Time-resolved observations of the short period CV SDSS J123813.73-033933.0

Aims.We observed a new and poorly studied cataclysmic variable (CV) SDSS J123813.73-033933.0 to determine its classification and binary parameters.Methods.Simultaneous time-resolved photometric and spectroscopic observations were carried out to conduct period analysis and Doppler tomography mapping.Results.From radial velocity measurements of the Hα line we determined its orbital period to be $0.05592\pm0.00035$ days (80.53 min). This period is longer than the first estimate of 76 min by Szkody et al. (2003), but still at the very edge of the period limit for hydrogen-rich CVs. The spectrum shows double-peaked Balmer emission lines flanked by strong broad Balmer absorption, indicating a dominant contribution by the white dwarf primary star, and is similar to the spectra of short-period low-mass transfer WZ Sge-like systems. The photometric light curve shows complex variability. The system undergoes cyclic brightening up to 0.4 mag, which are of semi-periodic nature with periods of the order of 8–12 h. We also detect a 40.25 min variability of ${\sim}0.15$ mag corresponding to half of the orbital period. Amplitude of the latter increases with the cyclic brightening of the system. We discuss the variable accretion rate and its impact on the hot spot as the most probable reason for both observed processes.Conclusions.SDSS J123813.73-033933.0 is preliminary classified as a WZ Sge-like short period system with low and unstable accretion rate.