High Speed photometry of faint Cataclysmic Variables I. V359 Cen, XZ Eri, HY Lup, V351 Pup,.pdf

a r X i v : a s t r o - p h / 0 1 0 7 5 0 5 v 1 2 6 J u l 2 0 0 1 Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 000, 000–000 (0000) Printed 1 February 2008 (MN LATEX style file v1.4) High Speed photometry of faint Cataclysmic Variables: I. V359 Cen, XZ Eri, HY Lup, V351 Pup, V630 Sgr, YY Tel, CQ Vel, CE-315 Patrick A. Woudt? and Brian Warner? Department of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa ABSTRACT The first results of a photometric survey of faint Cataclysmic Variables are presented. V359 Cen is an SU UMa star with a period of 112 min. Even though observed at quiescence, the mass transfer rate in this old nova may be sufficiently high that in such a short period system (with its implied small mass ratio) the disc may be excited into an elliptical shape with the result that the observed brightness modulation gives a superhump period rather than an orbital period. XZ Eri is an eclipsing dwarf nova with an orbital period (Porb) of 88.1 min. HY Lup has only slight variability. V351 Pup, the remnant of Nova Puppis 1991, has Porb = 2.837 h and a light curve that strongly resembles that of the magnetic Nova Cyg 1975. V630 Sgr is the first nova remnant that has both positive superhumps (Psh = 2.980 h) and eclipses (Porb = 2.831 h). The YY Tel identification is somewhat uncertain. The correct identification for CQ Vel is provided from discovery of its flickering activity. The light curve of CE- 315, a recently discovered AM CVn star, shows similarities to that of GP Com, with no apparent orbital modulation. Key words: techniques: photometric – binaries: eclipsing – close – novae, cataclysmic variables 1 INTRODUCTION Cataclysmic Variable stars (CVs) are a class of interact- ing close binaries which attract great attention. They en- able a quantitative study of the many processes involved in mass transfer through accretions discs or through magneti- cally channeled accretion. A list of these physical processes, which occur also in many other astr