Discovery of a Short-period and Unusually Helium-deficient Dwarf Nova KSP-OT-201701a by the KMTNet Supernova Program

Abstract

Abstract We present the first ever discovery of a short-period and unusually helium-deficient dwarf nova KSP-OT-201701a by the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network Supernova Program. The source shows three superoutbursts, each led by a precursor outburst, and several normal outbursts in BVI during the span of ∼2.6 yr with supercycle and normal cycle lengths of about 360 and 76 days, respectively. Spectroscopic observations near the end of a superoutburst reveal the presence of strong double-peaked H i emission lines together with weak He i emission lines. The helium-to-hydrogen intensity ratios measured by He i λ5876 and Hα lines are 0.10 ± 0.01 at a quiescent phase and 0.26 ± 0.04 at an outburst phase, similar to the ratios found in long-period dwarf novae, while significantly lower than those in helium cataclysmic variables (He CVs). Its orbital period of 51.91 ± 2.50 minutes, which is estimated based on time-series spectroscopy, is a bit shorter than the superhump period of 56.52 ± 0.19 minutes, as expected from the gravitational interaction between the eccentric disk and the secondary star. We measure its mass ratio to be 0.37 − 0.21 + 0.32 using the superhump period excess of 0.089 ± 0.053. The short orbital period, which is under the period minimum, the unusual helium deficiency, and the large mass ratio suggest that KSP-OT-201701a is a transition object evolving to an He CV from a long-period dwarf nova with an evolved secondary star.