Study of Superoutbursts and Superhumps in SU UMa Stars by the Kepler Light Curves of V344 Lyrae and V1504 Cygni

TL;DR

This study analyzes Kepler light curves of SU UMa stars V344 Lyrae and V1504 Cyg to understand superoutbursts and superhumps, introducing a new period analysis method and confirming models of disk-radius variations.

Contribution

It presents a novel two-dimensional period analysis using Lasso, confirms the thermal-tidal instability model, and explores the relationship between positive and negative superhumps in cataclysmic variables.

Findings

Confirmed the orbital period of V344 Lyr as 0.087903 days.

Demonstrated that positive and negative superhumps vary in unison, indicating disk-radius changes.

Observed impulsive negative superhumps acting as precursors to superoutbursts.

Abstract

We have studied the short-cadence Kepler public light curves of SU UMa stars, V344 Lyr and V1504 Cyg extending over a period of more than two years by using power spectral analysis. We determined the orbital period of V344 Lyr to be Porb=0.087903(1) d. We also reanalyzed the frequency variation of the negative superhump in a complete supercycle of V1504 Cyg with additional data of the O-C diagram, confirming that its characteristic variation is in accordance with the thermal-tidal instability model. We present a new two-dimensional period analysis based on a new method of a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso). The new method gives very sharp peaks in the power spectra, and it is very useful for studying of the frequency variation in cataclysmic variable stars. We also analyzed simultaneous frequency variations of the positive and negative superhumps. If they are appropriately converted, it is found that they vary in unison, indicating that they represent a disk-radius variation. We have also studied the frequency (or period) variations of positive superhumps during superoutbursts. These variations can be understood in a qualitative way by combining of the disk radius variation and the variation of pressure effects during a superoutburst. A sudden excitation of oscillation with a frequency range near to the negative superhump (which we call "impulsive negative superhump") was observed in the descending branch of several outbursts of V344 Lyr. These events seem to have occurred just prior to the next superoutburst, and to act as a "lead" of the impending superoutburst.