Cataclysmic Variables: Eight Breakthroughs in Eight Years

Abstract

The last few years have seen tremendous progress in our understanding of cataclysmic variable stars. As a result, we are finally developing a much clearer picture of their evolution as binary systems, the physics of the accretion processes powering them, and their relation to other compact accreting objects. In this review, I will highlight some of the most exciting recent breakthroughs. Several of these have opened up completely new avenues of research that will probably lead to additional major advances over the next decade.