2002/07/10 by J. M. Hameury, Jean-Marie Hameury, Jean-Pierre Lasota +1 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Accretion (finance) #Astronomy #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Brightness #Cataclysmic variable star #Magnetic field #Physics #Polar #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #White dwarf #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20021136
published as Astron.Astrophys. 394 (2002) 231-240 · 10 pages, 5 figures. Astronomy and Astrophysics, submitted
arxiv created 2002/07/10 · openalex publication_date 2002/10/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We show that the absence of outbursts during low states of VY Scl stars is easily explained if white dwarfs in these systems are weakly magnetized ( G cm3). However, some of the VY Scl stars are observed to have very slow declines to minimum and similarly slow rises to maximum. The absence of outbursts during such intermediate (as opposed to low) states, which last much longer than typical disc viscous times, can be explained only if accretion discs are absent when their temperatures would correspond to an unstable state. This requires magnetic fields stronger than those explaining outburst absence during low states, since white dwarfs in this sub-class of VY Scl stars should have magnetic moments G cm3 i.e. similar to those of Intermediate Polars. Since at maximum brightness several VY Scl stars are SW Sex stars, this conclusion is in agreement with recent claims about the magnetic nature of these systems.