arXiv subjects

T. Ak

Publications and source records attributed to T. Ak.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Transformations between WISE and 2MASS, SDSS, BVI photometric systems: II. Transformation equations for red clump stars

We present colour transformations for the conversion of the Wide-Field Survey Explorer (WISE) W1, W2, and W3 magnitudes to the Johnson-Cousins (BVIc), Sloan Digital Sky Survey (gri), and Two Micron All Sky Survey JHKs photometric systems, for red clump (RC) stars. RC stars were selected from the Third Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) Data Release (DR3). The apparent magnitudes were collected by matching the coordinates of this sample with different photometric catalogues. The final sample (355 RC stars) used to obtain metallicity dependent-and free of metallicity- transformations between WISE and Johnson-Cousins, SDSS, 2MASS photometric systems. These transformations combined with known absolute magnitudes at shorter wavelengths can be used in space density determinations for the Galactic (thin and thick) discs at distances larger than the ones evaluated with JHKs photometry alone, hence providing a powerful tool in the analysis of Galactic structure.

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arXiv2011

Dwarf Nova V1040 Centauri and Variable Stars in its Vicinity

We present the results of a photometric campaign of the dwarf nova V1040 Cen. The light curve shows two normal outbursts with recurrence time ~ 40 days and amplitude ~ 2.5 mag. Quiescence data show oscillations with periods in the range ~ 0.1 days (2.4 h) to ~ 0.5 days (12 h) of unknown origin. We measured the orbital period of V1040 Cen to be P_orb=0.060458(80) days (1.451+-0.002 h). Based on the M_v-P_orb relation we found the distance of V1040 Cen to be 137+-31 pc. In this paper we also report the detection of eleven new variable stars in the field of the monitored dwarf nova.

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arXiv2011

SDSS J162520.29+120308.7 - a new SU UMa star in the period gap

We report results of an extensive world-wide observing campaign devoted to the recently discovered dwarf nova SDSS J162520.29+120308.7 (SDSS J1625). The data were obtained during the July 2010 eruption of the star and in August and September 2010 when the object was in quiescence. During the July 2010 superoutburst SDSS J1625 clearly displayed superhumps with a mean period of $P_{\rm sh}=0.095942(17)$ days ($138.16 \pm 0.02$ min) and a maximum amplitude reaching almost 0.4 mag. The superhump period was not stable, decreasing very rapidly at a rate of $\dot P = -1.63(14)\cdot 10^{-3}$ at the beginning of the superoutburst and increasing at a rate of $\dot P = 2.81(20)\cdot 10^{-4}$ in the middle phase. At the end of the superoutburst it stabilized around the value of $P_{\rm sh}=0.09531(5)$ day. During the first twelve hours of the superoutburst a low-amplitude double wave modulation was observed whose properties are almost identical to early superhumps observed in WZ Sge stars. The period of early superhumps, the period of modulations observed temporarily in quiescence and the period derived from radial velocity variations are the same within measurement errors, allowing us to estimate the most probable orbital period of the binary to be $P_{\rm orb}=0.09111(15)$ days ($131.20 \pm 0.22$ min). This value clearly indicates that SDSS J1625 is another dwarf nova in the period gap. Knowledge of the orbital and superhump periods allows us to estimate the mass ratio of the system to be $q\approx 0.25$. This high value poses serious problems both for the thermal and tidal instability (TTI) model describing the behaviour of dwarf novae and for some models explaining the origin of early superhumps.

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arXiv2011

2009 Superoutburst of Dwarf Nova 1RXS J053234.9+624755

We present photometric observations of the dwarf nova 1RXS J053234.9+624755. We performed a detailed analysis of the superoutburst that occurred in August 2009. We found the superhump period to be P_sh=0.057122(14)days. Based on the O-C diagram we conclude that P_sh increased during the plateau at the rate of dP_sh/dt=(9.24 +- 1.4) * 10^-5. Both the O-C analysis and evolution of the superhumps light curve favour the model in which superhumps originate in a variable source located in the vicinity of the hot spot. In addition, the evolution of the light curve suggests that the superhump light source approaches the disc plane as the superoutburst declines. Detailed analysis of the superoutburst plateau phase enabled us to detect a signal which we interpret as apsidal motion of the accretion disc. We detected additional modulations during the final stage of the superoutburst characterized by periods of 104s and 188s which we tentatively interpret as quasi periodic oscillations. Estimations of A_0 and A_n are in agreement with the dependence discovered by Smak (2010) between the amplitude of superhumps and the orbital inclination.

