TESS light curves of cataclysmic variables I -- Unknown periods in long-known stars

Abstract

Cataclysmic variables (CVs) exhibit a plethora of variable phenomena many of which require long, uninterrupted light curves to reveal themselves in detail. The month long datasets provided by TESS are well suited for this purpose. TESS has the additional advantage to have observed a huge number of stars, among them many CVs. Here, a search for periodic variations in a sample of CVs of the novalike and old novae subtypes is presented. In 10 of the 15 targets either previously unseen positive or negative superhumps or unusual features in known superhumps are identified. The TESS light curves demonstrate that the occurrence of superhumps in these types of CVs is not an exception but quite common. For 8 systems new or improved values for the orbital period are measured. In TV Col the long-sought optical manifestation of the white dwarf spin period is first seen in form of its orbital sideband. The mystery of multiple photometric periods observed in CP Pup in the past is explained by irregularly occurring anomalous states which are reflected in the light curve.

References in corpus (8)

• The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
• Superhumps: Confronting Theory with Observation
• Long-term photometry of the eclipsing dwarf nova V893 Scorpii: Orbital period, oscillations, and a possible giant planet
• Exploring the tilted accretion disc of AQ Men with TESS
• QU Carinae: a SNeIa progenitor?
• Flickering around the outburst cycle in Kepler dwarf novae
• The orbital period of the V Sge star candidate QU Carinae
• Characteristics of the Permanent Superhumps in V533 Herculis

Cited by in corpus (10)

• TESS light curves of cataclysmic variables -- III -- More superhump systems among old novae and novalike variables
• The Orbital Period vs. Absolute Magnitude Relationship of Intermediate Polars: Implications for Low States and Outbursts
• Flares hunting in hot subdwarf and white dwarf stars from Cycles 1-5 of TESS photometry
• Evolution of negative superhumps, quasi-periodic oscillations and outbursts in the Z Cam-type dwarf nova AH Her
• Discovery of Persistent Quasi-Periodic Oscillations in Accreting White Dwarfs: A New Link to X-ray Binaries
• Tilted discs in six poorly studied cataclysmic variables
• The Peculiar Bursting Nature of CP Pup
• A New Window for Studying Intermediate Polars and Tilted Accretion Disk Precession
• A trio of month long flares in the nova-like variable V704 And
• A systematic search for orbital periods of polars with TESS. Methods, detection limits, and results