No Arabic abstract
We report on the discovery of a dichotomy in the behavior of outbursts in ultracompact accreting white dwarf binaries (AM CVns), using multiwavelength observations of the new AM CVn system ASASSN-21au which has a period of ~58 min. The binary showed a first brightness increase with respect to its quiescent g level of ~0.8 mag which lasted for at least 82 days, followed by an additional 0.5 mag increase which lasted 2 weeks. Afterwards ASASSN-21au went into superoutburst for the first time. Such superoutburst lasted a total of 19 days, showing an amplitude with respect to quiescence of ~7.5 mags in g, with a precursor and an echo outburst. During the superoutburst of ASASSN-21au we also detected the first correlation between the X-rays, UV and optical emission in an AM CVn. The color evolution of ASASSN-21au indicates that during the superoutburst the dominant component was the accretion disk. The short duration, large amplitude and color evolution of the superoutburst agree with expectations from the disk instability model, but they contrast with the long duration (longer than a year), small amplitude and red color evolution of the outbursts of SDSS~J080710+485259 and SDSS J113732+405458, which have periods of ~53 min and ~60 min, respectively. The initial slow brightness increase in the light curve of ASASSN-21au and the behavior after the superoutburst favors a scenario in which changes in the mass-transfer rate led to disk instabilities, while the outburst mechanism of SDSS J080710+485259 and SDSS J113732+405458 has been attributed to enhanced mass-transfer alone. Further observations are needed to understand the origin of this dichotomy.
SDSS J080710+485259 is the longest period outbursting ultracompact white dwarf binary. Its first ever detected superoutburst started in November of 2018 and lasted for a year, the longest detected so far for any short orbital period accreting white dwarf. Here we show that the superoutburst duration of SDSS J080710+485259 exceeds the 2 months viscous time of its accretion disk by a factor of about 5. Consequently it follows neither the empirical relation nor the theoretical relation between the orbital period and the superoutburst duration for AM CVn systems. Six months after the end of the superoutburst the binary remained 0.4 mag brighter than its quiescent level before the superoutburst. We detect a variable X-ray behavior during the post-outburst cooling phase, demonstrating changes in the mass accretion rate. We discuss how irradiation of the donor star, a scenario poorly explored so far and which ultimately can have important consequences for AM CVns as gravitational wave sources, might explain the unusual observed features of the superoutburst.
Using TESS we are doing a systematic study of outbursting AM~CVn systems to place some limits on the current outbursts models. We present the TESS light curve (LC) for 9 AM~CVns showing both superoutbursts (SO) and normal outbursts (NO). The continuous coverage of the outbursts with TESS allows us to place stringent limits on the duration and structures of the SO and the NO. We present evidence that in at least some of the systems enhanced mass transfer (EMT) has to be taken into account to explain the observed LC of the SO and rebrighthening phase after the SO. For others, the colour evolution from simultaneous observations in $g$ and $r$ with ZTF differs from previously reported color evolution of longer period AM~CVns where EMT is responsible for the SO. We also find that due to the lack of sufficiently high cadence coverage many of the duration might have been overestimated in previous ground-based surveys and report the SO duration for 6 AM~CVns. We also found that precursors are a common feature of SO in AM~CVns and are seen in the LC of 5 of the 6 reported SO. Finally with the 10-minute and 2-minute cadence LC from TESS also allowed us to find two new candidates orbital periods of AM~CVns, both of which are in reasonably good agreement with the predictions for their periods based on their past outburst histories.
We examine the relationship between superoutburst duration $t_{rm dur}$ and orbital period $P_{rm orb}$ in AM CVn ultra-compact binary systems. We show that the previously determined steep relation derived by Levitan et al (2015) was strongly influenced by the inclusion of upper limits for systems with a relatively long orbital period in their fit. Excluding the upper limit values and including $t_{rm dur}$ values for three systems at long $P_{rm orb}$ which were not considered previously, then $d log (t_{rm dur})/ d log (P_{rm orb})$ is flat as predicted by Cannizzo & Nelemans(2015)
We report on a superoutburst of a WZ Sge-type dwarf nova (DN), ASASSN-15po. The light curve showed the main superoutburst and multiple rebrightenings. In this outburst, we observed early superhumps and growing (stage A) superhumps with periods of 0.050454(2) and 0.051809(13) d, respectively. We estimated that the mass ratio of secondary to primary ($q$) is 0.0699(8) by using $P_{rm orb}$ and a superhump period $P_{rm SH}$ of stage A. ASASSN-15po [$P_{rm orb} sim$ 72.6 min] is the first DN with the orbital period between 67--76 min. Although the theoretical predicted period minimum $P_{rm min}$ of hydrogen-rich cataclysmic variables (CVs) is about 65--70 min, the observational cut-off of the orbital period distribution at 80 min implies that the period minimum is about 82 min, and the value is widely accepted. We suggest the following four possibilities: the object is (1) a theoretical period minimum object (2) a binary with a evolved secondary (3) a binary with a metal-poor (Popullation II) seconday (4) a binary which was born with a brown-dwarf donor below the period minimum.
Optical broadband (UBVRI) photometric and low-resolution spectroscopic observations of the type II-P supernova (SN) ASASSN-14dq are presented. ASASSN-14dq exploded in a low-luminosity/metallicity host galaxy UGC 11860, the signatures of which are present as weak iron lines in the photospheric phase spectra. The SN has a plateau duration of $sim,$90 d, with a plateau decline rate of 1.38 $rm mag (100 d)^{-1}$ in V-band which is higher than most type II-P SNe. ASASSN-14dq is a luminous type II-P SN with a peak $V$-band absolute magnitude of -17.7$,pm,$0.2 mag. The light curve of ASASSN-14dq indicates it to be a fast-declining type II-P SN, making it a transitional event between the type II-P and II-L SNe. The empirical relation between the steepness parameter and $rm ^{56}Ni$ mass for type II SNe was rebuilt with the help of well-sampled light curves from the literature. A $rm ^{56}Ni$ mass of $sim,$0.029 M$_{odot}$ was estimated for ASASSN-14dq, which is slightly lower than the expected $rm ^{56}Ni$ mass for a luminous type II-P SN. Using analytical light curve modelling, a progenitor radius of $rm sim3.6times10^{13}$ cm, an ejecta mass of $rm sim10 M_{odot}$ and a total energy of $rm sim,1.8times 10^{51}$ ergs was estimated for this event. The photospheric velocity evolution of ASASSN-14dq resembles a type II-P SN, but the Balmer features (H$alpha$ and H$beta$) show relatively slow velocity evolution. The high-velocity H$alpha$ feature in the plateau phase, the asymmetric H$alpha$ emission line profile in the nebular phase and the inferred outburst parameters indicate an interaction of the SN ejecta with the circumstellar material (CSM).