Publikationsdatum:
2014-03-21
Beschreibung:
AM Canum Venaticorum (AM CVn) stars belong to a class of ultracompact, short-period binaries with spectra dominated largely by helium. SDSS J0926+3624 is of particular interest as it is the first observed eclipsing AM CVn system. We observed SDSS J0926+3624 with the Array Camera for Optical to Near-IR Spectrophotometry (ARCONS) at the Palomar 200'' telescope. ARCONS uses a relatively new type of energy-resolved photon counters called Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors. ARCONS, sensitive to radiation from 350 to 1100 nm, has a time resolution of several microseconds and can measure the energy of a photon to ~10 per cent. We present the light curves for these observations and examine changes in orbital period from prior observations. Using a quadratic ephemeris model, we measure a period rate of change P = (3.07 ± 0.56) x 10 –13 . In addition, we use the high timing resolution of ARCONS to examine the system's high-frequency variations and search for possible quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). Finally, we use the instrument's spectral resolution to examine the light curves in various wavelength bands. We do not find any high-frequency QPOs or significant spectral variability throughout an eclipse.
Print ISSN:
0035-8711
Digitale ISSN:
1365-2966
Thema:
Physik
Permalink