Circumbinary Dust in Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables - Exploring Polars in the Mid-Infrared

Details Circumbinary Dust in Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables - Exploring Polars in the Mid-Infrared Circumbinary Dust in Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables - Exploring Polars in the Mid-Infrared

May 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006sptz.prop30249h&link_type=abstract

Spitzer Proposal ID #30249

Computer Science

Scientific paper

As part of our Spitzer GO1 programs, we obtained the first-ever mid-IR observations of strongly magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs), known as polars. We found excess mid-IR flux in our IRAC data, suggesting the presence of a radiating component in addition to the WD and secondary star. We have tentatively identified this component as originating from circumbinary dust. These results demonstrate the unexpected signature of circumbinary dust in polars. This suggests that circumbinary dust disks may, in fact, be ubiquitous in CVs regardless of mass transfer or outburst history. Thus, our current proposal represents the culmination of our GO1-2 surveys of CVs, which together will provide a broad overview of the nature of circumbinary dust in magnetic and non-magnetic CVs, the characteristics of low mass stellar and substellar secondary stars in extremely evolved CVs, and the overlap between those population samples. Specifically, we propose a 3-part program. In Part 1, we will obtain IRS spectra of a polar observed by us during GO1. This polar was found to be much brighter in the mid-IR than expected, making IRS SL observations feasible. These data will allow us to extend and constrain our models for polars further into the mid-IR. In Part 2, we will obtain IRAC observations of 5 new polars, in order to further explore the range of system parameter space (orbital period, magnetic field strength, etc.) occupied by the polars as a class. Finally, in Part 3, we will use up to 2 medium impact TOOs to make a second IRAC observation of any polar that we observe in GO3 (plus one from GO1) if they transition between accretion states during GO3 following their initial observation. We will trigger the TOOs using ground-based monitoring.

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