(ORDO NEWS) — Using NASA‘s Swift spacecraft, astronomers have detected a new cataclysmic variable (CV) due to its ultraviolet (UV) flare activity. The new gearbox, designated TUVO-21acq, was discovered as part of the TUVO project.
Cataclysmic variables are binary star systems consisting of a primary white dwarf that accretes matter from a companion, a normal star.
A team of astronomers led by David Modiano from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands reports the discovery of a new CP that is aimed at the spiral galaxy NGC 4945. A new transient has been detected in the ultraviolet about six arc minutes from the center of this galaxy.
The astronomers used UVOT to determine the properties of TUVO-21acq, focusing on the amplitudes and time scales of the two outbursts.
They found that during the first outburst (in February 2021), the source increased in brightness by at least 4.1; 2.4 and 3.5 magnitudes, and during the second (in January 2022) – by 4.4,; 3.4 and 3.6 magnitudes in three ultraviolet ranges.
By calculating the time between the first and last detection of each TUVO-21acq outbreak, the researchers determined the lower limits for the duration of the first and second outbreaks, which were 6.1 and 10.7 days, respectively. The upper limits for the first and second outbreaks were 21.1 and 45 days, respectively.
According to the results of the study, the main parameters of TUVO-21acq flares, including amplitudes, duration and repetition time, are fully consistent with dwarf novae.
Moreover, the general shape and key features of the radiation in the spectrum indicate that the source is a resting cataclysmic variable. Therefore, astronomers have classified TUVO-21acq as a dwarf nova (DN) NS.
“We confirm the nature of the source as an accreting white dwarf that underwent a WH outburst based on photometric and spectroscopic properties,” the scientists concluded.
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