No Arabic abstract
Context: The SW Sex stars are assumed to represent a distinguished stage in CV evolution, making it especially important to study them. Aims: We discovered a new cataclysmic star and carried out prolonged and precise photometric observations, as well as medium-resolution spectral observations. Modelling these data allowed us to determine the psysical parameters and to establish its peculiarities. Results: The newly discovered vataclysmic variable 2MASSJ22560844+5954299 shows the deepest eclipse amongst the known nova-like stars. It was reproduced by totally covering a very luminous accretion disk by a red secondary component. The temperature distribution of the disk is flatter than that of steady-state disk. The target is unusual with the combination of a low mass ratio q~1.0 (considerably below the limit q=1.2 of stable mass transfer of CVs) and an M-star secondary. The intensity of the observed three emission lines, H_alpha, He 5875, and He 6678, sharply increases around phase 0.0, accompanied by a Doppler jump to the shorter wavelength. The absence of eclipses of the emission lines and their single-peaked profiles means that they originate mainly in a vertically extended hot-spot halo. The emission H_alpha line reveals S-wave wavelength shifts with semi-amplitude of around 210 km/s and phase lag of 0.03. Conclusions: The non-steady-state emission of the luminous accretion disk of 2MASSJ22560844+5954299 was attributed to the low viscosity of the disk matter caused by its unusually high temperature. The star shows all spectral properties of an SW Sex variable apart from the 0.5 central absorption.
The LMC star, SSTISAGE1C J050756.44-703453.9, was first noticed during a survey of EROS-2 lightcurves for stars with large irregular brightness variations typical of the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) class. However, the visible spectrum showing emission lines including the Balmer and Paschen series as well as many Fe II lines is emphatically not that of an RCB star. This star has all of the characteristics of a typical UX Ori star. It has a spectral type of approximately A2 and has excited an H II region in its vicinity. However, if it is an LMC member, then it is very luminous for a Herbig Ae/Be star. It shows irregular drops in brightness of up to 2 mag, and displays the reddening and blueing typical of this class of stars. Its spectrum, showing a combination of emission and absorption lines, is typical of a UX Ori star that is in a decline caused by obscuration from the circumstellar dust. SSTISAGE1C J050756.44-703453.9 has a strong IR excess and significant emission is present out to 500 micron. Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling of the SED requires that SSTISAGE1C J050756.44-703453.9 has both a dusty disk as well as a large extended diffuse envelope to fit both the mid- and far-IR dust emission. This star is a new member of the UX Ori subclass of the Herbig Ae/Be stars and only the second such star to be discovered in the LMC.
We present the results obtained from unfiltered photometric CCD observations of the newly discovered cataclysmic variable SDSS J040714.78-064425.1 made during 7 nights in November 2003. We establish the dwarf nova nature of the object as it was in outburst during our observations. We also confirm the presence of deep eclipses with a period of 0.17017d+/-0.00003 in the optical light curve of the star. In addition, we found periods of 0.166d+/-0.001 and possibly also 5.3d+/-0.7 in the data. The 0.17017d periodicity is consistent within the errors with the proposed orbital period of 0.165d (Szkody et. al. 2003) and 0.1700d (Monard 2004). Using the known relation between the orbital and superhump periods, we interpret the 0.166d and 5.3d periods as the negative superhump and the nodal precession period respectively. SDSS J040714.78-064425.1 is then classified as a negative superhump system with one of the largest orbital periods.
The Palomar Transient Factory proves to be a prolific source of Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables, selected by their distinctive photometric variability, and followed up spectroscopically. Here, we present six new candidate systems, together with preliminary photometric periods and spectra.
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 relation to estimate donor star masses for 225 superhumping CVs. With an increased sample of donor masses we revisit the implications for CV evolution. We confirm the high mass of white dwarfs in CVs, but find no trend in white dwarf mass with orbital period. We argue for a revision in the location of the orbital period minimum of CVs to $79.6 pm 0.2$ min, significantly shorter than previous estimates. We find that CV donors below the gap have an intrinsic scatter of only 0.005 R$_{odot}$ around a common evolutionary track, implying a correspondingly small variation in angular momentum loss rates. In contrast to prior studies, we find that standard CV evolutionary tracks - without additional angular momentum loss - are a reasonable fit to the donor masses just below the period gap, but that they do not reproduce the observed period minimum, or fit the donor radii below 0.1 M$_{odot}$.
FU Orionis-type stars are young stellar objects showing large outbursts due to highly enhanced accretion from the circumstellar disk onto the protostar. FUor-type outbursts happen in a wide variety of sources from the very embedded ones to those with almost no sign of extended emission beyond the disk. The subsequent eruptions might gradually clear up the obscuring envelope material and drive the protostar on its way to become a disk-only T Tauri star. We used VLT/VISIR to obtain the first spectra that cover the 8-13 $mu$m mid-infrared wavelength range in low-resolution of five recently discovered FUors. Four objects from our sample show the 10 $mu$m silicate feature in emission. We study the shape and strength of the silicate feature in these objects and find that they mostly contain large amorphous grains, suggesting that large grains are typically not settled to the midplane in FUor disks. This is a general characteristic of FUors, as opposed to regular T Tauri-type stars whose disks display anything from pristine small grains to significant grain growth. We classify our targets by determining whether the silicate feature is in emission or in absorption, and confront them with the evolutionary scenarios on the dispersal of the envelopes around young stars. In our sample, all Class II objects exhibit silicate emission, while for Class I objects, the appearance of the feature in emission or absorption depends on the viewing angle with respect to the outflow cavity. This highlights the importance of geometric effects when interpreting the silicate feature.