No Arabic abstract
New and archived observations of VW Hyi in outburst show the occasional presence of optical Dwarf Nova Oscillations (DNOs) over the range of 18 - 40 s. There is a rapid increase in period near the end of outburst, at the same time that the EUV falls almost to zero, which we attribute to propellering. The DNOs return to a shorter period after this phase, but are very incoherent. The DNOs show some modulation by the Quasi-Periodic Oscillations (QPOs) that are also occasionally present in the light curve. We interpret the QPOs as a prograde travelling wave in the inner disc, which obscures and/or reprocesses radiation from the central region. The model is applied to observations of OY Car and WZ Sge.
We have observed dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) in OY Car during outburst, down through decline and beyond; its behaviour is similar to what we have previously seen in VW Hyi, making it only the second dwarf nova to have DNOs late in outburst that continue well into quiescence. There are also occasional examples of DNOs in deep quiescence, well away from outburst - they have properties similar to those during outburst, indicating similar physical causes and structures. We discuss the occurrence of DNOs in other dwarf novae and conclude that DNOs during quiescence are more common than often supposed and exhibit properties similar to those seen in outburst.
We examine published observations of dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) on the rise and decline of outbursts and show that their rates of change are in reasonable agreement with those predicted from the magnetic accretion model. We find evidence for propellering in the late stages of outburst of several dwarf novae, as shown by reductions in EUVE fluxes and from rapid increases of the DNO periods. Reanalysis of DNOs observed in TY PsA, which had particularly large amplitudes, shows that the apparent loss of coherence during late decline is better described as a regular switching between two nearby periods. It is partly this and the rapid deceleration in some systems that make the DNOs harder to detect. We suggest that the 28.95 s periodicity in WZ Sge, which has long been a puzzle, is caused by heated regions in the disc, just beyond the corotation radius, which are a consequence of magnetic coupling between the primary and gas in the accretion disc. This leads to a possible new interpretation of the `longer period DNOs (lpDNOs) commonly observed in dwarf novae and nova-like variables.
Aims. NSV 13983 is catalogued as a dwarf nova based on a reported outburst from 2005. The system has not yet been studied spectroscopically. We attempt to confirm its nature as a dwarf nova and determine its orbital period. Methods. We derive the orbital period by using time-resolved spectroscopic data to measure radial velocities. Results. The average spectrum shows evidence that the system is a dwarf nova in quiescence. The radial velocity curves derived from measurements of the spectral lines Halpha and Hbeta, show a clear modulation with a period of 2.76 h. This places NSV 13983 below the upper edge of the gap in the period distribution of cataclysmic variables, implying that it is the 14th dwarf nova in the gap.
Long term optical monitoring of the dwarf nova OQ Car has been conducted to study the previously unknown behaviour of this star system. The observations have shown OQ Car to have frequent dwarf nova outbursts and revealed the first recorded standstill of this star system. Based on this, we conclude that OQ Car is a new member of the Z Cam type dwarf novae.
The defining characteristic of Z Cam stars are standstills in their light curves. Some Z Cams exhibit atypical behaviour by going into outburst from a standstill. It has previously been suggested that UY Pup had been a Z Cam star, but it was ruled out due to its long-term light curve. However, in December 2015 UY Pup went into outburst and unexpectedly entered into a short standstill instead of returning to quiescence. Furthermore, UY Pup exhibited additional unusual behaviour with two outbursts detected during its standstill. After this standstill UY Pup made a brief excursion to a quiescence state and slowly rose to a longer and well-defined standstill, where it again went into another outburst. Through comparative analysis, research, and observational data of UY Pup it is evident and thus concluded that it is indeed a Z Cam star, in which renders it to be one of only four known anomalous Z Cam stars.