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Register a new userRoche tomography of cataclysmic variables -- II. Images of the secondary stars in AM Her, QQ Vul, IP Peg and HU Aqr
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Added by
Christopher Allan Watson
Publication date
2003
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
Authors
C. A. Watson
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We present a set of Roche tomography reconstructions of the secondary stars in the cataclysmic variables AM Her, QQ Vul, IP Peg and HU Aqr. The image reconstructions show distinct asymmetries in the irradiation pattern for all four systems which can be attributed to shielding of the secondary star by the accretion stream/column in AM Her, QQ Vul and HU Aqr, and increased irradiation by the bright spot in IP Peg. We use the entropy landscape technique to derive accurate system parameters (M1, M2, i and gamma) for the four binaries. In principle, this technique should provide the most reliable mass determinations available, since the intensity distribution across the secondary star is known. We also find that the intensity distribution can systematically affect the value of gamma derived from circular orbit fits to radial velocity variations.
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We focus on short--period eclipsing binaries that belong to a class of Cataclysmic Variables (CVs). They are known as polars and intermediate polars, closely resembling their prototype AM Herculis. These binaries consist of a red dwarf and a strongly magnetic white dwarf, having orbital periods of only a few hours. Monitoring eclipses of these typically faint sources demands high-time resolution photometry. We describe the very recent results obtained for two CVs, HU Aqr and DQ Her, which were observed with the Optical Pulsar Timing Analyzer (OPTIMA). The new observations of HU Aqr confirm that the O--C (Observed minus Calculated) diagrams exhibit variations known for this binary which can be explained by a single, massive Jupiter--like planet, possibly accompanied by a very distant companion.
I review what we know about the donor stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs), focusing particularly on the close link between these binary components and the overall secular evolution of CVs. I begin with a brief overview of the standard model of CV evolution and explain why the key observables this model is designed to explain - the period gap and the period minimum -- are intimately connected to the properties of the secondary stars in these systems. CV donors are expected to be slightly inflated relative to isolated, equal-mass main-sequence (MS) stars, and this donor bloating has now been confirmed observationally. The empirical donor mass-radius relationship also shows a discontinuity at M_2 = 0.2 M_sun which neatly separates long- and short-period CVs. This is strong confirmation of the basic disrupted magnetic braking scenario for CV evolution. The empirical M_2-R_2 relation can be combined with stellar models to construct a complete, semi-empirical donor sequence for CVs. This sequence provides all physical and photometric properties of normal CV secondaries along the standard CV evolution track. The observed donor properties can also be used to reconstruct the complete evolution track followed by CVs, i.e. the mass-transfer rate and angular-momentum-loss rate as a function of orbital period. Such a reconstruction suggests that angular momentum loss rates below the period gap are too high to be driven solely by gravitational radiation.
(abridged abstract) We present multi-epoch high-resolution spectroscopy and photoelectric polarimetry of the long-period polar (AM Herculis star) QQ Vul. The blue emission lines show several distinct components, the sharpest of which can unequivocally be assigned to the illuminated hemisphere of the secondary star and used to trace its orbital motion. This narrow emission line can be used in combination with NaI-absorption lines from the photosphere of the companion to build a stable long-term ephemeris for the star: inferior conjunction of the companion occurs at HJD = 2448446.4710(5) + E 0.15452011(11).
We present Roche tomograms of the G5-G8 IV/V secondary star in the long-period cataclysmic variable BV Cen reconstructed from MIKE echelle data taken on the Magellan Clay 6.5-m telescope. The tomograms show the presence of a number of large, cool starspots on BV Cen for the first time. In particular, we find a large high-latitude spot which is deflected from the rotational axis in the same direction as seen on the K3-K5 IV/V secondary star in the cataclysmic variable AE Aqr. BV Cen also shows a similar relative paucity of spots at latitudes between 40-50 degrees when compared with AE Aqr. Furthermore, we find evidence for an increased spot coverage around longitudes facing the white dwarf which supports models invoking starspots at the L1 point to explain the low-states observed in some cataclysmic variables. In total, we estimate that some 25 per cent of the northern hemisphere of BV Cen is spotted. We also find evidence for a faint, narrow, transient emission line with characteristics reminiscent of the peculiar low-velocity emission features observed in some outbursting dwarf novae. We interpret this feature as a slingshot prominence from the secondary star and derive a maximum source size of 75,000 km and a minimum altitude of 160,000 km above the orbital plane for the prominence. The entropy landscape technique was applied to determine the system parameters of BV Cen. We find M_1 = 1.18 (+0.28 -0.16) Msolar, M_2 = 1.05 (+0.23 -0.14) Msolar and an orbital inclination of i = 53 degrees +- 4 degrees at an optimal systemic velocity of gamma = -22.3 km s-1. Finally, we also report on the previously unknown binarity of the G5IV star HD 220492.
We present the results of our spectroscopic study of the dwarf nova SS Cygni, using Roche tomography to map the stellar surface and derive the system parameters. Given that this technique takes into account the inhomogeneous brightness distribution on the surface of the secondary star, our derived parameters are (in principle) the most robust yet found for this system. Furthermore, our surface maps reveal that the secondary star is highly spotted, with strongly asymmetric irradiation on the inner hemisphere. Moreover, by constructing Doppler tomograms of several Balmer emission lines, we find strong asymmetric emission from the irradiated secondary star, and an asymmetric accretion disc that exhibits spiral structures.
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