Cataclysmic Variables from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. III. The Third Year

Abstract

This paper continues the series that identifies new cataclysmic variables found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We present 36 cataclysmic variables and one possible symbiotic star from Sloan spectra obtained during 2002, of which 34 are new discoveries, two are known dwarf novae (BC UMa and KS UMa), and one is a known cataclysmic variable identified from the Two-Degree Field survey. The positions, colors, and spectra of all 37 systems are presented, along with follow-up spectroscopic/photometric observations of 10 systems. As in the past 2 yr of data, the new SDSS systems show a large variety of characteristics based on their inclination and magnetic fields, including three eclipsing systems, four with prominent He II emission, and 15 systems showing features of the underlying stars.Based on observations obtained with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and with the Apache Point Observatory (APO) 3.5 m telescope, which are owned and operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium.