AM Canum Venaticorum stars

http://astrothesaurus.org/uat/31

alt label
AM CVn stars
dcterms modified equal to or less than 2020-10-26T18:33:44.144Zequal to or more than 2020-10-26T18:33:44.144Z
broader
http://astrothesaurus.org/uat/203 original
narrower
31 original
http://astrothesaurus.org/uat/769 original
narrower
31 original
definition A binary system that has very short orbital period (less than one hour) and helium dominated spectrum. The prototype, AM Canum Venaticorum, with a period of 17 minutes, was discovered in 1967. AM CVn stars are semidetached binary systems in which accretion is going on. The donor star is hydrogen deficient and the accretor is usually a white dwarf. To fit within their Roche lobes, the donor stars must be dense, suggesting they may be degenerate too. It is at present thought that AM CVn stars represent three possible evolutionary phases in 1) double white dwarf systems, 2) white dwarf and helium star binaries, and 3) cataclysmic variables with evolved donors.
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Resource original
Concept original
contributor AAS_Frey.Katie original