Solar-type cycles in close binary systems

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Abstract
Solar-type cycles in late-type secondary components of cataclysmic variables can produce cyclical variations of the quiescent luminosity, the time intervals between consecutive outbursts of dwarf-nova systems, and the orbital period. Analysis of the long-term light curves of several types of close binary systems suggests cyclical variations of the mass-transfer rate which can be ascribed to fractional changes of the radii of the late-type secondaries by Delta R/R in the range 0.00006-0.0003, as expected for a typical solar cycle. The probability density function of the periods of the cycles discovered in both CVs and single main-sequence stars are peaked around 6 yr. The periods of the cycles do not seem to be affected by the rotation regime of the star. A possible correlation between these cycles and the recurrence times of recurrent novae is suggested.

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