Finding Cataclysmic Variables in the ZTF

P. Szkody, A. Ho, L. Hillenbrand, T. Kupfer and the ZTF Variable Star Collaboration

The Zwicky Transient Facility began its 3 year time-domain survey in March 2018,
using its camera with a 47 square degree field on the Palomar 48 inch
Schmidt telescope. The observing cadence of the entire visible sky in g and
r every 3 nights and the visible galactic plane in g and r every night is
ideal for finding variable objects. Among this group are cataclysmic
variables, which have disk instability outbursts causing increases of
brightness by 2-8 magnitudes within 1-2 days. A summary of the CV results
on over 200 candidates and previously known objects since the start of the
survey are presented.

Alert filtering and follow-up co-ordination was done by the GROWTH marshal funded by
NSF PIRE grant 1545949. PS acknowledges support from NSF grant AST 1514737.