Tomasz Nowakowski is a member of the physics.org community.
Astronomers from the Columbia University in New York used the XMM-Newton satellite to look at a system called Swift J0503.72819. The results of the study were presented on arXiv.org.
A cataclysmic variable is a star system with a white dwarf. They drop back down to a quiescent state after increasing in brightness. There is a very strong magnetic field in the white dwarfs that distinguishes polars from other CVs.
When the white dwarf is moderately magnetic, accretion happens through a truncated accretion disk. Intermediate polars are systems that are not directly related to each other. The observations show that the magnetic white dwarf (WD) spins quickly with the system's spin period. It is possible to reveal the intellectual property nature of some CVs with the help of the spin period and ephemeris.
Swift J0503.72819 is a CV that was initially classified as an intermediate polar with a period of 0.0567 days. It has an X-ray that has a very high level of energy.
The XMM-Newton light curve of Swift J0503.72819 has been analyzed by a team led by Jules P. Halpern in hopes of gaining more insight into its properties.
It was observed by X MM-Newton for 7.4 hours. The X-ray light curves were created by using the processed event files from the cameras.
Halpern's team identified candidates for the spin Frequency of Swift J0503.72819 that were either 24 or 12 percent faster than the Orbital Frequency determined. They refined their values using photometric data from NASA.
The researchers found that the value of the excess is indicative of a small class of APs. The light curve can be described in two ways: one that switches between one pole and two poles, and the other that alternates between two poles.
The spin periods in the two models are 0.0455 days and 0.0505 days, according to the astronomer. The beat period between the two was found to be 0.231 days and 0.462 days.
Further X-ray observations of Swift J0503.72819 are needed in order to determine if this CV is an AP or an IC.
They state that this should reveal whether a different pole is alternating in accretion with the first, through inevitable differences in viewing geometry, obscuration, or size.
More information: J. P. Halpern, Swift J0503.7−2819: A Short-Period Asynchronous Polar or Stream-Fed Intermediate Polar. arXiv:2206.14770v1 [astro-ph.HE], arxiv.org/abs/2206.14770There is a science network.
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