The orbital period and system parameters of the recurrent nova T Pyx

Abstract

T Pyx is a luminous recurrent nova that accretes at a much higher rate than is expected for its photometrically determined orbital period of about 1.8 hours. We here provide the first spectroscopic confirmation of the orbital period, P =1.829 hours (f=13.118368(11) c/d), based on time-resolved optical spectroscopy obtained at the VLT and the Magellan telescopes. We also derive an upper limit of the velocity semi-amplitude of the white dwarf, K1 = 17.9 +/- 1.6 km/s, and estimate a mass ratio of q = 0.20 +/- 0.03. If the mass of the donor star is estimated using the period-density relation and theoretical main-sequence mass-radius relation for a slightly inflated donor star, we find M2 = 0.14 +/- 0.03 Msun. This implies a mass of the primary white dwarf M1 = 0.7 +/- 0.2 Msun. If the white-dwarf mass is > 1 Msun, as classical nova models imply, the donor mass must be even higher. We therefore rule out the possibility that T Pyx has evolved beyond the period minimum for cataclysmic variables. We find that the system inclination is constrained to be approximately 10 degrees, confirming the expectation that T Pyx is a low-inclination system. We also discuss some of the evolutionary implications of the emerging physical picture of T Pyx. In particular, we show that epochs of enhanced mass transfer (like the present) may accelerate or even dominate the overall evolution of the system, even if they are relatively short-lived. We also point out that such phases may be relevant to the evolution of cataclysmic variables more generally.

References in corpus (10)

• The Donor Stars of Cataclysmic Variables
• SDSS unveils a population of intrinsically faint cataclysmic variables at the minimum orbital period
• The space density of cataclysmic variables: constraints from the ROSAT North Ecliptic Pole Survey
• The Nova Shell and Evolution of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis
• The influence of selection effects on the observed cataclysmic variable population: modelling and application to the Palomar-Green sample
• The orbital period and system parameters of the recurrent nova T Pyx
• The secrets of T Pyxidis II. A recurrent nova that will not become a SN Ia
• SDSS 1507+02: A Halo Cataclysmic Variable?
• An Halpha-selected sample of cataclysmic variables -- I. Observations of newly discovered systems
• An Halpha-selected sample of cataclysmic variables -- II. Implications for CV evolution

Cited by in corpus (29)

• Observational clues to the progenitors of Type-Ia supernovae
• X-ray Emissions from Accreting White Dwarfs: a Review
• New Insights into Classical Novae
• The spectroscopic evolution of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis during its 2011 outburst I. The optically thick phase and the origin of moving lines in novae
• Obscuration effects in Super-Soft-Source X-ray spectra
• A Catalogue of Potential Post Common Envelope Binaries
• The orbital period and system parameters of the recurrent nova T Pyx
• The 2011 outburst of the recurrent novaT Pyx. Evidence for a face-on bipolar ejection
• The 2011 Outburst of Recurrent Nova T Pyx: X-ray Observations Expose the White Dwarf Mass and Ejection Dynamics
• The spectroscopic evolution of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis during its 2011 outburst. II.The optically thin phase and the structure of the ejecta in recurrent novae
• The 2011 Outburst of Recurrent Nova T Pyx: Radio Observations Reveal the Ejecta Mass and Hint at Complex Mass Loss
• X-Ray Grating Observations of Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis During The 2011 Outburst
• Classical Novae at Radio Wavelengths
• The Recurrent Nova T Pyx: Distance and Remnant Geometry from Light Echoes
• The UBV Color Evolution of Classical Novae. II. Color-Magnitude Diagram
• T Pyxidis: Death by a Thousand Novae
• The luminosity evolution of nova shells -- I. A new analysis of old data
• The Detailed Photometric and Spectroscopic Study of the 2011 Outburst of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis from 0.8 to 250 Days after Discovery
• Distance and Reddening of the Enigmatic Gamma-ray-Detected Nova V1324 Sco
• Shortest Recurrence Periods of Forced Novae
• A Triple Star Origin For T Pyx and Other Short-Period Recurrent Novae
• Hubble Space Telescope Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis
• The Long-Term Secular Mass Accretion Rate of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis
• Infrared observations of the recurrent nova T Pyxidis: ancient dust basks in the warm glow of the 2011 outburst
• Pre-outburst $Chandra$ Observations of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis
• The slow decline of the Galactic recurrent novae T Pyxidis, IM Normae, and CI Aquilae
• Low-Resolution Spectroscopy of the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis at its Early Stage of 2011 Outburst
• The physical properties of T Pyx as measured by MUSE I. The geometrical distribution of the ejecta and the distance to the remnant
• AT 2019qyl in NGC 300: Internal Collisions in the Early Outflow from a Very Fast Nova in a Symbiotic Binary