Eclipsing Cataclysmic Variables With TESS
Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are compact, interacting binary systems consisting of a white dwarf primary accreting material from an evolved main-sequence companion. Since its launch in 2018, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has delivered unprecedented, long-term photometric coverage for numerous CVs, enabling continuous monitoring across multiple sectors. The purpose of this work is to investigate the behavior of the accretion disks in 17 eclipsing CVs, spanning multiple subclasses: nova-likes, dwarf novae, classical novae, and intermediate polars. Eclipsing systems are crucial for probing disk structure and evolution, as their geometry permits direct observation of temporal variations. The continuous coverage provided by TESS enables detailed investigation of disk variability and offers essential context for interpreting each eclipse individually. Depending on orbital period, eclipses per data set range from ~70 to ~200, with most CVs having multiple data sets at both 2-minute and 20-second cadence; containing ~15,000 and ~90,000 data points, respectively. The current number of datasets in-hand is 155 at the 2-minute cadence, with 20-second counterparts existing for a large subset of sectors. The period of each system was updated via least squares fit of the eclipse minima for all datasets to the standard ephemeris equation. Fully phased light curves were produced, resulting in updated ephemerides for all systems. P dot terms were identified via the observed minus calculated (O–C) diagrams and added to the newly updated ephemerides for all CVs.
Accretion, Cataclysmic Variables, Ephemeris, Periods, TESS, Time Series, Ephemeris equation, TESS enables
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