Related papers: How Evolved are the Mass Donor Stars inCataclysmic…
Cataclysmic variables are binary stars in which a relatively normal star is transferring mass to its compact companion. This interaction gives rise to a rich range of behaviour, of which the most noticeable are the outbursts that give the…
Cataclysmic variables were long considered to be close binaries consisting of a white dwarf and a Roche-lobe-filling, near-zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) red or brown dwarf. Recent massive surveys have uncovered an increasing number of…
We critically examine the basic paradigm for the origin of the 2-3 hr period gap in cataclysmic variables (CVs). We carry out an extensive population synthesis study of CVs starting from ~ 3 x 10^6 primordial binaries, and evolving some ~ 2…
I review our current understanding of the evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). I first provide a brief introductory "CV primer", in which I describe the physical structure of CVs, as well as their astrophysical significance. The main…
We apply the new generation of theoretical models of low-mass stars to secondaries in CVs, focussing on systems above the period gap. The models confirm that the spectral type should be a good indicator of the donor mass. The orbital…
The discrepancies between observations and theoretical predictions of cataclysmic variables (CVs) suggest that there exists unknown angular momentum loss mechanism(s) besides magnetic braking and gravitational radiation. Mass loss due to…
The eruption of a (classical) nova is widely accepted to be a recurrent event in the lifetime of a cataclysmic binary star. In-between eruptions the system should therefore behave as a "normal" cataclysmic variable (CV), i.e. according to…
We present a binary evolution study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and related systems with white dwarf accretors, including for example, AM CVn systems, classical novae, supersoft X-ray sources, and systems with giant donor stars. Our…
Context. AM CVn binaries are potential progenitors of thermonuclear supernovae and strong sources of persistent gravitational wave radiation. For a long time, it has been believed that these systems cannot descend from cataclysmic variables…
Recent theoretical efforts have made predictions for the masses of the secondary stars in cataclysmic variables. Accurate observational determinations for M$_2$ are sparse and typically have uncertainties near $\pm$0.1M$_{\odot}$. How well…
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…
The formation of cataclysmic variables (CVs) has long been modeled as a product of common envelope evolution (CEE) in isolated binaries. However, a significant fraction of intermediate-mass stars -- the progenitors of the white dwarfs (WDs)…
We critically re-examine the available data on the spectral types, masses and radii of the secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) and low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), using the new catalogue of Ritter & Kolb (1998) as a starting…
The last few years have seen tremendous progress in our understanding of cataclysmic variable stars. As a result, we are finally developing a much clearer picture of their evolution as binary systems, the physics of the accretion processes…
This article summarizes the basic facts and ideas concerning the formation and evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). It is shown why the formation of CVs must involve huge losses of mass and orbital angular momentum, very likely via a…
We present a preliminary comparison of the post-nova population with that of general cataclysmic variables (CVs). We particularly focus on the mass-transfer rate and its potential relation to the nova eruption. We find that the known…
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…
Cataclysmic variable (CVs) are close interacting binaries in which a white dwarf accretes materials from a low mass main sequence companion. CVs can experience nova eruptions due to low mass transfer rates. In the standard theory of CV…
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…
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…