Abstract
Z Cha is an eclipsing cataclysmic binary with an extremely short orbital period of only P = 0.07449923d (ref. 1). Cataclysmic binaries are systems consisting of a white dwarf primary, of mass M1, and of a secondary of low mass M2, which fills its critical Roche volume2. The secondary feeds an accretion disk around the primary by transferring matter through the inner lagrangian point L1. At the point where the streaming matter impacts the disk, a shock front is formed which is usually referred to as the hot spot. The geometry of the system, as seen from above the orbital plane, is shown in Fig. 1. The determination of the masses, the absolute dimensions and the mass exchange rate of Z Cha are reported here. Various possible mechanisms for the mass exchange are discussed which lead to the conclusion that it is probably due to the action of gravitational waves.
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Ritter, H. Is Z Cha another case of gravitational radiation?. Nature 281, 199–200 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/281199a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/281199a0
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