A dwarf nova in the globular cluster M13

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a new dwarf nova in globular cluster M13, using optical and X-ray observations, suggesting that such objects may be more common but less detectable than previously thought.

Contribution

The paper presents the first identification of a dwarf nova in M13 using multi-wavelength observations, expanding the known population in globular clusters and discussing implications for their overall frequency.

Findings

Discovered a dwarf nova in M13 with multiple outbursts.

X-ray and optical data support the dwarf nova identification.

The detection rate suggests a potentially larger, undercounted population of such objects.

Abstract

Dwarf novae in globular clusters seem to be rare with only 13 detections in the 157 known Galactic globular clusters. We report the identification of a new dwarf nova in M13, the 14th dwarf nova identified in a globular cluster to date. Using the 2m Faulkes Telescope North, we conducted a search for stars in M13 that show variability over a year (2005-2006) on timescales of days and months. This led to the detection of one dwarf nova showing several outbursts. A Chandra X-ray source is coincident with this dwarf nova and shows both a spectrum and variability consistent with that expected from a dwarf nova, thus supporting the identification. We searched for a counterpart in Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC archived images and found at least 11 candidates, of which we could characterize only the 7 brightest, including one with a 3 sigma H-alpha excess and a faint blue star. The detection of one dwarf nova when more could have been expected likely indicates that our knowledge of the global Galactic population of cataclysmic variables is too limited. The proportion of dwarf novae may be lower than found in catalogs, or they may have a much smaller duty cycle in general as proposed by some population synthesis models and recent observations in the field.