Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Oct 1996
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996mnras.282..739w&link_type=abstract
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 282, Issue 3, pp. 739-752.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
12
Novae, Cataclysmic Variables, Stars: Oscillations
Scientific paper
An attempt is made to assemble all known published measurements of the optical spectrum of the pulsations in the intermediate polar stars, and to convert these measurements to an absolute flux scale for the purpose of examining similarities and correlations among this class of cataclysmic variables. By using only absolute amplitudes (not relative or fractional amplitudes), we may investigate the intrinsic nature of the pulsations. For all systems studied, a power law is able to provide a good fit to the pulse spectrum. With the exception of DQ Her itself, all the pulses are intrinsically blue, generally declining monotonically with wavelength. We find no universal features common to all systems, not do we find any strong correlations. For some systems a blackbody can adequately fit the data, and from these fits we derive estimates for the temperatures and areas of the pulse-emitting region. For the two cases where data are available, the sideband pulse spectra are flatter in their energy distribution than the spin pulse spectra, lending credibility to the belief that they are the result of reprocessing. Although not a sideband pulse, the pulse in DQ Her itself does come from reprocessing, and from our blackbody fit we estimate that between 6 and 23 per cent of the disc area is involved in the reprocessing. We speculate that in many of the intermediate polars, optically thin emission should be able to provide a good fit to the pulse spectrum; indeed, for those spectra whose slope is bluer than the Rayleigh-Jeans slope, this is the only simple and plausible emission mechanism.
Martell Phillip J.
Welsh William F.
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