Precise timing analysis of four magnetic cataclysmic variables with TESS

¹ Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Manora Peak, Nainital 263001, India
² Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly 243006, India
³ South African Astronomical Observatory, PO Box 9 Observatory, 7935 Cape Town, South Africa
⁴ Institute of Astrophysics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Vicuña MacKenna 4860, 7820436 Santiago, Chile
⁵ Department of Applied Physics/Physics, Bareilly College Bareilly-243001, India

^⋆ Corresponding author: srinivas@aries.res.in

Received: 1 January 2025
Accepted: 26 May 2025

Abstract

We analysed high time-resolution optical photometric data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to study the timing behaviour of four intermediate polar-like objects: namely, V1460 Her, 1RXS J045707.4+452751, Swift J0958.0-4208, and V842 Cen. In the case of V1460 Her, we refined the measurement of its orbital period. Long-term observations suggest a gradual decrease in the orbital period of V1460 Her, and the stable light curve during the TESS observations indicates its quiescent state. We detect a beat period of 1290.6 ± 0.5 s for the first time for the source 1RXS J045707.4+452751, suggesting a possible disc-overflow accretion scenario. For the sources Swift J0958.0-4208 and V842 Cen, we determine periods of 6.11 ± 0.02 h and 3.555 ± 0.005 h, respectively, which can be provisionally suggested to be orbital periods. These findings provide valuable insights into the accretion processes and long-term evolution of these intriguing binary systems.