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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
The paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, the common envelope phase that follows a nova outburst is discussed. It is shown that this phase leads to mass loss, preferentially in the orbital plane. It is argued, that the common envelope can explain the rapid appearance of a nebular spectrum in novae and the shaping of the nebula.
In the second part, the present status of the cyclic-evolution (“hibernation”) scenario is reviewed. It is argued that novae and dwarf novae are the same systems, transforming from one class to the other. Observational and theoretical evidence is presented, that shows that both the accretion rates and the white dwarf masses in observed nova systems should be higher than the average. Novae should therefore not be regarded as “typical” cataclysmic variables. Some critical observations that can provide observational tests are suggested.