Hubble Space Telescope STIS Spectroscopy of Long Period Dwarf Novae in Quiescence

Abstract

We present the results of a synthetic spectral analysis of HST STIS spectra of five long period dwarf novae obtained during their quiescence to determine the properties of their white dwarfs which are little known for systems above the CV period gap. The five systems, TU Men, BD Pav, SS Aur, TT Crt, and V442 Cen were observed as part of an HST Snapshot project. The spectra are described and fitted with combinations of white dwarf photospheres and accretion disks. We provide evidence that the white dwarfs in all five systems are at least partially exposed. We discuss the evolutionary implications of our model fitting results and compare these dwarf novae to previously analyzed FUV spectra of other dwarf novae above the period gap. The dispersion in CV WD temperatures above the period gap is substantially greater than one finds below the period gap where there is a surprisingly narrow dispersion in temperatures around 15,000K. There appears to be a larger spread of surface temperatures in dwarf novae above the period than is seen below the gap.

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Part 1, 2008, in press

References in corpus (4)

• The Donor Stars of Cataclysmic Variables
• The Dwarf Novae During Quiescence
• A Far Ultraviolet Study of the Hot White Dwarf in the Dwarf Nova WW Ceti
• FUSE Observations of the Dwarf Novae UU Aql, BV Cen, and CH UMa in Quiescence

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Constraining the Evolution of Cataclysmic Variables via the Masses and Accretion Rates of their Underlying White Dwarfs
• Effective Temperatures of Cataclysmic Variable White Dwarfs as a Probe of their Evolution
• On the absence of nova shells
• Modeling UX Ursae Majoris: An abundance of challenges
• A Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Survey of High Declination Dwarf Novae
• Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Spectroscopy of the Nova-like BB Doradus
• White Dwarf Photospheric Abundances in Cataclysmic Variables: I. SS Aurigae and TU Mensae
• White Dwarf Photospheric Abundances in Cataclysmic Variables -- II. White Dwarfs With and Without a Mask
• The White Dwarf in EM Cygni: Beyond The Veil
• Old Galactic novae in the eROSITA All Sky Survey