The White Dwarf in EM Cygni: Beyond the Veil

Abstract

Dwarf novae (DNe) are a class of nonmagnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) in which a white dwarf (WD) accretes matter from a main-sequence star (the secondary) filling its Roche lobe by means of an accretion disk. DN systems are characterized mainly by their brightness variations, due to a periodic change in the accretion rate. Ongoing accretion at a low rate (quiescence) is interrupted every few weeks to months by intense accretion (outburst) of days to weeks which increases the luminosity of the system (Hack & La Dous 1993; Warner 1995). This outburst is believed to be due to an instability in the disk (the disk instability model (DIM; Cannizzo 1998)), and it is known as a dwarf nova accretion event (or dwarf nova outburst).

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 10, 2009
Accession Number
ADA514123

Entities

People

  • Albert P. Linnell
  • Edward M. Sion
  • Patrick Godon
  • Paul E. Barrett

Organizations

  • Villanova University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Absorption
  • Acquisition
  • Ballistic Trajectories
  • Composite Materials
  • Hot Spots
  • Instability
  • Materials
  • Nitrogen
  • Observation
  • Observers
  • Radial Velocity
  • Short Wavelengths
  • Simulations
  • Spectra
  • Telescopes
  • Trajectories
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics