Related papers: The pre-cataclysmic variable, LTT560

We report the discovery of a detached double white dwarf binary with an orbital period of $\approx20.6\,\rm minutes$, PTF J053332.05+020911.6. The visible object in this binary, PTF J0533+0209B, is a $\approx 0.17\,M_\odot$ mass white dwarf…

We obtained high-speed photometry of the disintegrating planetesimals orbiting the white dwarf WD1145+017, spanning a period of four weeks. The light curves show a dramatic evolution of the system since the first observations obtained about…

XMM-Newton was used to observe two eclipsing, magnetic cataclysmic variables, DP Leo and WW Hor, continuously for three orbital cycles each. Both systems were in an intermediate state of accretion. For WW Hor we also obtained optical light…

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…

We present phase-resolved spectroscopy of the short period cataclysmic variable WZ Sge obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. We were able to resolve the orbital motion of a number of absorption lines that likely probe the environment…

We present time-resolved spectroscopy of the eclipsing, short period cataclysmic variable CTCV J1300-3052. Using absorption features from the secondary star, we determine the radial velocity semi-amplitude of the secondary star to be K2 =…

While highly evolved cataclysmic variables (CVs) with brown dwarf donors, often called "period bouncers", are predicted to make up $\simeq40-70$ % of the Galactic CV population, only a handful of such systems are currently known. The…

The planet-hosting and Sirius-type binary system epsilon Reticulum (HD 27442) is examined from the perspective of its more evolved white dwarf secondary. The stellar parameters are determined from a combination of Balmer line spectroscopy,…

Nearby M dwarf systems currently offer the most favorable opportunities for spectroscopic investigations of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. The LTT~1445 system is a hierarchical triple of M dwarfs with two known planets orbiting the…

Using high-contrast imaging with the SPHERE instrument at the VLT, we report the first images of a cold brown dwarf companion to the exoplanet host star HD4113A. The brown dwarf HD4113C is part of a complex dynamical system consisting of a…

We present a photometric analysis of 19 DA and 13 DAO white dwarfs (WDs) with effective temperatures exceeding 60 kK, building on the spectral analysis reported in the first paper of this two-part study. By examining archival light curves…

We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of the eclipsing cataclysmic variables CTCV 1300, CTCV 2354 and SDSS 1152. All three systems are below the observed "period gap" for cataclysmic variables. For each system we determine the…

(Summary of paper) High resolution optical spectroscopy of the white dwarf WD0137-349 reveals a weak Halpha line in emission, due to a low mass companion in a close orbit. Using this emission feature, and the narrow NLTE core of the white…

PG 1159-035, a pre-white dwarf with T=140000 K, is the prototype of the PG1159 spectroscopic class and the DOV pulsating class. Changes in the star cause variations in its oscillation periods. The measurement of temporal change in the…

There is a small group of peculiar early-type stars on the main sequence that show different rotation velocities from different spectral lines. This inconsistency might be due to the binary nature of these objects. We aim to verify this…

We report the discovery of one unique cataclysmic variable drawn from the Hamburg Quasar Survey, HS2331+3905. Follow-up observations obtained over three years unveiled a very unusual picture. The large amplitude 3.5 h radial velocity…

We present a sample of 59 periodic variables from the Palomar Transient Factory, selected from published catalogues of white dwarf (WD) candidates. The variability can likely be attributed to ellipsoidal variation of the tidally distorted…

In a search for common proper motion companions using the VISTA Hemisphere Survey and 2MASS catalogs we have identified a very red (J-Ks=2.47 mag) late-L dwarf companion of a previously unrecognized M dwarf VHS J125601.92-125723.9, located…

It is predicted that half or more of all cataclysmic variables (CVs) should have evolved past the period minimum and now exist as so-called "period bouncers" where a white dwarf should be accreting from a Roche-lobe filling substellar…

We report the discovery of eclipses and the first orbital period measurements for four cataclysmic variables, plus the first orbital period measurements for one known eclipsing and two magnetic systems. SDSS J093537.46+161950.8 exhibits…