Open AccessThe white dwarf in AE Aqr brakes harder
Author(s) -
Mauche Christopher W.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10447.x
Subject(s) - physics , white dwarf , ephemeris , astrophysics , astronomy , light curve , magnetic dipole , dipole , stars , satellite , quantum mechanics
Taking advantage of the very precise de Jager et al. optical white dwarf orbit and spin ephemerides; ASCA , XMM–Newton and Chandra X‐ray observations spread over 10 yr; and a cumulative 27‐yr baseline, we have found that in recent years the white dwarf in AE Aqr is spinning down at a rate that is slightly faster than predicted by the de Jager et al. spin ephemeris. At the present time, the observed period evolution is consistent with either a cubic term in the spin ephemeris with , which is inconsistent in sign and magnitude with magnetic dipole radiation losses, or an additional quadratic term with , which is consistent with a modest increase in the accretion torques spinning down the white dwarf. Regular monitoring, in the optical, ultraviolet and/or X‐rays, is required to track the evolution of the spin period of the white dwarf in AE Aqr.