Cyclic period oscillation of the eclipsing dwarf nova DV UMa


Abstract in English

DV UMa is an eclipsing dwarf nova with an orbital period of $sim2.06$ h, which lies just at the bottom edge of the period gap. To detect its orbital period changes we present 12 new mid-eclipse times by using our CCD photometric data and archival data. Combining with the published mid-eclipse times in quiescence, spanning $sim30$ yr, the latest version of the $O-C$ diagram was obtained and analyzed. The best fit to those available eclipse timings shows that the orbital period of DV UMa is undergoing a cyclic oscillation with a period of $17.58(pm0.52)$ yr and an amplitude of $71.1(pm6.7)$ s. The periodic variation most likely arises from the light-travel-time effect via the presence of a circumbinary object because the required energy to drive the Applegate mechanism is too high in this system. The mass of the unseen companion was derived as $M_{3}sin{i}=0.025(pm0.004)M_{odot}$. If the third body is in the orbital plane (i.e. $i=i=82.9^{circ}$) of the eclipsing pair, it would match to a brown dwarf. This hypothetical brown dwarf is orbiting its host star at a separation of $sim8.6$ AU in an eccentric orbit ($e=0.44$).

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