375 research outputs found
Is FIRST J102347.6+003841 Really a Cataclysmic Binary?
The radio source FIRST J102347.6+003841 was presented as the first
radio-selected cataclysmic. In the discovery paper, Bond et al. (2002) show a
spectrum consistent with a magnetic AM Her-type system and a light curve with
rapid, irregular flickering. In contrast, Woudt, Warner, and Pretorius (2004)
found a smoothly-varying light curve with a period near 4.75 h and one minimum
per orbit, indicating a dramatic change. We present time-resolved spectra
showing a superficially normal, mid-G type photosphere, with no detectable
emission lines. The absorption-line radial velocity varies sinusoidally, with
semi-amplitude 268 +- 4 km/s, on the orbital period, which is refined to
0.198094(2) d. At this orbital period the secondary's spectral type is
atypically early, suggesting an unusual evolutionary history. We also obtained
BVI photometry around the orbit. The light curve resembles that given by Woudt
et al., and the color modulation is consistent with a heating effect. A simple
illumination model matches the observations strikingly well with a Roche-lobe
filling secondary near 5650 kelvin being illuminated by a primary giving out
around 2 solar luminosities. The modest amplitude of the observed modulation
constrains the orbital inclination to be less than about 55 deg, unless the
gravity darkening is artificially reduced. The resulting primary star mass is
above the Chandrasekhar limit (assuming conventional gravity darkening). We
examine the possibility that the compact object in this system is not a white
dwarf, in which case this is not actually a cataclysmic variable. On close
examination, FIRST J102347.6+003841 defies easy classification.Comment: 24 pages, 5 postscript and two JPG figures; Astronomical Journal,
accepte
An Optical Study of Two VY Sculptoris-Type Cataclysmic Binary Stars: V704 And and RX J2338+431
We report observations of the known cataclysmic variable star (CV) V704 And,
and also confirm that the optical counterpart of the ROSAT Galactic Plane
Survey source RX J2338+431 is a heretofore-neglected CV. Photometric and
spectroscopic observations from MDM Observatory show both systems to be
novalike variables that exhibit dips of 4-5 magnitudes from their mean
brightnesses, establishing them as members of the VY~Scl subclass. From
high-state emission-line radial velocities, we determine orbital periods of
0.151424(3) d (3.63 hr) for V704 And and 0.130400(1) d (3.13 hr) for RX
J2338+431. In V704 And, we find that the H-alpha emission-line measures cluster
into distinct regions on a plot of equivalent width versus full width at
half-maximum, which evidently correspond to high, intermediate, and low
photometric states. This allows us to assign spectra to photometric states when
contemporaneous photometry is not available, an apparently novel method that
may be useful in studies of other novalikes. Our low-state spectra of RX
J2338+431 show features of an M-type secondary star, from which we estimate a
distance of 890 +- 200 pc, in good agreement with the Gaia DR2 parallax.Comment: Accepted for Astronomical Journa
Orbital, Superhump and Superorbital Periods in the Cataclysmic Variables AQ Mensae and IM Eridani
We report photometric detections of orbital and superorbital signals, and negative orbital sidebands, in the light curves of the nova-like cataclysmic variables AQ Mensae and IM Eridani. The frequencies of the orbital, superorbital, and sideband signals are 7.0686 (3), 0.263 (3), and 7.332 (3) cycles per day (c/d) in AQ Mensae, and 6.870 (1), 0.354 (7), and 7.226 (1) c/d in IM Eridani. We also find a spectroscopic orbital frequency in IM Eridani of 6.86649 (2) c/d. These observations can be reproduced by invoking an accretion disc that is tilted with respect to the orbital plane. This model works well for X-ray binaries, in which irradiation by a primary neutron star can account for the disc\u27s tilt. A likely tilt mechanism has yet to be identified in CVs, yet the growing collection of observational evidence indicates that the phenomenon of tilt is indeed at work in this class of object. The results presented in this paper bring the number of CVs known to display signals associated with retrograde disc precession to twelve. We also find AQ Mensae to be an eclipsing system. The eclipse depths are highly variable, which suggests that the eclipses are grazing. This finding raises the possibility of probing variations in disc tilt by studying systematic variations in the eclipse profile
The Orbital Period and Negative Superhumps of the Nova-Like Cataclysmic Variable V378 Pegasi
A radial velocity study is presented of the cataclysmic variable V378 Pegasi
(PG 2337+300). It is found to have an orbital period of 0.13858 +/- 0.00004 d
(3.32592 +/- 0.00096 hours). Its spectrum and long-term light curve suggest
that V378 Peg is a nova-like variable, with no outbursts. We use the
approximate distance and position in the Galaxy of V378 Peg to estimate E(B-V)
= 0.095, and use near-infrared magnitudes to calculate a distance of 680 +/- 90
pc and M_V = 4.68 +/- 0.70, consistent with V378 Peg being a nova-like.
