Events in Physics
Retha Pretorius (University of Southampton)
Retha Pretorius
(University of Southampton)
Title:
Constraints on the space density of CVs and implications for evolution models
Abstract:
The overall space density of CVs is a fundamental prediction of models describing the formation and evolution of these systems. CVs also appear to make up a large fraction of Galactic X-ray source populations, and again, local space density estimates are needed to compare the expected number counts to observations. I will present constraints on the space density of both magnetic and non-magnetic cataclysmic variables, and discuss the implications of these measurements for the evolutionary relationship between IPs and polars, the fraction of CVs with strongly magnetic white dwarfs, and for the contribution of CVs to Galactic populations of X-ray sources.