Related papers: Observing the Accretion Stream in Polars
We present a new method to map the surface brightness of the accretion streams in AM Herculis systems from observed light curves. Extensive tests of the algorithm show that it reliably reproduces the intensity distribution of the stream for…
A hydrodynamic formulation for accretion flow channeled by a dipolar magnetic field is constructed using a curvi-linear coordinate system natural to the field structure. We solve the hydrodynamic equations and determine the velocity,…
We present a new mapping algorithm, the "Accretion Stream Mapping (ASM)" which uses the full phase-coverage of a light curve to derive spatially resolved intensity distributions along the accretion stream in magnetic cataclysmic variables…
We present the first high time resolution light curves for six eclipses of the magnetic cataclysmic variable EP Dra, taken using the superconducting tunnel junction imager S-Cam2. The system shows a varying eclipse profile between…
We analyze spectroscopic and photometric observations of the eclipsing polar BS Tri. The polar's light curve shape variations can be interpreted by changing contributions of the accretion stream to the integral radiation of the system.…
A three-dimensional numerical model for an accretion process investigation in the magnetosphere of a white dwarf in magnetic cataclysmic variables is developed. The model assumes that the white dwarf has a dipole magnetic field with its…
A non negligible fraction of white dwarf stars show the presence of heavy elements in their atmospheres. The most accepted explanation for this contamination is the accretion of material coming from tidally disrupted planetesimals, which…
High-energy data of accreting white dwarfs give access to the regime of the primary accretion-induced energy release and the different proposed accretion scenarios. We perform XMM-Newton observations of polars selected due to their ROSAT…
The main aim in the current survey is to suggest models of the development of structures, such as vortices and spirals, in accretion white dwarf's binaries. Numerical methods and simulations are applied on the bases of hydrodynamic…
We performed 3D MHD calculations of stream accretion in cataclysmic variable stars for which the white dwarf primary star possesses a strong and complex magnetic field. These calculations are motivated by observations of polars; cataclysmic…
We apply a new method of eclipse mapping to the light curves of eclipsing polars. The technique aims to locate the bright emission associated with the accretion stream, using a technique that makes the fewest prior assumptions about the…
We present spectroscopic and high speed photometric data of the eclipsing polar V895 Cen. We find that the eclipsed component is consistent with it being the accretion regions on the white dwarf. This is in contrast to Stobie et al who…
We present the results of 3D-hydrodynamical simulations of accretion flow in the eclipsing dwarf nova V1239 Her in quiescence. The model includes the optical star filling its Roche lobe, a gas stream emanating from the inner Lagrangian…
Volatiles, notably water, are key to the habitability of rocky planets. The presence of water in planetary material can be inferred from the atmospheric oxygen abundances of polluted white dwarfs, but this interpretation is often complex.…
We describe briefly the properties of the recently completed Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), along with its first light imager SALTICAM. Using this instrument, we present 4.3 hr of high speed unfiltered photometric observations of…
We apply an eclipse mapping technique using `genetically modified fire-flies' to the eclipse light curves of HU Aqr and EP Dra. The technique makes as few assumptions as possible about the location of accretion stream material, allowing the…
A number of cool white dwarfs with metal traces, of spectral types DAZ, DBZ, and DZ have been found to exhibit infrared excess radiation due to circumstellar dust. The origin of this dust is possibly a tidally disrupted asteroid that formed…
We present near-infrared, H-band (1.45-1.85 microns) observations of the eclipsing dwarf nova, IP Peg, in quiescence. The light curves are composed of ellipsoidal variations from the late-type secondary star and emission from the accretion…
We present spectra of accretion discs around white-dwarfs calculated with an improved and updated version of the Shaviv & Wehrse (1991) model. The new version includes line opacities and convective energy transport and can be used to…
We present phase-resolved spectroscopy, photometry and circular spectropolarimetry of the eclipsing polar UZ Fornacis. Doppler tomography of the strongest emission lines using the inside-out projection revealed the presence of three…