Is TW Pictoris really an intermediate polar?

Abstract

We present the results of a long ROSAT HRI observation of the candidate intermediate polar TW Pic. The power spectrum shows no sign of either the previously proposed white dwarf spin period or the proposed binary orbital period (1.996 hr and 6.06 hr respectively). The limits to the X-ray modulation are less than 0.3% in each case. In the absence of a coherent X-ray pulsation, the credentials of TW Pic for membership of the intermediate polar subclass must be suspect. We further suggest that the true orbital period of the binary may be the shorter of the two previously suggested, and that the longer period may represent a quasi-periodic phenomenon associated with the accretion disc.