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In over a thousand known cataclysmic variables (CVs), where a white dwarf isaccreting from a hydrogen-rich star, only a dozen have orbital periods below 75minutes. One way to achieve these short periods requires the donor star to haveundergone substantial nuclear evolution prior to interacting with the whitedwarf, and it is expected that these objects will transition to heliumaccretion. These transitional CVs have been proposed as progenitors of heliumCVs. However, no known transitional CV is expected to reach an orbital periodshort enough to account for most of the helium CV population, leaving the roleof this evolutionary pathway unclear. Here we report observations of ZTFJ1813+4251, a 51-minute orbital period, fully eclipsing binary systemconsisting of a star with a temperature comparable to that of the Sun but adensity 100 times greater due to its helium-rich composition, accreting onto awhite dwarf. Phase-resolved spectra, multi-band light curves and the broadbandspectral energy distribution allow us to obtain precise and robust constraintson the masses, radii and temperatures of both components. Evolutionary modelingshows that ZTF J1813+4251 is destined to become a helium CV binary, reaching anorbital period under 20 minutes, rendering ZTF J1813+4251 a previously missinglink between helium CV binaries and hydrogen-rich CVs.

A dense $\mathbf{0.1 M_{\rm \odot}}$ star in a 51-minute orbital period eclipsing binary