Novae, dwarf novae, novae-like stars are all thought to be pairs of stars in which a "main sequence" star is slowly expanding and transferring some of its matter onto an orbiting "white dwarf." The heating of fresh hydrogen from the first star results in thermonuclear reactions on the white dwarf's surface, leading to a vast class of rapid brightenings we observe as nova-type stars. Many astronomers are trying to understand whether each of these systems is the same type of object in a different stage of evolution or whether they are fundamentally different types of objects. In this two-year study the Principal Investigator (PI) and a student will monitor a dozen binary stars that have under- gone nova eruptions in the past to examine the periods and other orbital characteristics that would lead to improved estimates of these stars' masses and radii. This is expected to double the number of stars for which these fundamental parameters are known and to permit a better estimate to be made of the distribution of their periods. The PI anticipates that this study will contribute to resolving whether nova undergo rapid mass transfer events followed by little exchanges between the two stars over longer times. A resolution of this issue will help determine whether novae, dwarf novae, and nova-like systems are the same system merely observed in different stages of evolution. This is an award under the auspices of the NSF's Research for Undergraduate Institutions program and is expected to contribute to the scientific instruction of graduate and undergraduate students at the PI's institution.
