38 research outputs found
MR Cygni revisited
New analysis tools and additional unanalyzed observations justify a reanalysis of MR Cygni. The reanalysis applied successively more restrictive physical models, each with an optimization program. The final model assigned separate first and second order limb darkening coefficients, from model atmospheres, to individual grid points. Proper operation of the optimization procedure was tested on simulated observational data, produced by light synthesis with assigned system parameters, and modulated by simulated observational error. The iterative solution converged to a weakly-determined mass ratio of 0.75. Assuming the B3 primary component is on the main sequence, the HR diagram location of the secondary from the light ratio (ordinate) and adjusted T sub eff (abscissa) was calculated. The derived mass ratio, together with a main-sequence mass for the B3 component, implies a main-sequence secondary spectral type of B4. The photometrically-determined secondary radii agree with this spectral type, in marginal disagreement with the B7 type from the HR diagram analysis. The individual masses, derived from the radial velocity curve of the primary component, the photometrically-determined i, and alternative values of derived mass ratio are seriously discrepant with main sequence objects. The imputed physical status of the system is in disagreement with representations that have appeared in the literature
The anomalous accretion disk of the Cataclysmic Variable RW Sextantis
Synthetic spectra covering the wavelength range 900\AA~to 3000\AA~provide an
accurate fit, established by a analysis, to a combined
observed spectrum of RW Sextantis. Two separately calibrated distances to the
system establish the synthetic spectrum comparison on an absolute flux basis
but with two alternative scaling factors, requiring alternative values of
for final models. Based on comparisons for a range of
values, the observed spectrum does not follow the standard model. Rather than
the exponent 0.25 in the expression for the radial temperature profile, a value
close to 0.125 produces a synthetic spectrum with an accurate fit to the
combined spectrum. A study of time-series spectra shows that a proposed
warped or tilted disk is not supported by the data; an alternative proposal is
that an observed non-axisymmetric wind results from an interaction with the
mass transfer stream debris.Comment: 56 pages, 15 figures, 11 tables. Accepted for The Astrophysical
Journa
V3885 Sagittarius: a Comparison with a Range of Standard Model Accretion Disks
A analysis of standard model accretion disk synthetic
spectrum fits to combined and STIS spectra of V3885 Sagittarius, on an
absolute flux basis, selects a model that accurately represents the observed
SED. Calculation of the synthetic spectrum requires the following system
parameters. The cataclysmic variable secondary star period-mass relation
calibrated by Knigge in 2007 sets the secondary component mass. A mean white
dwarf (WD) mass from the same study, that is consistent with an
observationally-determined mass ratio, sets the adopted WD mass of
, and the WD radius follows from standard theoretical models. The
adopted inclination, i=65{\arcdeg}, is a literature consensus, and is
subsequently supported by analysis. The mass transfer rate
is the remaining parameter to set the accretion disk profile, and
the parallax constrains that parameter to
by a comparison
with observed spectra. The fit to the observed spectra adopts the contribution
of a K WD. The model thus provides realistic constraints on
and for a large system above the period gap.Comment: 41 pages, 7 figures, 9 tables. Astrophysical Journal (accepted
The anomalous accretion disk of the Cataclysmic Variable RW Sextantis
Synthetic spectra covering the wavelength range 900\AA~to 3000\AA~provide an
accurate fit, established by a analysis, to a combined
observed spectrum of RW Sextantis. Two separately calibrated distances to the
system establish the synthetic spectrum comparison on an absolute flux basis
but with two alternative scaling factors, requiring alternative values of
for final models. Based on comparisons for a range of
values, the observed spectrum does not follow the standard model. Rather than
the exponent 0.25 in the expression for the radial temperature profile, a value
close to 0.125 produces a synthetic spectrum with an accurate fit to the
combined spectrum. A study of time-series spectra shows that a proposed
warped or tilted disk is not supported by the data; an alternative proposal is
that an observed non-axisymmetric wind results from an interaction with the
mass transfer stream debris.Comment: 56 pages, 15 figures, 11 tables. Accepted for The Astrophysical
Journa
An Illustration of Modeling Cataclysmic Variables: HST, FUSE, SDSS Spectra of SDSSJ080908.39+381406.2
We use FUSE, HST, and SDSS spectra of the cataclysmic variable SDSSJ0809 to
illustrate procedures for calculating and testing system models. Our final
model has an accretion disk temperature profile similar to the SW Sextantis
profile determined from tomographic reconstruction.Comment: 51 pages, 19 Postscript figures, 6 table
GALEX and Optical Light Curves of WX LMi, SDSSJ103100.5+202832.2 and SDSSJ121209.31+013627.7
{\it GALEX} near ultraviolet (NUV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) light curves of
three extremely low accretion rate polars show distinct modulations in their UV
light curves. While these three systems have a range of magnetic fields from 13
to 70 MG, and of late type secondaries (including a likely brown dwarf in
SDSSJ121209.31+013627.7), the accretion rates are similar, and the UV
observations imply some mechanism is operating to create enhanced emission
zones on the white dwarf. The UV variations match in phase to the two magnetic
poles viewed in the optical in WX LMi and to the single poles evident in the
optical in SDSSJ1212109.31+013627.7 and SDSSJ103100.55+202832.2. Simple spot
models of the UV light curves show that if hot spots are responsible for the UV
variations, the temperatures are on the order of 10,000-14,000K. For the single
pole systems, the size of the FUV spot must be smaller than the NUV and in all
cases, the geometry is likely more complicated than a simple circular spot.Comment: 29 pages, 4 tables, 10 figures, Astrophysical Journal, accepte
The Hot Components of AM CVn Helium Cataclysmics
We present the results of a multi-component synthetic spectral analysis of
the archival far ultraviolet spectra of the hot components of several AM CVn
double degenerate interacting binaries with known distances from trigonometric
parallaxes. Our analysis was carried out using the code BINSYN (Linnell &
Hubeny 1996) which takes into account the donor companion star, the shock front
which forms at the disk edge and the FUV and NUV energy distribution. We fixed
the distance of each system at its parallax-derived value and adopted
appropriate values of orbital inclination and white dwarf mass. We find that
the accretion-heated "DO/DB" WDs are contributing significantly to the FUV flux
in four of the systems (ES Ceti, CR Boo, V803 Cen, HP Lib, GP Com). In two of
the systems, GP Com and ES Ceti, the WD dominates the FUV/NUV flux. We present
model-derived accretion rates which agree with the low end of the range of
accretion rates derived earlier from black body fits over the entire spectral
energy distribution. We find that the WD in ES Ceti is very likely not a direct
impact accretor but has a small disk. The WD in ES Ceti has K. This is far cooler than the previous estimate of Espaillat
et al.(2005). We find that the WD in GP Com has K,
which is hotter than the previously estimated temperature of 11,000K. We
present a comparison between our empirical results and current theoretical
predictions for these systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (Sept.20, 2011
issue, in press