Monitoring Observations of Active White Dwarf Binary Systems

Binary systems of a white dwarf showing mass transfer activities are classified into cataclysmic variables and symbiotic stars. In the case of cataclysmic variables, the companion is usually a late type main sequence star filling its Roche lobe, where material is transferred through the inner Lagrangian point to form an accretion disk around the white dwarf. The disk becomes unstable and highly viscous when the surface density exceeds the critical density, leading to dwarf nova outbursts. In contrast, symbiotic stars are wide binary systems having a giant as the mass donor. Some fraction of giant stellar wind is accreted to the white dwarf giving rise to various symbiotic activities. In particular, half of symbiotics show Raman O VI at 6830 and 7088, which are important spectroscopic probe of mass transfer process. Monitoring observations using 1 m class telescopes will produce valuable information regarding the mass loss and mass transfer to white dwarf stars, shedding much light on the last stage of stellar evolution of low and intermediate mass stars.