Related papers: Cataclysmic Variables
We have discovered a new high proper motion cataclysmic variable (CV) in the SUPERBLINK proper motion survey, which is sensitive to stars with proper motions greater than 40 mas/yr. This CV was selected for follow-up observations as part of…
Interacting double white dwarf binaries can give rise to a wide variety of astrophysical outcomes ranging from faint thermonuclear and Type Ia supernovae to the formation of neutron stars and stably accreting AM Canum Venaticorum systems.…
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…
We report on the discovery of J0644+3344, a bright deeply eclipsing cataclysmic variable (CV) binary. Spectral signatures of both binary components and an accretion disk can be seen at optical wavelengths. The optical spectrum shows broad H…
As a class of compact binaries with large binding energy, cataclysmic variables formed through close encounters play an important role in the dynamical evolution of globular clusters. As part of a systematic search for CVs undergoing dwarf…
Recurrent novae are star systems in which a massive white dwarf accretes material at such a high rate that it undergoes thermonuclear runaways every 1 - 100 years. They are the only class of novae in which the white dwarf can grow in mass,…
I review recent progress on understanding eruptions of unstable massive stars, with particular attention to the diversity of observed behavior in extragalatic optical transient sources that are generally associated with giant eruptions of…
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…
Stars are mostly found in binary and multiple systems, as at least 50% of all solar-like stars have companions - a fraction that goes up to 100% for the most massive stars. Moreover, a large fraction of them will interact in some way or…
The explosive transition of a massive neutron star to a quark star (the Quark-Nova, QN) releases in excess of ~ 10^52 erg in kinetic energy which can drastically impact the surrounding environment of the QN. A QN is triggered when a neutron…
Compact relativistic stars allow us to study the nature of matter under extreme conditions, probing regions of parameter space that are otherwise inaccessible. Nuclear theory in this regime is not well constrained: one key issue is whether…
The majority of all stars are members of a binary system. The evolution of such binary stars and their subsequent production of pairs of compact objects in tight orbits, such as double neutron stars and double black holes, play a central…
Although a large number of orbital periods of cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) have been measured, comparison of period and luminosity distributions with evolutionary theory is affected by strong selection effects. A test has been…
During a visual search through the Kepler main-field lightcurves, we have discovered a cataclysmic variable (CV) that experienced only a single 4-day long outburst over four years, rising to three times the quiescent flux. During the four…
Compact stars above a critical stellar mass develop large scalar fields in some scalar-tensor theories. This scenario, called spontaneous scalarization, has been an intense topic of study since it passes weak-field gravity tests naturally…
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…
Radio emission from non-magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs, accreting white dwarfs) could allow detailed studies of outflows and possibly accretion flows in these nearby, numerous and non-relativistic compact accretors. Up to now, however,…
The observed properties of novae before and after eruption are discussed. The distribution of orbital periods of novae shows a concentration near 3.2 h, which resembles that of magnetic cataclysmic variables, and there is some evidence that…
We use a combined binary evolution code including dynamical effects to study nova eruptions in a symbiotic system. Following the evolution, over $\sim10^5$ years, of multiple consecutive nova eruptions on the surface of a $1.25M_\odot$…
Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) are a class of massive blue supergiants exhibiting irregular and eruptive instability, sometimes accompanied by extreme mass loss. While they have often been considered to be a brief but very important…