Cataclysmic Variables – The Cannibals of the Cosmos

Cataclysmic variable stars are binary star systems that can vary substantially in brightness at irregular rates. They are formed when a donor star comes into close contact with a white dwarf, resulting in a transfer of mass, and usually leading to an accretion disk around the white dwarf. This works examines two such examples of Cataclysmic Variable systems – AM CVn and V803 Centauri. A light curve and periodogram derived from NASA TESS data is provided for each of these systems, which highlight their significantly different characteristics due to the unique behavior of their respective accretion disks. Key features such as the orbital and precession periods are discernible from the data for the archetypical AM CVn, while V803 Centauri is more unconventional in its behavior, and harder to interpret. The study of cataclysmic variable stars has major implications for the wider field of astrophysics, as these objects are the likely progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, a classic standard candle used to measure distances across the universe.