Related papers: The minimum period problem in cataclysmic variable…
The observed orbital period distribution of cataclysmic variables (CVs), the space density derived from observations, and the observed orbital period minimum are known to disagree with theoretical predictions since decades. More recently,…
Using improved, up-to-date stellar input physics tested against observations of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs we calculate the secular evolution of low-mass donor cataclysmic variables (CVs), including those which form with a brown dwarf…
We use an independent new sample of cataclysmic variables (CVs), constructed by selecting objects for Halpha emission, to constrain the properties of the intrinsic CV population. This sample is restricted to systems that are likely to be…
We apply the angular momentum loss rates inferred from open cluster stars to the evolution of cataclysmic variables (CVs). We show that the angular momentum prescriptions used in earlier CV studies are inconsistent with the measured…
The predicted and observed space density of cataclysmic variables (CVs) have been for a long time discrepant by at least an order of magnitude. The standard model of CV evolution predicts that the vast majority of CVs should be period…
The population synthesis of cataclysmic variables below the period is investigated. A grid of detailed binary evolutionary sequences has been calculated and included in the simulations to take account of additional angular momentum losses…
Period bouncers are cataclysmic variables (CVs) that have evolved past their orbital period minimum. The strong disagreement between theory and observations of the relative fraction of period bouncers is a severe shortcoming in the…
Using photometric ULTRACAM observations of three new short period cataclysmic variables, we model the primary eclipse lightcurves to extract the orbital separation, masses, and radii of their component stars. We find donor masses of 0.060…
We present measurements of the component masses in 15 Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) - 6 new estimates and 9 improved estimates. We provide new calibrations of the relationship between superhump period excess and mass ratio, and use this…
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 what we know about the donor stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs), focusing particularly on the close link between these binary components and the overall secular evolution of CVs. I begin with a brief overview of the "standard…
Using improved, up-to-date stellar input physics tested against observations of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs we calculate the secular evolution of low-mass donor CVs, including those which form with a brown dwarf donor star. Our models…
(Abridged) We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of seven short period (Porb <= 95 mins) eclipsing CVs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine the system parameters via a parametrized model of the eclipse fitted to the…
The average white dwarf (WD) masses in cataclysmic variables (CVs) have been measured to significantly exceed those of single WDs, which is the opposite of what is theoretically expected. We present the results of binary population…
We reconstruct the evolutionary path followed by cataclysmic variables (CVs) from the observed mass-radius relationship of their donor stars. Along the way, we update the semi-empirical CV donor sequence of Knigge (2006) and present a…
We report the results of a statistical study of cyclical period changes in cataclysmic variables (CVs). Assuming the third-body hypothesis as the cause of period changes, we estimate the third-body mass, $m_3$, and its separation from the…
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…
We construct a complete, semi-empirical donor sequence for CVs with orbital periods less than 6 hrs. All key physical and photometric parameters of CV secondaries (along with their spectral types) are given as a function of P_orb along this…
We present the results of the study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) and AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn) stars with our double dynamo (DD) formalism of angular momentum loss (AML) by magnetic braking (MB). We show that (1) our MB model…
One of the most important problems in the context of cataclysmic variables (CVs) is the lack of observations of systems with periods between 2 and 3.12 hours, known as the period gap. The orbital evolution of CVs with periods shorter than…