The SW Sex Phenomenon as an Evolutionary Stage of Cataclysmic Variables
Abstract
From recent large observing campaigns, one finds that nearly all non- or weakly magnetic cataclysmic variables in the orbital period range between 2.8 and 4 hours are of SW Sex type and as such experience very high mass transfer rates. The evolution of cataclysmic variables as for any interacting binary is driven by angular momentum loss which results in a decrease of the orbital period on evolutionary time scales. In particular, all long-period systems need to cross the SW Sex regime of the orbital period distribution before entering the period gap. This makes the SW Sex phenomenon an evolutionary stage in the life of a cataclysmic variable. Here, I present a short overview of the current state of research on these systems.
- Publication:
-
Central European Astrophysical Bulletin
- Pub Date:
- 2013
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.1211.2171
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1211.2171
- Bibcode:
- 2013CEAB...37..361S
- Keywords:
-
- cataclysmic variables;
- SW Sex phenomenon;
- binary evolution;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 8 pages, 1 figure, conference proceedings: 11th HAC: The most mysterious binaries, Hvar 2012