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FS Aur - a new class of Cataclysmic Variables or the missing link between Intermediate Polars and SW Sex objects?

G. Tovmassian, S. Zharikov, R. Michel, ; V. Neustroev, J. Greiner, D. Skillman, D. Harvey, R. Fried, J. Patterson

astro-pharXiv:astro-ph/0302562

Abstract

FS Aur is a known dwarf nova with an orbital period of about 85.7 minutes. It has been assumed to be a member of the SU UMa subclass of cataclysmic variables (CVs), but previous searches for superhumps and superoutburst have been unsuccessful. We conducted a series of photometric and spectroscopic observations of FS Aur during quiescence. We confirmed its short orbital period from radial velocity measurements. However, the long-term photometry revealed an unexpected result: the system also shows a distinct 0.24 mag modulation in the BVR photometric bands with a period of 205.5 min, which is 2.4 times longer than the orbital period. We discuss various possible causes for such a peculiar behavior.

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