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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…
Cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) are close binary systems consisting of a white dwarf (primary) that is accreting matter from a low-mass companion star (secondary). From time to time such systems undergo large-amplitude brightenings. The…
The evolution of novae and Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) is driven by changes in the binary orbital periods. In a direct and critical test for various evolution models and their physical mechanisms, I measure the sudden changes in the period…
The population of cataclysmic variables with orbital periods right above the period gap are dominated by systems with extremely high mass transfer rates, the so-called SW Sextantis stars. On the other hand, some old novae in this period…
We investigate variations of the mass transfer rate in cataclysmic variables (CVs) that are induced by nova outbursts. The ejection of nova shells leads to a spread of transfer rates in systems with similar orbital period. The effect is…
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…
The theoretical and observed populations of pre-cataclysmic variables (pre-CVs) are dominated by systems with low-mass white dwarfs (WDs), while the WD masses in CVs are typically high. In addition, the space density of CVs is found to be…
Dwarf novae (DNe) are accreting white dwarfs that show eruptions due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk. The outburst timescales constrain $\alpha$, the ratio of the viscous stress to the thermal pressure, and so the…
Mass transfer in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is usually considered to be caused by angular momentum loss (AML) driven by magnetic braking and gravitational radiation (GR) above the period gap, and solely by GR below the period gap. The…
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…
I report on two new measures of the sudden change in the orbital period ($P$) across the nova eruption ($\Delta$P) and the steady period change in quiescence ($\dot{P}$) for classical novae (CNe) RR Pic and HR Del, bringing a total of six…
Although well studied, our understanding of the mass ejection mechanisms of cataclysmic variables remains incomplete. Recent work suggests that binary interaction plays an important role in driving and shaping this mass ejection and may…
Classical Novae (CNe) are the brightest manifestation of mass transfer onto a white dwarf in a cataclysmic variable (CV). As such, they are probes of the mass transfer rate, Mdot, and WD mass, Mwd, in these interacting binaries. Our…
We present our wide field Halpha+N[II] observations of 15 cataclysmic variables to search for remnant nova shells. Such shells have been found around other cataclysmic variables that were hitherto not known as novae. Our candidates were…
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…
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…
From a large observing campaign, we found that nearly all non- or weakly magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) in the orbital period range between 2.8 and 4 hours are of SW Sex type and as such experience very high mass transfer rates. The…
We present simulations of dwarf nova outbursts taking into account realistic variations of the mass loss rate from the secondary. The mass transfer variation has been derived from 20 years of visual monitoring and from X-ray observations…
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…
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…