Speaker
Keith Inight
Description
The study of cataclysmic variables (CVs) has historically suffered from severe selection effects – most CVs were revealed by their outbursts. SDSS spectroscopy has been transformational in identifying large numbers of CVs from their spectral lines. SDSS spectroscopy, in combination with photometric light curves enables reliable classification of CV subtypes. Following a major effort to catalog CV spectra from SDSS we show how this data can be used to infer space densities of subtypes leading to greater understanding of the evolution of CVs. Furthermore the specific targeting of white dwarfs in SDSS V has enabled a quantitative analysis of old “period bouncers” yielding a new insight into the final stage of a CVs life.
