Low State, Phase-Resolved IR Spectroscopy of VV Puppis

Abstract

We present phase-resolved low resolution $JHK$ and higher resolution $K$-band spectroscopy of the polar VV Pup. All observations were obtained when VV Pup was in a low accretion state having a K magnitude near 15. The low resolution observations reveal cyclotron emission in the $J$ band during some phases, consistent with an origin near the active 30.5 MG pole on the white dwarf. The secondary in VV Pup appears to be a normal M7V star and we find that the $H$ and $K$ band fluxes are entirely due to this star at all orbital phases during the low accretion state. We use our higher resolution Keck spectroscopy to produce the first $K$-band radial velocity curve for VV Pup. Our orbital solution yields $K_2$=414$\pm 27$ km sec${}^{-1}$ and leads to mass estimates of M${}_1$=0.73$\pm$0.05 M${}_{\odot }$ and M${}_2$=0.10$\pm$0.02 M${}_{\odot }$. We find that the mass accretion rates during the normal low states of the polars VV Pup, EF Eri, and EQ Cet are near 10${}^{-13}$ M${}_{\odot }$ yr${}^{-1}$. The fact that M is not zero in low state polars indicates active secondary stars in these binary systems, including the sub-stellar donor star present in EF Eri.

arXiv commentAccepted in Astronomical Journal 5 figures

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• Spitzer Space Telescope observations of magnetic cataclysmic variables: possibilities for the presence of dust in polars
• Quasi-periodic oscillations in accreting magnetic white dwarfs I. Observational constraints in X-ray and optical
• K-Band Spectroscopy of (Pre-)Cataclysmic Variables: Are Some Donor Stars Really Carbon Poor?
• VV Pup in a low state: secondary-star irradiation or stellar activity?
• Updated photometry and orbital period analysis for the polar \objectname{am herculis} on the upper edge of the period gap
• Fast quasi-periodic oscillations in the eclipsing polar VV Puppis from VLT and XMM-Newton observations