Related papers: Empirical consequential angular momentum loss can …
We investigate the spin evolution of the unusual magnetic CV AE Aqr. As a prototype for a potentially large population of CVs subject to a thermally unstable phase of mass transfer, understanding its future is crucial. We present a new…
We calculate the stellar evolution of both white dwarfs (WDs) in AM CVn binaries with orbital periods of $P_{\mathrm{orb}} \approx 5-70$ minutes. We focus on the cases where the donor starts as a $M_{\mathrm{He}} < 0.2 \, M_{\odot}$ Helium…
The magnetic cataclysmic variables (MCVs) present a wealth of observational diagnostics for studying accretion flows interacting with a magnetosphere. Spin-period pulsations from the rotation of the white dwarf are seen in optical light, in…
Depending on the outcome of pre-CV formation, mass transfer may set in under thermally unstable conditions in a significant number of systems. Full computations have shown that such an early phase of thermal-timescale mass transfer usually…
The mass-loss rate of donor stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is of paramount importance in the evolution of short-period CVs. Observed donors are oversized in comparison with those of isolated single stars of the same mass, which is…
Motivated by the discovery of a handful of pulsating, extremely low mass white dwarfs (ELM WDs, mass $M \lesssim 0.17\, M_\odot$) which likely have WD companions, this paper discusses binary formation models for these systems. Formation of…
Large differences between the properties of the known sample of cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) and the predictions of the theory of binary star evolution have long been recognised. However, because all existing CV samples suffer from…
Our recent theoretical work (Townsley and Bildsten 2002) on the thermal state of white dwarfs (WDs) in low mass transfer rate binaries allows us to predict the broadband colors of the binary from those of the WD and companion when the disk…
Magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) contain a white dwarf with magnetic field strong enough to control the accretion flow from a late type secondary. In this paper, we discover a magnetic CV (CXOGSG J215544.4+380116) from the $Chandra$…
AM Her variables -- synchronised magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) -- exhibit a different period distribution from other CVs across the period gap. We show that non-AM Her systems may infiltrate the longer-period end of the period gap if…
The influence of the magnetic field on process of the accretion onto White Dwarfs in Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) is discussed. Except for the Polars or AM Her objects, the strength of magnetic field can not be measured directly in CVs by…
We describe the evolution of double degenerate binary systems, consisting of components obeying the zero temperature mass radius relationship for white dwarf stars, from the onset of mass transfer to one of several possible outcomes…
(Abridged) The Cataclysmic Variable (CV) population harbors a diverse range of donor stars and accreting white dwarfs (WDs). A range of WD masses is expected, from low mass Helium core WDs, to massive WDs which have previously accreted at…
The population of non magnetic cataclysmic variables evolving under the influence of a circumbinary disk is investigated for systems above the upper edge of the period gap at orbital periods greater than 2.75hr. For a fractional mass input…
Three periodically variable stars have recently been discovered (V407 Vul, P=9.5 min; ES Cet, P=10.3 min; RX J0806.3+1527, P=5.3 min) with properties that suggest that their photometric periods are also their orbital periods, making them…
Extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs) of low-mass white dwarfs (WDs, 0.1 - 0.3 Msun) around spinning intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs, 10^3 - 10^5 Msun) offer unique opportunities for multi-messenger astronomy, emitting both…
The Dwarf Nova Oscillations observed in Cataclysmic Variable (CV) stars are interpreted in the context of a Low Inertia Accretor model, in which accretion on to an equatorial belt of the white dwarf primary causes the belt to vary its…
A significant fraction of white dwarfs (WDs) exhibit signs of ongoing accretion of refractory elements at rates $\sim10^3$--$10^7$ kg s$^{-1}$, among which, 37 WDs were detected to harbor dusty debris disks. Such a concurrence requires not…
Secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) follow a well defined period-density relation. Thus, canonical donor stars in CVs are generally low-mass stars of spectral type M. However, several CVs have been observed containing secondary…
Angular momentum loss through magnetic braking drives the spin-down of low-mass stars and the orbital evolution of various close binary systems. Current theories for magnetic braking, often calibrated for specific types of systems, predict…