Related papers: Doppler tomography of Cataclysmic Variables
Superhumps are among the abundant variable phenomena observed in the light curves of cataclysmic variables (CVs). They come in two flavours as positive and negative superhumps, distinguished by periods slightly longer or shorter,…
Aperiodic broad-band variability (also known as flickering) is observed throughout all types of accreting compact objects. Many statistical properties of this variability can be naturally explained with the fluctuating accretion disk model,…
We present high-speed, three-colour photometry of the eclipsing cataclysmic variables GY Cnc, IR Com and HT Cas. We find that the sharp eclipses in GY Cnc and IR Com are due to eclipses of the white dwarf. There is some evidence for a…
We present constraints on the space densities of both non-magnetic and magnetic cataclysmic variables, and discuss some implications for models of the evolution of CVs. The high predicted non-magnetic CV space density is only consistent…
The accretion column in magnetic Cataclysmic Variables may have a not negligible Thomson optical depth. A fraction of the thermal radiation from the post-shock region may therefore be scattered - and then polarized - before escaping the…
Cataclysmic variable stars are in many ways similar to X-ray binaries. Both types of systems possess an accretion disk, which in most cases can reach the surface (or event horizon) of the central compact object. The main difference is that…
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…
The first full year of operation following the commissioning year of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has revealed a wide variety of newly discovered cataclysmic variables. We show the SDSS spectra of forty-two cataclysmic variables observed in…
Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) should be present in large numbers in Globular Clusters (GCs). Numerous low-luminosity X-ray sources identified over the past few years as candidate CVs in GCs support this notion. Yet, very few "cataclysms," the…
We report two new radio detections of cataclysmic variables (CVs), and place them in context with radio and X-ray detections of other CVs. We detected QS Vir, a low accretion-rate CV; V2400 Oph, a diskless intermediate polar (IP); and…
An analysis is presented of a numerical investigation of the dynamics and geometry of accretion discs in binary systems with mass ratios q < 0.1, applicable to ultra-compact X-ray binaries, AM CVn stars and very short period cataclysmic…
Many high-state non-magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) exhibit blue-shifted absorption or P-Cygni profiles associated with ultraviolet (UV) resonance lines. These features imply the existence of powerful accretion disk winds in CVs. Here,…
The emission lines found in the majority of cataclysmic variables are generally used as tracers of accretion flows which dominate the light at optical wavelengths. It has been suggested from previous observations that the eclipsing…
We discuss a new technique for studying astrophysical turbulence that utilizes the statistics of Doppler-broadened spectral lines. The technique relates the power Velocity Coordinate Spectrum (VCS), i.e. the spectrum of fluctuations…
This study of SDSS0804 is primarily concerned with the double-hump shape in the light curve and its connection with the accretion disk in this bounce-back system. Time-resolved photometric and spectroscopic observations were obtained to…
Applications of the thermal-viscous disc instability model to various classes of cataclysmic variable very often require the accretion disc to be truncated. I argue that in most cases this inner truncation must be due to the white dwarf's…
In this paper, the first of a series, we study the stellar dynamical and evolutionary processes leading to the formation of compact binaries containing white dwarfs in dense globular clusters. We examine the processes leading to the…
Archival data on permanent superhump systems are compiled to test the thermal stability of their accretion discs. We find that their discs are almost certainly thermally stable as expected. This result confirms Osaki's suggestion (1996)…
Based on the current detectable cataclysmic variable (CV) population in Galactic globular clusters (GCs), we show that there is not a clear relation between the number of sources per unit of mass and the stellar encounter rate, the cluster…
The secondary stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs) are key to our understanding of the origin, evolution and behaviour of this class of interacting binary. In seeking a fuller understanding of these objects, the challenge for observers is…