Computer Science
Scientific paper
Jan 1990
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990phdt.......155d&link_type=abstract
DPhil thesis Univ. Sussex, Falmer, Brighton , (1990)
Computer Science
11
Scientific paper
Quiescent novae are close binary stars which are characterised by the presence of Balmer and HeII emission lines in their optical spectra. In high-inclination systems, standard theory predicts that one should observe double-peaked emission line profiles which are eclipsed once every orbital period. However, the emission lines of eclipsing quiescent novae are single-peaked and uneclipsed, in obvious conflict with currently held beliefs on the nature of these systems. It is the purpose of this thesis to solve this long-standing problem and so arrive at a theoretical model for quiescent novae which is consistent with the observational evidence. The first part of the thesis sets the scene to the problem by presenting an overview of the conflicting observational and theoretical results. The second part then reports on a number of new observations obtained during the course of this work which have shed new light on the problem. The results of these new observations are presented in Part III of the thesis, where one chapter is devoted to each of the three objects studied (V1315 Aquilae, SW Sextantis and DW Ursae Majoris). The final part of the thesis is a discussion and comparison of the various results presented in Part III. Using these results, a series of observational constraints are defined which are then applied to a number of existing theoretical models. In the case of V1315 Aql and SW Sex, the very stringent set of constraints results in there being no single model capable of explaining the observed phenomena. DW UMa is even more enigmatic, appearing in a previously unseen low-state during which the mass transfer rate appears to have reduced dramatically and the optical spectra are dominated by Balmer emission from the inner face of the secondary star. The implications of these new observations for the wider field of cataclysmic variables are discussed, followed by a short summary of future work necessary to validate the origin, evolution and behaviour of the quiescent novae.
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