[vsnet-newvar 1404] RX J0806.3+1527

[Taichi Kato <tkato@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp>]

RX J0806.3+1527

   According to astro-ph/0203043, RX J0806.3+1527 is identified with a
variable emission-line object with a pulse period of 321 s.  The object
is interpreted as a double-degenerate (AM CVn-type) cataclysmic variable.
Since this object is not reddened as in V407 Vul, further monitoring
is strongly encouraged to check long-term variation.  See astro-ph for the
indentification chart.  If the object undergoes an outburst in future,
the object will become the top-priority target for time-resolved CCD
photometry.

Paper: astro-ph/0203043
From: (Giallo) Israel <gianluca@ulysses.mporzio.astro.it>
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 18:37:54 GMT   (115kb)

Title: RXJ0806.3+1527: a double degenerate binary with the shortest known
  orbital period (321s)
Authors: G.L. Israel, W. Hummel, S. Covino, S. Campana, I. Appenzeller, W.
  Gassler, K.-H. Mantel, G. Marconi, C.W. Mauche, U. Munari, I. Negueruela, H.
  Nicklas, G. Rupprecht, R.L. Smart, O. Stahl, L. Stella
Comments: Accepted for publication on A&A Letters
\\
  We carried out optical observations of the field of the X-ray pulsator
RXJ0806.3+1527. A blue V=21.1 star was found to be the only object consistent
with the X-ray position. VLT FORS spectra revealed a blue continuum with no
intrinsic absorption lines. Broad (v~1500 km/s), low equivalent width (about
-1/-6A) emission lines from the HeII Pickering series were clearly detected. B,
V and R time-resolved photometry revealed the presence of about 15% pulsations
at the 321s X-ray period, confirming the identification. These findings,
together with the period stability and absence of any additional modulation in
the 1min-5hr period range, argue in favour of the orbital interpretation of the
321s pulsations. The most likely scenario is thus that RXJ0806.3+1527 is a
double degenerate system of the AM CVn class. This would make RXJ0806.3+1527
the shortest orbital period binary currently known and one of the best
candidates for gravitational wave detection.
\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0203043 ,  115kb)

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