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arXiv2010

Aperiodic optical variability of intermediate polars - cataclysmic variables with truncated accretion disks

We study the power spectra of the variability of seven intermediate polars containing magnetized asynchronous accreting white dwarfs, XSS J00564+4548,IGR J00234+6141, DO Dra, V1223 Sgr, IGR J15094-6649, IGR J16500-3307 and IGR J17195-4100, in the optical band and demonstrate that their variability can be well described by a model based on fluctuations propagating in a truncated accretion disk. The power spectra have breaks at Fourier frequencies, which we associate with the Keplerian frequency of the disk at the boundary of the white dwarfs' magnetospheres. We propose that the properties of the optical power spectra can be used to deduce the geometry of the inner parts of the accretion disk, in particular: 1) truncation radii of the magnetically disrupted accretion disks in intermediate polars, 2) the truncation radii of the accretion disk in quiescent states of dwarf novae

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arXiv2009

CCD BV and 2MASS photometric study of the open cluster NGC 1513

We present CCD BV and JHK$_{s}$ 2MASS photometric data for the open cluster NGC 1513. We observed 609 stars in the direction of the cluster up to a limiting magnitude of $V\sim19$ mag. The star count method shows that the centre of the cluster lies at $α_{2000}=04^{h}09^{m}36^{s}$, $δ_{2000}=49^{\circ}28^{'}43^{''}$ and its angular size is $r=10$ arcmin. The optical and near-infrared two-colour diagrams reveal the colour excesses in the direction of the cluster as $E(B-V)=0.68\pm0.06$, $E(J-H)=0.21\pm0.02$ and $E(J-K_{s})=0.33\pm0.04$ mag. These results are consistent with normal interstellar extinction values. Optical and near-infrared Zero Age Main-Sequences (ZAMS) provided an average distance modulus of $(m-M)_{0}=10.80\pm0.13$ mag, which can be translated into a distance of $1440\pm80$ pc. Finally, using Padova isochrones we determined the metallicity and age of the cluster as $Z=0.015\pm 0.004$ ($[M/H]=-0.10 \pm 0.10$ dex) and $\log (t/yr) = 8.40\pm0.04$, respectively.

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arXiv2009

The age of cataclysmic variables: a kinematical study

Using available astrometric and radial velocity data, the space velocities of cataclysmic variables (CVs) with respect to Sun were computed and kinematical properties of various sub-groups of CVs were investigated. Although observational errors of systemic velocities ($γ$) are high, propagated errors are usually less than computed dispersions. According to the analysis of propagated uncertainties on the computed space velocities, available sample is refined by removing the systems with the largest propagated uncertainties so that the reliability of the space velocity dispersions was improved. Having a dispersion of $51\pm7$ km s$^{-1}$ for the space velocities, CVs in the current refined sample (159 systems) are found to have $5\pm1$ Gyr mean kinematical age. After removing magnetic systems from the sample, it is found that non-magnetic CVs (134 systems) have a mean kinematical age of $4\pm1$ Gyr. According to $5\pm1$ and $4\pm1$ Gyr kinematical ages implied by $52\pm8$ and $45\pm7$ km s$^{-1}$ dispersions for non-magnetic systems below and above the period gap, CVs below the period gap are older than systems above the gap, which is a result in agreement with the standard evolution theory of CVs. Age difference between the systems below and above the gap is smaller than that expected from the standard theory, indicating a similarity of the angular momentum loss time scales in systems with low-mass and high-mass secondary stars. Assuming an isotropic distribution, $γ$ velocity dispersions of non-magnetic CVs below and above the period gap are calculated $σ_γ=30\pm5$ km s$^{-1}$ and $σ_γ=26\pm4$ km s$^{-1}$.

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arXiv2008

New absolute magnitude calibrations for detached binaries

Lutz-Kelker bias corrected absolute magnitude calibrations for the detached binary systems with main-sequence components are presented. The absolute magnitudes of the calibrator stars were derived at intrinsic colours of Johnson-Cousins and 2MASS (Two Micron All Sky Survey) photometric systems. As for the calibrator stars, 44 detached binaries were selected from the Hipparcos catalogue, which have relative observed parallax errors smaller than 15% ($σ_π/π\leq0.15$). The calibration equations which provide the corrected absolute magnitude for optical and near-infrared pass bands are valid for wide ranges of colours and absolute magnitudes: $-0.18<(B-V)_{0}<0.91$, $-1.6<M_{V}<5.5$ and $-0.15<(J-H)_{0}<0.50$, $-0.02<(H-K_{s})_{0}<0.13$, $0<M_{J}<4$, respectively. The distances computed using the luminosity-colours (LCs) relation with optical (BV) and near-infrared ($JHK_{s}$) observations were compared to the distances found from various other methods. The results show that new absolute magnitude calibrations of this study can be used as a convenient statistical tool to estimate the true distances of detached binaries out of Hipparcos' distance limit.

