Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-16-2026
Abstract
Symbiotic stars are interacting binaries consisting of a red giant and typically a white dwarf (WD), which are important as potential Type Ia supernova progenitors. Despite theoretical predictions that WDs in symbiotic systems should often be magnetic, direct evidence has been elusive. We report the discovery of a 682.5 ± 7 s periodicity in the XMM–Newton X-ray light curve that we interpret as the spin period of the WD in CH Cygni. This detection provides strong evidence for a magnetic WD in CH Cygni, making it only the second WD symbiotic star with confirmed X-ray pulsations after R Aquarii. Our discovery supports the magnetic propeller model previously proposed for CH Cygni’s jet activity and state transitions.
Recommended Citation
Pichardo Marcano, Manuel, Thomas J. Maccarone, and Liliana E. Rivera Sandoval. "A 682-second X-ray periodicity in CH Cygni: evidence for a magnetic white dwarf." Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 546, no. 4 (2026): stag299. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag299
Publication Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stag299
Comments
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.