AAS 207th Meeting, 8-12 January 2006
Session 70 Cataclysmic Variables and Novae
Poster, Tuesday, 9:20am-6:30pm, January 10, 2006, Exhibit Hall

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[70.18] Low Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Polars

J. J. Johnson, R. K. Campbell, T. E. Harrison (NMSU), S. B. Howell (NOAO/WIYN)

Polars are cataclysmic variables where the white dwarf primary is highly magnetic, with fields in excess of 8 MG. The magnetic field funnels the accretion stream from the late-type star along the field lines and onto the magnetic pole of the white dwarf. The material as it spirals in generates cyclotron emission, which can be detected as a series of ``humps" in the spectra. For field strengths below 40 MG, these humps can be observed in the near infrared. We present phase-resolved infrared spectra obtained at IRTF of several polars and discuss their magnetic fields.


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