Spectroscopy of Five Old Novae: New or Refined Orbital Periods11Based on observations obtained at the MDM Observatory, operated by Dartmouth College, Columbia University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, and the University of Michigan.

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe present spectroscopy of five old novae and report new or refined orbital periods, Porb. For two of the systems, we detect a spectral contribution from the secondary star and infer distances from spectroscopic parallax. Updated period histograms of old novae and all other cataclysmic variables (CVs) are included. Statistical tests show that the orbital period distribution of old novae is significantly different from that of other CVs.