A New SU UMa-Type Dwarf Nova, QW Serpentis (= TmzV46)

Abstract

We report on the results of the QW Ser campaign which has been continued from 2000 to 2003 by the VSNET collaboration team. Four long outbursts and many short ones were caught during this period. Our intensive photometric observations revealed superhumps with a period of 0.07700(4) d during all four superoutbursts, proving the SU UMa nature of this star. The recurrence cycles of the normal outbursts and the superoutbursts were measured to be $\sim$50 days and 240(30) days, respectively. The change rate of the superhump period was -5.8x10^{-5}. The distance and the X-ray luminosity in the range of 0.5-2.4 keV are estimated to be 380(60) pc and log L_x = 31.0 \pm 0.1 erg s^{-1}. These properties have typical values for an SU UMa-type dwarf nova with this superhump period.