Searching for nova shells around cataclysmic variables -- II. A second campaign

Abstract

We report on our second campaign to search for old nova shells around cataclysmic variables (CVs). Our aim was to test the theory that nova eruptions cause cycles in the mass transfer rates of CVs. These mass transfer cycles change the behaviour of CVs during their inter-eruption periods. We examined H-alpha images of 47 objects and found no new shells around any of the targets. Combining our latest results with our previous campaign (Sahman et al. 2015), and the searches by Schmidtobreick et al. (2015) and Pagnotta & Zurek (2016), we estimate that the nova-like phase of the mass transfer cycle lasts approximately 3,000 years.

References in corpus (5)

• Sudden and Steady Orbital Period Changes Across Six Classical Nova Eruptions; The End of Hibernation and Two Serious Challenges for the Magnetic Braking Model of Cataclysmic Variable Evolution
• On the absence of nova shells
• Bow-shocks, nova shells, disc winds and tilted discs: The Nova-Like V341 Ara Has It All
• Which information can we derive from historical Far Eastern guest stars for modern research on novae and cataclysmic variables?
• A Search for the modern counterparts of the Far Eastern guest stars 369 CE, 386 CE, and 393 CE