7 research outputs found
Photometric variability of the T Tauri star TW Hya on time scales of hours to years
MOST (Microvariability & Oscillations of STars) and ASAS (All Sky Automated
Survey) observations have been used to characterize photometric variability of
TW Hya on time scales from a fraction of a day to 7.5 weeks and from a few days
to 8 years, respectively. The two data sets have very different uncertainties
and temporal coverage properties and cannot be directly combined, nevertheless,
they suggests a global variability spectrum with "flicker noise" properties,
i.e. with amplitudes a ~ 1/sqrt(f), over >4 decades in frequency, in the range
f = 0.0003 to 10 cycles per day (c/d). A 3.7 d period is clearly present in the
continuous 11 day, 0.07 d time resolution, observations by MOST in 2007.
Brightness extrema coincide with zero-velocity crossings in periodic (3.56 d)
radial velocity variability detected in contemporaneous spectroscopic
observations of Setiawan et al. (2008) and interpreted as caused by a planet.
The 3.56/3.7 d periodicity was entirely absent in the second, four times longer
MOST run in 2008, casting doubt on the planetary explanation. Instead, a
spectrum of unstable single periods within the range of 2 - 9 days was
observed; the tendency of the periods to progressively shorten was well traced
using the wavelet analysis. The evolving periodicities and the overall
flicker-noise characteristics of the TW Hya variability suggest a combination
of several mechanisms, with the dominant ones probably related to the accretion
processes from the disk around the star.Comment: MNRAS submitte
Discovery of the 2010 Eruption and the Pre-Eruption Light Curve for Recurrent Nova U Scorpii
We report the discovery by B. G. Harris and S. Dvorak on JD 2455224.9385
(2010 Jan 28.4385 UT) of the predicted eruption of the recurrent nova U Scorpii
(U Sco). We also report on 815 magnitudes (and 16 useful limits) on the
pre-eruption light curve in the UBVRI and Sloan r' and i' bands from 2000.4 up
to 9 hours before the peak of the January 2010 eruption. We found no
significant long-term variations, though we did find frequent fast variations
(flickering) with amplitudes up to 0.4 mag. We show that U Sco did not have any
rises or dips with amplitude greater than 0.2 mag on timescales from one day to
one year before the eruption. We find that the peak of this eruption occurred
at JD 2455224.69+-0.07 and the start of the rise was at JD 2455224.32+-0.12.
From our analysis of the average B-band flux between eruptions, we find that
the total mass accreted between eruptions is consistent with being a constant,
in agreement with a strong prediction of nova trigger theory. The date of the
next eruption can be anticipated with an accuracy of +-5 months by following
the average B-band magnitudes for the next ~10 years, although at this time we
can only predict that the next eruption will be in the year 2020+-2.Comment: Astronomical Journal submitted, 36 pages, 3 figures, full table
Analysis of variability of TW Hya as observed by MOST and ASAS in 2009
As a continuation of our previous studies in 2007 and 2008, new photometric
observations of the T Tauri star TW Hya obtained by the MOST satellite and the
ASAS project over 40 days in 2009 with temporal resolution of 0.2 days are
presented. A wavelet analysis of the combined MOST-ASAS data provides a rich
picture of coherent, intermittent, variable-period oscillations, similarly as
discovered in the 2008 data. The periods (1.3 - 10 days) and systematic period
shortening on time scales of weeks can be interpreted within the model of
magneto-rotationally controlled accretion processes in the inner accretion disk
around the star. Within this model and depending on the assumed visibility of
plasma parcels causing the oscillations, the observed shortest-period
oscillation period may indicate the stellar rotation period of 1.3 or 2.6 d,
synchronized with the disk at 4.5 or 7.1 solar radii, respectively.Comment: Accepted to MNRA
An Asymmetric Eclipse Seen toward the Pre-main-sequence Binary System V928 Tau
K2 observations of the weak-lined T Tauri binary V928 Tau A and B show the detection of a single, asymmetric eclipse, which may be due to a previously unknown substellar companion eclipsing one component of the binary with an orbital period >66 days. Over an interval of about 9 hr, one component of the binary dims by around 60%, returning to its normal brightness about 5 hr later. From modeling of the eclipse shape, we find evidence that the eclipsing companion may be surrounded by a disk or a vast ring system. The modeled disk has a radius of 0.9923 ± 0.0005 R*, with an inclination of 56 78 ± 0 03, a tilt of 41 22 ± 0 05, an impact parameter of −0.2506 ± 0.0002 R*, and an opacity of 1.00. The occulting disk must also move at a transverse velocity of 6.637 ± 0.002 R* day⁻¹, which, depending on whether it orbits V928 Tau A or B, corresponds to approximately 73.53 or 69.26 km s⁻¹. A search in ground-based archival data reveals additional dimming events, some of which suggest periodicity, but no unambiguous period associated with the eclipse observed by K2. We present a new epoch of astrometry that is used to further refine the orbit of the binary, presenting a new lower bound of 67 yr, and constraints on the possible orbital periods of the eclipsing companion. The binary is also separated by 18'' (~2250 au) from the lower-mass CFHT-BD-Tau 7, which is likely associated with V928 Tau A and B. We also present new high-dispersion optical spectroscopy that we use to characterize the unresolved stellar binary
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae
We systematically surveyed period variations of superhumps in SU UMa-type
dwarf novae based on newly obtained data and past publications. In many
systems, the evolution of superhump period are found to be composed of three
distinct stages: early evolutionary stage with a longer superhump period,
middle stage with systematically varying periods, final stage with a shorter,
stable superhump period. During the middle stage, many systems with superhump
periods less than 0.08 d show positive period derivatives. Contrary to the
earlier claim, we found no clear evidence for variation of period derivatives
between superoutburst of the same object. We present an interpretation that the
lengthening of the superhump period is a result of outward propagation of the
eccentricity wave and is limited by the radius near the tidal truncation. We
interpret that late stage superhumps are rejuvenized excitation of 3:1
resonance when the superhumps in the outer disk is effectively quenched. Many
of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae showed long-enduring superhumps during the
post-superoutburst stage having periods longer than those during the main
superoutburst. The period derivatives in WZ Sge-type dwarf novae are found to
be strongly correlated with the fractional superhump excess, or consequently,
mass ratio. WZ Sge-type dwarf novae with a long-lasting rebrightening or with
multiple rebrightenings tend to have smaller period derivatives and are
excellent candidate for the systems around or after the period minimum of
evolution of cataclysmic variables (abridged).Comment: 239 pages, 225 figures, PASJ accepte