A PHOTOMETRIC STUDY OF THE CATACLYSMIC VARIABLE, LX SERPENTIS

We have conducted a high-speed photometric study of the cataclysmic variable, LX Ser (α₁₉₄₀ = 15h35m44s;δ₁₉₄₀= 19°01'30", mv = 14), using the Cloudcroft 48-inch (1.2-m) synoptic telescope. We derive an orbital period of 0.15843194 (3h48m8ṣ 51 ± 0ṣ 1) at a zero epoch of HJD2444293.0240 ± 0.0003. The shapes of the eclipse light curves indicate that the hot-spot surface brightness morphology changes on a time scale of days and can be quite nonuniform, perhaps even irregular. Power-spectrum analysis of these data reveals only one instance (out of 16) of marginal evidence for periodic oscillations at ~ 0.007 Hz (~ 140 sec period).