PROBING PARTICLE ACCELERATION AT NON-RELATIVISTIC SHOCKS WITH GAMMA-RAY NOVAE

THE DISCOVERY BY FERMI LAT OF GEV GAMMA-RAYS FROM CLASSICAL NOVAE ILLUSTRATES THAT SHOCKS AND HIGH ENERGY PARTICLE ACCELERATION ARE COMMON IN NOVA OUTFLOWS. A MODEL WILL BE FURTHER DEVELOPED FOR THE MULTI-WAVELENGTH THERMAL AND NON-THERMAL EMISSION OF NOVA SHOCKS THAT INCLUDES FOR THE FIRST TIME EFFECTS SUCH AS RADIATIVE COOLING OF THE SHOCKED GAS A SELF-CONSISTENT TREATMENT OF THE IONIZATION OF THE UNSHOCKED MEDIUM AND THE EFFECTS OF RELATIVISTIC PARTICLES AND MAGNETIC FIELDS ON THE COMPRESSIBILITY AND EMISSION OF THE POST SHOCK GAS. FERMI DETECTIONS OF NOVAE WILL BE USED IN COMBINATION WITH GAMMA- RAY OPTICAL AND RADIO DATA TO CONSTRAIN THE EFFICIENCY AND SPECTRUM OF NON-THERMAL PARTICLE ACCELERATION AND MAGNETIC FIELD AMPLIFICATION IN NON-RELATIVISTIC SHOCKS.