An International Ultraviolet Explorer Archival Study of Dwarf Novae in Outburst

Abstract

We present a synthetic spectral analysis of nearly the entire far-ultraviolet International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) archive of spectra of dwarf novae in or near outburst. The study includes 46 systems of all dwarf nova subtypes, both above and below the period gap. The spectra were uniformly analyzed using synthetic spectral codes for optically thick accretion disks and stellar photospheres, along with the best available distance measurements or estimates. We present newly estimated accretion rates and discuss the implications of our study for disk accretion physics and CV evolution.