We study the mid-egress eclipse timing data gathered for the cataclysmic binary HU Aquarii during the years 1993-2014. The (O-C) residuals were previously attributed to a single ~7 Jupiter mass companion in ~5 au orbit or to a stable 2-planet system
with an unconstrained outermost orbit. We present 22 new observations gathered between June, 2011 and July, 2014 with four instruments around the world. They reveal a systematic deviation of ~60 - 120 seconds from the older ephemeris. We re-analyse the whole set of the timing data available. Our results provide an erratum to the previous HU Aqr planetary models, indicating that the hypothesis for a third and fourth body in this system is uncertain. The dynamical stability criterion and a particular geometry of orbits rule out coplanar 2-planet configurations. A putative HU Aqr planetary system may be more complex, e.g., highly non-coplanar. Indeed, we found examples of 3-planet configurations with the middle planet in a retrograde orbit, which are stable for at least 1Gyr, and consistent with the observations. The (O-C) may be also driven by oscillations of the gravitational quadrupole moment of the secondary, as predicted by the Lanza et al. modification of the Applegate mechanism. Further systematic, long-term monitoring of HU Aqr is required to interpret the (O-C) residuals.
SAX J2103.5+4545 is the Be/X-ray binary with the shortest orbital period. It shows extended bright and faint X-ray states that last for a few hundred days. The main objective of this work is to investigate the relationship between the X-ray and optic
al variability and to characterise the spectral and timing properties of the bright and faint states. We have found a correlation between the spectral and temporal parameters that fit the energy and power spectra. Softer energy spectra correspond to softer power spectra. That is to say, when the energy spectrum is soft the power at high frequencies is suppressed. We also present the results of our monitoring of the Halpha line of the optical counterpart since its discovery in 2003. There is a correlation between the strength and shape of the Halpha line, originated in the circumstellar envelope of the massive companion and the X-ray emission from the vicinity of the neutron star. Halpha emission, indicative of an equatorial disc around the B-type star, is detected whenever the source is bright in X-rays. When the disc is absent, the X-ray emission decreases significantly. The long-term variability of SAX J2103.5+4545 is characterised by fast episodes of disc loss and subsequent reformation. The time scales for the loss and reformation of the disc (about 2 years) are the fastest among Be/X-ray binaries.
