HST And Optical Data Reveal White Dwarf Cooling, Spin, And Periodicities In GW Librae 3-4 Years After Outburst

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Date

2012-07

Authors

Szkody, Paula
Mukadam, Anjum S.
Gansicke, Boris T.
Henden, Arne
Sion, Edward M.
Townsley, Dean
Chote, Paul
Harmer, Diane
Harpe, Eric J.
Hermes, J. J.

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Abstract

Since the large amplitude 2007 outburstwhich heated its accreting, pulsatingwhite dwarf, the dwarf nova system GW Librae has been cooling to its quiescent temperature. Our Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet spectra combined with ground-based optical coverage during the third and fourth year after outburst show that the fluxes and temperatures are still higher than quiescence (T = 19,700 K and 17,300 K versus 16,000 K pre-outburst for a log g = 8.7 and d = 100 pc). The K-wd of 7.6 +/- 0.8 km s(-1) determined from the C I lambda 1463 absorption line, as well as the gravitational redshift implies a white dwarf mass of 0.79 +/- 0.08 M-circle dot. The widths of the UV lines imply a white dwarf rotation velocity v sin i of 40 km s(-1) and a spin period of 209 s (for an inclination of 11 deg and a white dwarf radius of 7 x 10(8) cm). Light curves produced from the UV spectra in both years show a prominent multiplet near 290 s, with higher amplitude in the UV compared to the optical, and increased amplitude in 2011 versus 2010. As the presence of this set of periods is intermittent in the optical on weekly timescales, it is unclear how this relates to the non-radial pulsations evident during quiescence.

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Szkody, Paula, Anjum S. Mukadam, Boris T. G�nsicke, Arne Henden, Edward M. Sion, Dean Townsley, Paul Chote et al. "HST and optical data reveal white dwarf cooling, spin, and periodicities in GW Librae 3-4 years after outburst." The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 753, No. 2 (Jul., 2012): 158.