What we learn from quantitative ultraviolet spectroscopy of naked white dwarfs in cataclysmic variables

Abstract

Using the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope, observers have now obtained UV spectra with sufficient signal to noise and resolution to allow quantitative spectroscopic analyses of the WDs in several DNe. In the "cleanest" DNe, such as U Gem, the observations are allowing the basic physical parameters of the WD - temperature, radius, gravity, rotation rate, and surface abundances - to be established. A second component also exists in these systems, which may either be the disk or may be related to the WD itself. Here I summarize the current state of the observations and our understanding of the data, highlighting some of the uncertainties in the analyses as well the prospects for fundamentally advancing our understanding of DNe and WDs with future observations.