Bibcode
Snaid, S.; Zijlstra, A. A.; McDonald, I.; Barker, Helen; Marsh, T. R.; Dhillon, V. S.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 477, Issue 3, p.4200-4212
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7
2018
Citations
7
Refereed citations
6
Description
Binary companions to asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are an
important aspect of their evolution. Few AGB companions have been
detected, and in most cases it is difficult to distinguish between
main-sequence and white dwarf companions. Detection of photometric
flickering, a tracer of compact accretion discs around white dwarfs, can
help identify the nature of these companions. In this work, we searched
for flickering in four AGB stars suggested to have likely accreting
companions. We found no signs for flickering in two targets: R Aqr and
V1016 Cyg. Flickering was detected in the other two stars: Mira and Y
Gem. We investigated the true nature of Mira's companion using three
different approaches. Our results for Mira strongly suggest that its
companion is a white dwarf.
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