STAR SPOTS AND THE PERIOD GAP IN CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES

We propose a model for the occasional drops in brightness in the VY Scl stars, and we show that the apparent absence of dwarf novae in the 3-4 hr period range is a plausible consequence of the proposed model. We also propose a new model for the formation of the period gap in the distribution of cataclysmic variables, in the context of which, the period gap and the behavior of dwarf novae, nova-like variables, VY Scl stars, and AM Her systems are all self-consistent.