On the synthesis of Li-7 and Be-7 in novae

The production of Li-7 and Be-7 during the explosive hydrogen burning that occurs in nova explosions is computed by means of a hydrodynamic code able to treat both the accretion and the explosion stages. Large overproduction factors with respect to solar abundances are obtained, the exact value depending mainly on the chemical composition of the envelope. Although the final ejected masses are small, these results indicate that novae can contribute to the Li-7 enrichment of the interstellar medium. Furthermore, since Be-7 decays by emitting a gamma ray (478 keV), with a half-life of 53.3 days, the synthesis of Li-7 could be tested during the INTEGRAL mission.