Is There a Third Component in the Intermediate Polar V405 Aur?
Abstract
Variability of the spin period of the white dwarf in the V405 Aur (RX J0558.0+5353) system using our observations and previously published maxima timings is analyzed. As the phase light curve contains two nearly equal photometric waves, one maximum was set as a "primary" one. The ephemeris for the maxima of the "spin variability" (due to rotation of the magnetized white dwarf) for recent seasons 2010-2012 is Tmax = HJD 2455882.470614(25) + 0.00631314602(46) * E. This corresponds to a significant negative trend at the "O-C" diagram. Due to significant gaps in the observational data and statistical error of timings, there may be some suggestions on the spin period variability - a fast period "jump" in 2007; secular period variations; a cubic ephemeris (which may be interpreted by a precession of the magnetic white dwarf at a time-scale of decades) or a periodic change with a period of 6.2 years and semi-amplitude of 17.2 +- 1.8 sec. For the present observations, more reliable are two latter models. To distinguish between them, a continuation of monitoring is needed. The periodic variations may be interpreted by a light time effect caused by a third body of mass (M3 > 0.09 Solar masses), which corresponds to a low-mass star, but not to an extra-solar planet. In this case, the system belongs to a rare class of cataclysmic variables with a third body.
- Publication:
-
Czestochowski Kalendarz Astronomiczny
- Pub Date:
- December 2014
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.1308.3856
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1308.3856
- Bibcode:
- 2014CKA....11..181B
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the Conference Proceedings, "Cz{,e}stochowski Ka{\l}endarz Astronomiczny 2014", ed. Bogdan Wszo{\l}ek (2013). arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1306.4665