[Aavso-photometry] Book on CV

[Denis Denisenko]

Hello,

I second the query!  If a book like this doesn't exist, it should 
definitely be written!  Being interested in CVs myself for about two 
years, I've read dozens of scientific papers covering many theoretical 
and observational details as well as models, but something rather 
popular is necessary - both for advanced amateurs and professionals from 
other fields of astronomy.  I would also like to see the following 
questions discussed (theoretical and observational):

If the evolution of CV is usually described by one parameter (mass of 
the donor star), and the period-mass relation is obeyed, why then there 
are different types of stars among the binaries with the same period?  
Do the dwarf nova type stars pass through the all sub-types (UGZ, UGSS, 
UGSU and UGWZ) during their lifetimes, and in which sequence?  What are 
the typical durations of each stage?  Is the relatively small number of 
UGZ stars explained by the short time of residing in this mode?  Which 
known stars are expected to change their classification in the nearest 
future?  How can one distinguish between the pulsational and rotational 
light curves of white dwarves?  Can the new types of CVs be discovered, 
and what should we be looking for?

Maybe somebody on the list is reading a course of lectures about CVs to 
their students?  The expanded conspects of this course would be a good 
base for a book like that.

Denis

Tomas L. Gomez wrote:

> The kind of questions I would like to see discussed are things like: what
> causes superhumps (versus normal humps?), is the mass transfer
> constant in time?, if not: why not?, is it related to oscillations of the
> red dwarf?, what causes the outbursts?, is the cause of the outburst
> always the same or does it depend on the class of CV?, what are the
> differences between outbursts and superoutbursts?, are dwarf novae,
> recurrent novae, classical novae and supernovae of type I physically
> different, or are they the same, but only differ in the time scale and
> amplitude of the outbursts?, etc...