Astrophysicists from Kazan Federal University (KFU) have made an important discovery, identifying four new cataclysmic variables—binary star systems consisting of a white dwarf and a low-mass companion star. This was reported by representatives of the university's press service.
It is reported that an international research team led by Ilkham Galiullin, a young scientist from the Department of Astronomy and Space Geodesy at the Institute of Physics of KFU, discovered these objects. The star systems are located at a distance of 616 to 1934 light-years from Earth and exhibit changes in brightness with a periodicity of several hours.
According to the press service, the discovery was the result of work within the framework of an international scientific project involving astronomy students from Kazan University. The researchers analyzed data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Gaia optical space telescope, and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) ground-based optical system.
Ilkham Galiullin noted that studying such objects helps to better understand the nature of close binary systems in the late stages of evolution. The search for new systems was conducted using data analysis from the catalogs of Chandra, Gaia, and ZTF sources. Among approximately 26,000 sources emitting in the X-ray and optical ranges, about 10 candidates for cataclysmic variables were identified.
To confirm the nature of these systems, the researchers conducted observations using the world's largest optical telescopes. One of them, with a mirror diameter of 10 meters, is located at the Keck Observatory, and the other, with a mirror diameter of 5 meters, is located at the Palomar Observatory. These observations made it possible to obtain high-precision optical spectra and confirm the cataclysmic nature of four systems. Among them, two new polars, one non-magnetic cataclysmic variable with a fully formed accretion disk around a white dwarf, and a polar with a low accretion rate (Low Accretion Rate Polar, LARP) were discovered.
Read more on the topic:
Fiery tails in the sky: a bright bolide flew over Kazan
Samara proposes to "blow away" space debris to protect the ISS
Crimean amateur astronomer discovers new comet in the solar system
