Intermediate polars in low states

Abstract

Although no intermediate polar (IP) has been observed in recent years to descend into a state of low rate of mass transfer, there are candidate stars that appear to be already in intermediate and low states. V709 Cas is probably an intermediate state IP; NSV 2872 appears to be a low state IP, and will probably resemble the long orbital period IP V1072 Tau if it returns to a high state. The enigmatic V407 Vul, which has had many interpretations as an ultra-short period binary, has many resemblances to the pre-cataclysmic variable V471 Tau, and may therefore be an IP precursor of quite long orbital period, and not yet a fully fledged cataclysmic variable.

5 pages (requires kapproc.cls). To appear in the proceedings of IAU JD5 "White Dwarfs: Galactic and Cosmological Probes", eds. Ed Sion, Stephane Vennes and Harry Shipman