Using the ROentgen SATellite (ROSAT), astronomers have discovered a new cataclysmic variable system of the polar subtype. The new polar, which received the designation ZTF J0112+5827, has an orbital period of approximately 81 minutes. The finding is detailed in a research paper published on the arXiv preprint server.

Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are binary star systems composed of a white dwarf and a normal star companion. They irregularly increase in brightness by a large factor, then drop back down to a quiescent state. Polars are a subclass of cataclysmic variables distinguished from other CVs by the presence of a very strong magnetic field in their white dwarfs.

Now, a team of astronomers led by Jiamao Lin of the Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, China, reports the discovery of a new CV of the polar subclass. By examining the X-ray and cyclotron radiation characteristics of a CV candidate ZTF J0112+5827, they confirmed its polar nature.