[Previous] | [Session 85] | [Next]
A. W. Shafter, L. L. Clark, J. Holland, S. J. Williams (SDSU)
Multicolor (BVRI) light curves have been obtained for the newly-discovered eclipsing dwarf nova RX~J0909+1849. The eclipse profiles have been analyzed with a parameter-fitting model to constrain properties of the system. The model assumes four sources of luminosity: the white dwarf primary star and the secondary star (both assumed to radiate as blackbodies), and an accretion disk characterized as a blackbody whose temperature follows a radial power-law distribution: T(r)=Td~(Rd/r)\alpha, where Td and Rd are the outer disk temperature and radius, respectively. The model also includes an optically-thick bright spot at the intersection of the mass transfer stream and the disk periphery. A matrix of model solutions is computed, which covers an extensive range of plausible parameter values. The solution matrix is then explored to determine the optimum values for the fitting parameters and their associated errors. The application of this solution-matrix approach to other eclipsing cataclysmic variables is discussed. This work has been supported by NSF grant AST97-31641.