Cataclysmic Variables in the First Year of the Zwicky Transient Facility

Abstract

Using selection criteria based on amplitude, time and color, we have identified 329 objects as known or candidate cataclysmic variable (CVs) during the first year of testing and operation of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). Of these, 90 are previously confirmed CVs, 218 are strong candidates based on the shape and color of their light curves obtained during 3-562 days of observations, and the remaining 21 are possible CVs but with too few data points to be listed as good candidates. Almost half the strong candidates are within 10 deg of the galactic plane, in contrast to most other large surveys which have avoided crowded fields. The available Gaia parallaxes are consistent with sampling the low mass transfer CVs, as predicted by population models. Our followup spectra have confirmed Balmer/helium emission lines in 27 objects, with four showing high excitation HeII emission, including candidates for an AM CVn, a polar and an intermediate polar. Our results demonstrate that a complete survey of the galactic plane is needed to accomplish an accurate determination of the number of CVs existing in the Milky Way.

arXiv comment27 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables

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