Wise-allsky

Cataclysmic Variables in the Second Year of the Zwicky Transient Facility

September 2021 • 2021AJ....162...94S

Authors • Szkody, Paula • Olde Loohuis, Claire • Koplitz, Brad • van Roestel, Jan • Dicenzo, Brooke • Ho, Anna Y. Q. • Hillenbrand, Lynne A. • Bellm, Eric C. • Dekany, Richard • Drake, Andrew J. • Duev, Dmitry A. • Graham, Matthew J. • Kasliwal, Mansi M. • Mahabal, Ashish A. • Masci, Frank J. • Neill, James D. • Riddle, Reed • Rusholme, Benjamin • Sollerman, Jesper • Walters, Richard

Abstract • Using a filter in the GROWTH Marshal based on color and the amplitude and timescale of variability, we have identified 372 objects as known or candidate cataclysmic variables (CVs) during the second year of the operation of the Zwicky Transient Facility. From the available difference imaging data, we found that 93 are previously confirmed CVs and 279 are strong candidates. Spectra of four of the candidates confirm them as CVs by the presence of Balmer emission lines, while one of the four has prominent He II lines indicative of containing a magnetic white dwarf. Gaia EDR3 parallaxes are available for 154 of these systems, resulting in distances from 108-2096 pc and absolute magnitudes in the range of 7.5-15.0, with the largest number of candidates between 10.5 and 12.5. The total numbers are 21% higher than from the previous year of the survey with a greater number of distances available but a smaller percentage of systems close to the Galactic plane. Comparison of these findings with a machine-learning method of searching all the light curves reveals large differences in each data set related to the parameters involved in the search process.

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IPAC Authors
(alphabetical)

Frank Masci

Senior Scientist


Ben Rusholme

Chief Engineer