Unravelling the Role of the SW Sextantis Stars in the Evolution of Cataclysmic Variables

Torres, Manuel; Steeghs, D.; Rodriguez-Gil, P.; Gansicke, B.; Marsh Warwick, T. R.; Araujo-Betancor, S.; Long, K.
Referencia bibliográfica

NOAO Proposal ID #2006B-0566

Fecha de publicación:
8
2006
Número de autores
7
Número de autores del IAC
0
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
SW Sextantis stars are a relatively large group of cataclysmic variables whose properties contradict all predictions made by the current CV evolution theories. Very little is known about the properties of their accreting white dwarfs and their donor stars, as the stellar components are usually outshone by an extremely bright accretion flow. Consequently, a proper assesment of their evolutionary state is illusionary. We are monitoring the brightness of 33 SW Sex stars, and request here Gemini/GMOS-N time to obtain orbital phase-resolved spectroscopy if one of them enters a low state. These data will be used to accurately measure the mass ratio, white dwarf temperature, and distance of the system, eventually providing the first detailed system parameters for any SW Sex star.