Two Rare Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables with Extreme Cyclotron Features Identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Abstract

Two newly identified magnetic cataclysmic variables discovered in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), SDSSJ155331.12+551614.5 and SDSSJ132411.57+032050.5, have spectra showing highly prominent, narrow, strongly polarized cyclotron humps with amplitudes that vary on orbital periods of 4.39 and 2.6 hrs, respectively. In the former, the spacing of the humps indicates the 3rd and 4th harmonics in a magnetic field of ~60 MG. The narrowness of the cyclotron features and the lack of strong emission lines imply very low temperature plasmas and very low accretion rates, so that the accreting area is heated by particle collisions rather than accretion shocks. The detection of rare systems like these exemplifies the ability of the SDSS to find the lowest accretion rate close binaries.

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, vol. 583, February 1, 2003; slight revisions and additions in response to referee's comments; 17 pages, 6 figures, AASTeX v4.0

References in corpus (6)

• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary
• The u'g'r'i'z' Standard Star Network
• A photometricity and extinction monitor at the Apache Point Observatory
• Characterization of M,L and T dwarfs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• Cataclysmic Variables from SDSS I. The First Results
• Accretion physics of AM Herculis binaries, I. Results from one-dimensional stationary radiation hydrodynamics

Cited by in corpus (29)

• A Catalog of Spectroscopically Confirmed White Dwarfs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4
• Magnetic White Dwarfs
• SDSS unveils a population of intrinsically faint cataclysmic variables at the minimum orbital period
• Cataclysmic Variable Primary Effective Temperatures: Constraints on Binary Angular Momentum Loss
• Cataclysmic Variables from SDSS II. The Second Year
• New Low Accretion-Rate Magnetic Binary Systems and their Significance for the Evolution of Cataclysmic Variables
• Evidence for reduced magnetic braking in polars from binary population models
• Periodic Variability of Low-Mass Stars in SDSS Stripe 82
• Parallax and Distance Estimates for Twelve Cataclysmic Variable Stars
• Two Additions to the New Class of Low Accretion-Rate Magnetic Binaries
• Magnetic white dwarfs in post-common-envelope binaries
• Phase-Resolved Infrared H- and K-band Spectroscopy of EF Eridani
• Unravelling the Puzzle of the Eclipsing Polar SDSSJ 015543.40+002807.2 with XMM and Optical Photometry/Spectropolarimetry
• A systematic search for outbursting AM CVn systems with the Zwicky Transient Facility
• Candidate spectroscopic binaries in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• XMM-Newton Observations of the Extremely Low Accretion Rate Polars SDSSJ15531.12+551614.5 and SDSSJ132411.57+032050.5
• GALEX and Optical Light Curves of EF Eridanus During a Low State: the Puzzling Source of UV Light
• Orbital periods of cataclysmic variables identified by the SDSS. IX. NTT photometry of eight eclipsing and three magnetic systems
• PG 1258+593 and its common proper motion magnetic white dwarf counterpart
• GALEX, Optical and IR Light Curves of MQ Dra: UV Excesses at Low Accretion Rates
• Irregular Mass Transfer in the Polars VV Puppis and V393 Pavonis during the Low State
• XMM-Newton and Optical Observations of Cataclysmic Variables from SDSS
• Characterizing Three Candidate Magnetic CVs from SDSS: XMM-Newton and Optical Follow-up Observations
• Cyclotron Modeling Phase-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Polars III: AM Herculis and ST Leo Minoris
• Cyclotron emitting magnetic white dwarfs in post common envelope binaries discovered with the Zwicky Transient Facility
• Detection of an energetic flare from the M5V secondary star in the Polar MQ Dra
• The Intriguing Polar EU Cancri in the Eyes of Kepler K2
• Robust detection of CID double stars in SDSS
• A Treasure Hunt in the Pool of Spectra Classified as High-redshift QSOs by the Spectroscopic Pipeline of the SDSS DR16