Related papers: A unified theory of cataclysmic variables from sel…
Recently, there have been several studies on the evolution of binary systems using historical data treated as facts in the chain of arguments. In this paper we discuss six case studies of modern dwarf novae with suggested historical…
The 135 classical novae that we have discovered in M87 with two $\textit{Hubble Space Telescope}$ imaging surveys appear to be strongly concentrated along that galaxy's jet. Detailed simulations show that the likelihood that this…
Magnitude-limited samples have shown that 20-25 per cent of cataclysmic variables contain white dwarfs with magnetic fields of Mega Gauss strength, in stark contrast to the approximately 5 per cent of single white dwarfs with similar…
Large populations of cataclysmic variables (CVs) in globular clusters have long been predicted, but the number of absolutely certain cluster CVs known in globulars is still less than 10. HST and Chandra observers have recently found dozens…
A significant fraction of novae exhibit a series of rebrightenings on the decline branch of their light curves. We use visual observations to study this phase in several well-observed novae. We find that these rebrightenings are isolated…
We perform hydrodynamic simulations of mass transfer in binaries that contain a white dwarf and a neutron star (WD-NS binaries), and measure the specific angular momentum of material lost from the binary in disc winds. By incorporating our…
We propose a scenario for the formation of DA white dwarfs with very thin helium buffers. For these stars we explore the possible occurrence of diffusion-induced CNO- flashes, during their early cooling stage. In order to obtain very thin…
The observable consequences of a nova outburst depend sensitively on the details of the thermonuclear runaway which initiates the outburst. One of the more important sources of uncertainty is the nuclear reaction data used as input for the…
The transition zone between the white dwarf (WD) envelope and a circumstellar accretion disk in classical novae, the boundary layer, is a region of strong dissipation and intense vorticity. In this strongly sheared layer, the hydrogen-rich…
We studied the Kepler light curves of three SU UMa-type dwarf novae. Both the background dwarf nova of KIC 4378554 and V516 Lyr showed a combination of precursor-main superoutburst, during which superhumps always developed on the fading…
A substantial fraction of stars can be found in wide binaries with projected separations between $\sim10^2$ and $10^5\,\rm AU$. In the standard lore of binary physics, these would evolve as effectively single stars that remotely orbit one…
We construct time-dependent one-dimensional (vertically averaged) models of accretion disks produced by the tidal disruption of a white dwarf (WD) by a binary neutron star (NS) companion. Nuclear reactions in the disk midplane burn the WD…
The total masses ejected during classical nova eruptions are needed to answer two questions with broad astrophysical implications: Can accreting white dwarfs be pushed towards the Chandrasekhar mass limit to yield type Ia supernovae? Are…
White dwarfs with a F, G or K type companion represent the last common ancestor for a plethora of exotic systems throughout the galaxy, though to this point very few of them have been fully characterised in terms of orbital period and…
T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) is one of the eleven known recurrent novae in our Galaxy. It was observed in outburst in 1866 and 1946, with additional likely eruptions recorded in 1217 and 1787. Given its predicted recurrence period of…
Understanding and quantifying the contribution of known classes of transient and variable sources is an important lesson to be learned from the manifold of pre-cursors programs of the near-future large synoptic sky survey programs like…
Hot subdwarf (SD) stars are the stripped cores of red giant stars in transition to the white dwarf sequence. The B-type subdwarfs (sdB) are powered by helium fusion in the core, more evolved ones (sdO) by shell burning. Low mass SDs may…
Novae are cataclysmic variable binary systems in which a white dwarf primary is accreting material from a low mass companion. The importance of this accretion takes on added significance if the WD can increase its mass to reach the…
A nova is a cataclysmic event on the surface of a white dwarf in a binary system that increases the overall brightness by several orders of magnitude. Although binary systems with a white dwarf are expected to be overabundant in globular…
A significant number of hypervelocity stars with velocities between $1500-2500$ km/s have recently been observed. The only plausible explanation so far is that they have been produced through thermonuclear supernovae in white dwarf…