Polars:
Long-term
light curves
€Unlike
disk-dominated CVs, polars tend to emit at an approximately constant level, with occasional
drops to fainter
levels
€There is a continuum of levels, but the states
tend to be called ³high², ³intermediate² and ³low²
€In low
states the accretion rate drops, no reservoir in a disk, so the
underlying stars can become visible: important for measuring the system parameters
Feigelson, Dexter & Liller (1978)