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Rotational And Cyclical Variability In Γ Cassiopeia, Myron A. Smith, Gregory W. Henry, Ethan Vishniac

Information Systems and Engineering Management Research Publications

γ Cas is an unusual classical Be star for which the optical-band and hard X-ray fluxes vary on a variety of timescales. We report results of a 9 yr monitoring effort on this star with a robotic ground-based (APT) telescope in the B, V filter system, as well as simultaneous observations in 2004 November with this instrument and the RXTE. Our observations disclosed no correlated optical response to the rapid X-ray flares in this star, nor did the star show any sustained flux changes any time during two monitored nights in either wavelength regime. Consistent with an earlier study by …