Infrared Spectroscopy of Short-Period Cataclysmic Variables

Abstract

We present near-infrared spectra for five dwarf novae with short orbital periods. We performed fittings of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) by assuming a power-law distribution for the accretion disk and using template spectra of late-type dwarfs for the secondary star. Two are WZ Sge–or WX Cet-type stars, whose spectra show water absorption features, and one of them shows K$\;$ I and Na$\;$ I absorption lines in the $J$-band. We find that the secondary contributions to the overall SED are larger in WZ Sge stars than in ER UMa stars. The SED fitting suggests M9 and L1 type dwarf companions for our WZ Sge systems, and an M2 dwarf for our ER UMa star. We discuss the direct relationship between the high temperatures of secondary stars and high mass-transfer rates in ER UMa stars. SDSS J013701.06–091234.9 is the only object showing a spectrum dominated by the secondary component. The spectrum strongly suggests that the evolutionary path of SDSS J013701.06–091234.9 is different from that of ordinary CVs, and this object is a candidate of EI Psc-like systems.