V1500 Cygni - Discovery of a magnetic nova

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (121) References (26) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS V1500 Cygni: Discovery of a Magnetic Nova Stockman, H. S. ; Schmidt, Gary D. ; Lamb, D. Q. Abstract Polarimetric observations of V1500 Cygni, the remnant of Nova Cygni 1975, reveal periodic variations of optical circular polarization with semi-amplitudes of about + or - 1.5 pct. Measured over a six-month baseline, the period of variation, 0.137154 + or - 0.000004 days, is 1.8 percent shorter than the stable photometric period, 0.1396129 days, obtained by Patterson (1979), and refined by Kaluzny and Semeniuk (1987). The circular polarization is interpreted as high-harmonic optical cyclotron emission from an accreting, magnetic white dwarf primary. However, the dominant system light and photometric variability are due to the heated companion star. In this picture, the prenova system was a synchronized AM Herculis-type magnetic variable. During the outburst and subsequent dense-wind phase, coupling between the white dwarf and the expanded envelope and the interaction of the orbiting secondary star were responsible for the asynchronism of the current system and the remarkable photometric variations observed in 1975-1976. Other unusual characteristics of Nova Cygni 1975 are also explained by this model. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: September 1988 DOI: 10.1086/166652 Bibcode: 1988ApJ...332..282S Keywords: Circular Polarization; Magnetic Stars; Novae; Stellar Spectrophotometry; Variable Stars; White Dwarf Stars; Cygnus Constellation; Emission Spectra; Stellar Envelopes; Stellar Mass Accretion; Stellar Rotation; Astrophysics; POLARIZATION; STARS: INDIVIDUAL CONSTELLATION NAME: V1500 CYGNI; STARS: MAGNETIC; STARS: NOVAE full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (2)