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arXiv2007

Spatial distribution and galactic model parameters of cataclysmic variables

The spatial distribution, galactic model parameters and luminosity function of cataclysmic variables (CVs) in the solar neighbourhood have been determined from a carefully established sample of 459 CVs. The sample contains all of the CVs with distances computed from the Period-Luminosity-Colours (PLCs) relation of CVs which has been recently derived and calibrated with {\em 2MASS} photometric data. It has been found that an exponential function fits best to the observational z-distributions of all of the CVs in the sample, non-magnetic CVs and dwarf novae, while the sech^{2} function is more appropriate for nova-like stars and polars. The vertical scaleheight of CVs is 158$\pm$14 pc for the {\em 2MASS} J-band limiting apparent magnitude of 15.8. On the other hand, the vertical scaleheights are 128$\pm$20 and 160$\pm$5 pc for dwarf novae and nova-like stars, respectively. The local space density of CVs is found to be $\sim3\times10^{-5}$ pc^{-3} which is in agreement with the lower limit of the theoretical predictions. The luminosity function of CVs shows an increasing trend toward higher space densities at low luminosities, implying that the number of short-period systems should be high. The discrepancies between the theoretical and observational population studies of CVs will almost disappear if for the z-dependence of the space density the sech^{2} density function is used.

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arXiv2007

A new absolute magnitude calibration with 2MASS for cataclysmic variables

Using reliable trigonometric measurements, we find that the absolute magnitude of cataclysmic variables depends on the orbital period and de-reddened $(J-H)_{0}$ and $(H-K_{s})_{0}$ colours of {\em 2MASS} (Two Micron All Sky Survey) photometric system. The calibration equation covers the ranges $0.032^{d} < P_{orb} \leq 0.454^{d}$, $-0.08 < (J-H)_{0} \leq 1.54$, $-0.03 <(H-K_{s})_{0} \leq 0.56$ and $2.0 < M_{J} < 11.7$; It is based on trigonometric parallaxes with relative errors of $(σ_π/π) \leq 0.4$. By using the period-luminosity-colours (PLCs) relation, we estimated the distances of cataclysmic variables with orbital periods and {\em 2MASS} observations and compared them with distances found from other methods. We suggest that the PLCs relation can be a useful statistical tool to estimate the distances of cataclysmic variables.

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arXiv2005

The orbital period of Nova V2540 Ophiuchi (2002)

We present the results of 26 nights of CCD photometry of the nova V2540 Oph (2002) from 2003 and 2004. We find a period of 0.284781 +/- 0.000006 d (6.8347 +/- 0.0001 h) in the data. Since this period was present in the light curves taken in both years, with no apparent change in its value or amplitude, we interpret it as the orbital period of the nova binary system. The mass-period relation for cataclysmic variables yields a secondary mass of about 0.75 +/- 0.04 Msun. From maximum magnitude - rate of decline relation, we estimate a maximum absolute visual magnitude of M(V)=-6.2 +/- 0.4 mag. This value leads to an uncorrected distance modulus of (m-M) = 14.7 +/- 0.7. By using the interstellar reddening for the location of V2540 Oph, we find a rough estimate for the distance of 5.2 +/- 0.8 kpc. We propose that V2540 Oph is either: 1) a high inclination cataclysmic variable showing a reflection effect of the secondary star, or having a spiral structure in the accretion disc, 2) a high inclination intermediate polar system, or less likely 3) a polar.

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arXiv2005

A photometric study of V1193 Ori: detection of orbital and negative superhump periods

We present the results obtained from unfiltered photometric CCD observations of V1193 Ori made during 24 nights between November 2002 and January 2003. We found periods of 0.1430 d, 0.1362 d and possibly 2.98 d in the data. The 0.1430 d period is consistent with the 1d^{-1} alias of the proposed orbital period of P_{orb}=0.165 d (Ringwald et al., 1994, Papadaki et al., 2004). Thus and using the known relation between the orbital and superhump periods, we interpret these periods as the orbital period of 0.1430 d, the negative superhump period of 0.1362 d and the precession period of 2.98 d. V1193 Ori can then be classified as a permanent superhump system.

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arXiv2004

A photometric study of the newly discovered eclipsing cataclysmic variable SDSS J040714.78-064425.1

We present the results obtained from unfiltered photometric CCD observations of the newly discovered cataclysmic variable SDSS J040714.78-064425.1 made during 7 nights in November 2003. We establish the dwarf nova nature of the object as it was in outburst during our observations. We also confirm the presence of deep eclipses with a period of 0.17017d+/-0.00003 in the optical light curve of the star. In addition, we found periods of 0.166d+/-0.001 and possibly also 5.3d+/-0.7 in the data. The 0.17017d periodicity is consistent within the errors with the proposed orbital period of 0.165d (Szkody et. al. 2003) and 0.1700d (Monard 2004). Using the known relation between the orbital and superhump periods, we interpret the 0.166d and 5.3d periods as the negative superhump and the nodal precession period respectively. SDSS J040714.78-064425.1 is then classified as a negative superhump system with one of the largest orbital periods.

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