The spin periods of magnetic cataclysmic variables

Norton, A. J.; Somerscales, R. V. and Wynn, G. A. (2004). The spin periods of magnetic cataclysmic variables. In: Magnetic Cataclysmic Variables: IAU Colloquium 190, 8-13 Dec 2002, Cape Town, South Africa.

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Abstract

We have used a model of magnetic accretion to investigate the rotational equilibria of magnetic cataclysmic variables (mCVs). This has enabled us toderive a set of equilibrium spin periods as a function of orbital period and magnetic moment which we use to estimate the magnetic moments of all known intermediate polars. We further show how these equilibrium spin periods relate to the polar synchronisation condition and use these results to calculate the theoretical histogram describing the distribution of magnetic CVs as a function of P_spin / P_orb. We demonstrate that this is in remarkable agreement with the observed distribution assuming that the number of systems as a function of white dwarf magnetic moment is distributed according to N(mu_1) ~ mu_1^-2.

Item Type:	Conference Item
Copyright Holders:	2004 Astronomical Society of the Pacific
ISBN:	1-58381-170-2, 978-1-58381-170-2
Academic Unit/Department:	Science > Physical Sciences
Interdisciplinary Research Centre:	Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research (CEPSAR)
Item ID:	4666
Depositing User:	Users 6042 not found.
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2006
Last Modified:	09 May 2011 16:42
URI:	http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/4666

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