New results on magnetic cataclysmic variables
Prof. Aarran Shaw
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Butler University
Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are interacting binary star systems in which a white dwarf is accreting matter from a main sequence companion. A common subclass of CVs are the so-called magnetic CVs, in which the white dwarf’s strong magnetic field disrupts the accretion disk and matter instead flows along magnetic field lines on to the poles of the white dwarf. Though CVs, both magnetic and non-magnetic, have been well-studied for decades, they are still proving to be important for answering open questions about binary evolution, accretion physics and even cosmology. Here I will discuss some recent results regarding magnetic CVs, including results from a recent large hard X-ray survey with NuSTAR, and the recent discovery of many systems transitioning to unusual low-flux states, which could shine a light on the changing accretion mechanisms at work in these sources.
Hosted by Prof. Lehner