THE wise light curves of Z camelopardalis during outburst: Evidence for synchrotron emission?

Abstract

The WISE mission happened to observe the cataclysmic variable Z Cam at the peak of an outburst. The WISE single exposure data shows that Z Cam was highly variable at 12 μm, but only marginally so at shorter wavelengths. The rapid variability at 12 μm, and the fact that these observations occurred close to visual maximum suggests that, like SS Cyg, Z Cam is a synchrotron source. © 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.