The influence of selection effects on the observed cataclysmic variable population: modelling and application to the Palomar-Green sample

Abstract

Large differences between the properties of the known sample of cataclysmic variable stars (CVs) and the predictions of the theory of binary star evolution have long been recognised. However, because all existing CV samples suffer from strong selection effects, observational biases must be taken into account before it is possible to tell whether there is an inconsistency. In order to address this problem, we have modelled the impact of selection effects on observed CV samples using a Monte Carlo approach. By simulating the selection criteria of the Palomar-Green (PG) Survey, we show that selection effects cannot reconcile the predictions of standard CV evolution theory with the observed sample. More generally, we illustrate the effect of the biases that are introduced by magnitude limits, selection cuts in U-B, and restrictions in galactic latitude.

12 pages, 11 figures, minor changes made to the text, accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (26)

• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Technical Summary
• The SDSS View of the Palomar-Green Bright Quasar Survey
• SINFONI in the Galactic Center: young stars and IR flares in the central light month
• Catalogue of cataclysmic binaries, low-mass X-ray binaries and related objects (Seventh edition)
• The Formation Rate, Mass and Luminosity Functions of DA White Dwarfs from the Palomar Green Survey
• The Donor Stars of Cataclysmic Variables
• An Exploration of the Paradigm for the 2-3 Hour Period Gap in Cataclysmic Variables
• Starcounts Redivivus. IV. Density Laws Through Photometric Parallaxes
• Brown Dwarfs and the Cataclysmic Variable Period Minimum
• Cataclysmic Variables from SDSS I. The First Results
• The 2001 Superoutburst of WZ Sagittae
• Disk M Dwarf Luminosity Function From HST Star Counts
• Cataclysmic Variables: An Empirical Angular Momentum Loss Prescription From Open Cluster Data
• Magnetic Braking Revisited
• Measuring White Dwarf Accretion Rates via their Effective Temperatures
• On the late spectral types of cataclysmic variable secondaries
• Blunting the Spike: the CV Minimum Period
• Early galaxy evolution from deep wide field star counts. II. First estimate of the thick disc mass function
• The census of cataclysmic variables in the ROSAT Bright Survey
• CV evolution: AM Her binaries and the period gap
• Long-term evolution of compact binaries with irradiation feedback
• A Self-Occulting Accretion Disk in the SW Sex Star DW UMa
• Pulsations, Boundary Layers, and Period Bounce in the Cataclysmic Variable RE J1255+266
• Time-Resolved Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of the SW Sex Star DW UMa: Confirmation of a Hidden White Dwarf and the UV Counterpart to Phase 0.5 Absorption Events
• The Unusual Cataclysmic Binary Star RBS 0490 and the Space Density of Cataclysmics
• Evolutionary Effects of Irradiation in Cataclysmic Variables

Cited by in corpus (44)

• The Evolution of Cataclysmic Variables as Revealed by their Donor Stars
• Hot subluminous stars
• SDSS unveils a population of intrinsically faint cataclysmic variables at the minimum orbital period
• A Volume Limited Sample of Cataclysmic Variables from $Gaia$ DR2: Space Density and Population Properties
• On the evolutionary status of short period cataclysmic variables
• Radial velocity measurements of Subdwarf B stars
• Cataclysmic Variables from the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey
• Deriving an X-ray luminosity function of dwarf novae based on parallax measurements
• Constraints on the space density of intermediate polars from the Swift-BAT survey
• The space density and X-ray luminosity function of non-magnetic cataclysmic variables
• One thousand cataclysmic variables from the Catalina Real-time Transient Survey
• A catalogue of cataclysmic variables from 20 years of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with new classifications, periods, trends and oddities
• The space density of cataclysmic variables: constraints from the ROSAT North Ecliptic Pole Survey
• The space density of magnetic cataclysmic variables
• SDSS J150722.30+523039.8: a CV formed directly from a detached white dwarf/brown dwarf binary?
• Properties of the Galactic population of cataclysmic variables in hard X-rays
• No cataclysmic variables missing: higher merger rate brings into agreement observed and predicted space densities
• How Many CVs are Crossing the Period Gap? A Test for the Disruption of Magnetic Braking
• The orbital period and system parameters of the recurrent nova T Pyx
• Orbital periods of cataclysmic variables identified by the SDSS. III. Time-series photometry obtained during the 2004/5 International Time Project on La Palma
• Spatial distribution and galactic model parameters of cataclysmic variables
• Data Mining for Dwarf Novae in SDSS, GALEX and Astrometric Catalogues
• White dwarf masses in cataclysmic variables
• Newly Discovered Cataclysmic Variables from the INT/WFC Photometric H alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane
• Towards a volumetric census of close white dwarf binaries I.Reference samples
• MOCCA-SURVEY database I. Accreting white dwarf binary systems in globular clusters -- I. cataclysmic variables -- present-day population
• Orbital periods of cataclysmic variables identified by the SDSS. II. Measurements for six objects, including two eclipsing systems
• Galactic Model Parameters and Space Density of Cataclysmic Variables in Gaia Era: New Constraints to Population Models
• A dwarf nova in the globular cluster M13
• An Halpha-selected sample of cataclysmic variables -- I. Observations of newly discovered systems
• Spectroscopic Observations of the WZ Sge-Type Dwarf Nova GW Librae during the 2007 Superoutburst
• An Halpha-selected sample of cataclysmic variables -- II. Implications for CV evolution
• A first catalogue of automatically selected UV-excess sources from the UVEX survey
• Population of the Galactic X-ray binaries and eRosita
• Dwarf Novae in the Shortest Orbital Period Regime: II. WZ Sge Stars as the Missing Population near the Period Minimum
• The Space Density of Post-Period Minimum Cataclysmic Variables
• Spectroscopic Follow-up of X-ray Sources in the ChaMPlane Survey: Identification of a New Cataclysmic Variable
• Galactic model parameters of cataclysmic variables: Results from a new absolute magnitude calibration with 2MASS and WISE
• The age of cataclysmic variables: a kinematical study
• The Galactic Kinematics of Cataclysmic Variables
• Compact objects in globular clusters
• Relation between the X-ray and Optical Luminosities in Binary Systems with Accreting Nonmagnetic White Dwarfs
• Sample of Cataclysmic Variables from 400d X-ray Survey
• Magnetic braking below the cataclysmic variable period gap and the observed dearth of period bouncers