 'Snapshots' of V1391Cas and V140Cas - Novae in the Dust and Coronal Emission Line Phase PROGRAM_INV1 Chick Woodward PROGRAM_INV2 PROGRAM_INV3 PROGRAM_INV4 PROGRAM_INV5 PROGRAM_SCICAT stellar PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_BEG Classical novae [CN] are unique laboratories in which several poorly understood astrophysical processes [e.g., thermonuclear runaway [TNR], molecule and grain formation, etc.] may be observed, many rapidly evolving in real time. CNe ejecta abundances provide information about nucleosynthesis in the WD progenitor and in the TNR during a nova explosion. Infrared observations have established the importance of Galactic CN as sites of astrophysical dust formation and sources of material that contributes to abundance anomalies in the interstellar medium [ISM] on local scales. The proposal goal is to obtain 0.7 to 4.2 micron spectra of two recent novae [and very bright [V] of 4.5 at maximum light], V1405 Cas [a Fermi-detected gamma-ray source] and V1391 Cas as they evolve through a dust and coronal line emission evolutionary phase, several 100s of day after outburst. These data will: 1] quantify isotopic abundances; 2] yield the gas phase elemental abundances of TNR-produced CNONeMgAl in the ejecta; and 3] constrain whether or not dust and molecular formation occurred in the ejecta. SpeX data will complement on-going NASA SOFIA and Geherls-SWIFT and optical ground-based synoptic observations to detail the temporal evolution of these sources as they return to quiescence. Multi-wavelength, synoptic data are crucial to refining our understanding nova evolution. PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_END