Time-resolved photometry taken between 2001 and 2009 reveals a period of 0.1346
+/- 0.0004 d (3.23 +/- 0.01 hours). We identify this photometric variability to
be negative superhumps, from a precessing, tilted accretion disk. Our repeated
measurements of the photometric period of V378 Peg are consistent with this
period having been stable between 2001 and 2009, with its negative superhumps
showing coherence over as many as hundreds or even thousands of cycles.Comment: 24 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in New Astronom
A Trip to the Cataclysmic Binary Zoo: Detailed Follow-Up of 35 Recently Discovered Systems
We report follow-up studies of 35 recently discovered cataclysmic variables (CVs), 32 of which were found in large, automated synoptic sky surveys. The objects were selected for observational tractability. For 34 of the objects, we present mean spectra and spectroscopic orbital periods, and for one more we give an eclipse-based period. Thirty-two of the period determinations are new, and three of these refine published estimates based on superhump periods. The remaining three of our determinations confirm previously published periods. Twenty of the stars are confirmed or suspected dwarf novae with periods shorter than 3 hr, but we also find three apparent polars (AM Her stars) and six systems with . Five of these systems have secondary stars visible in their spectra, from which we estimate distances when possible. The orbital period distribution of this sample is very similar to that of previously discovered CVs
A Trip to the Cataclysmic Binary Zoo: Detailed Follow-Up of 35 Recently Discovered Systems
We report follow-up studies of 35 recently discovered cataclysmic variables (CVs), 32 of which were found in large, automated synoptic sky surveys. The objects were selected for observational tractability. For 34 of the objects, we present mean spectra and spectroscopic orbital periods, and for one more we give an eclipse-based period. Thirty-two of the period determinations are new, and three of these refine published estimates based on superhump periods. The remaining three of our determinations confirm previously published periods. Twenty of the stars are confirmed or suspected dwarf novae with periods shorter than 3 hr, but we also find three apparent polars (AM Her stars) and six systems with . Five of these systems have secondary stars visible in their spectra, from which we estimate distances when possible. The orbital period distribution of this sample is very similar to that of previously discovered CVs
Rapid Oscillations in Cataclysmic Variables. XV. HT Camelopardalis (= RX J0757.0+6306)
We present photometry and spectroscopy of HT Camelopardalis, a recently
discovered X-ray-bright cataclysmic variable. The spectrum shows bright lines
of H, He I, and He II, all moving with a period of 0.059712(1) d, which we
interpret as the orbital period. The star's brightness varies with a strict
period of 515.0592(2) s, and a mean full amplitude of 0.11 mag. These
properties qualify it as a /bona fide/ DQ Herculis star (intermediate polar) --
in which the magnetism of the rapidly rotating white dwarf channels accretion
flow to the surface. Normally at V=17.8, the star shows rare and very brief
outbursts to V=12-13. We observed one in December 2001, and found that the 515
s pulse amplitude had increased by a factor of ~100 (in flux units). A
transient orbital signal may also have appeared.Comment: PDF, 19 pages, 3 tables, 6 figures; accepted, in press, to appear
June 2002, PASP; more info at http://cba.phys.columbia.edu
Faint Sources in the EUVE Survey: Identification of White Dwarfs, Active Late‐Type Stars, and Galactic Nuclei
We report the classification of 21 new extreme-ultraviolet sources from the recent catalog of Lampton et al. The optical spectra presented identify the objects as 14 active late-type stars (including two double active stars and a possible T Tauri star), three white dwarfs, and six active galactic nuclei (a Seyfert galaxy, the BL Lac object 1ES 1028+511 [=EUVE J1031+508], and four quasi-stellar objects). We have detected Ca II absorption lines in the BL Lac object and measured its redshift. Two of the white dwarfs are unusually massive (M \u3e 1.1 M☉). Our sample of late-type stars includes five previously known high proper motion objects (EUVE J1004+503, J2244-332A,B, J1802+642, and J1131-346), of which one is the well-known flare star TX PsA (EUVE J2244-332B). We report an unusually high level of activity for the primary component of the TX PsA system (EUVE J2244-332A), which may indicate flare activity. The group of late-type stars is on average almost 3 mag fainter (m ≈ 13) than the typical member of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) all-sky survey catalog. All Galactic and extragalactic objects were also detected in the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter survey, and most are at the faint limit of the EUVE detectors. These new identifications substantially increase the total number of EUV-selected extragalactic sources
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