Increasing supercycle lengths of active SU UMa-type dwarf novae

TL;DR

This study provides observational evidence that supercycle lengths of active SU UMa-type dwarf novae have been increasing over recent decades, indicating a potential evolutionary trend in these variable stars.

Contribution

It is the first comprehensive analysis showing a universal increase in supercycle lengths across active SU UMa-type dwarf novae, supporting theoretical predictions.

Findings

Supercycle lengths are increasing in active SU UMa stars.

The trend is independent of the stars' evolutionary status.

Results align with previous theoretical and observational work.

Abstract

We present observational evidence that supercycle lengths of the most active SU UMa-type stars are increasing during the past decades. We analysed a large number of photometric measurements from available archives and found that this effect is generic for this class of stars, independently of their evolutionary status. This finding is in agreement with previous predictions and the most recent work of Patterson et al. (2012) on BK Lyn.